A special installation at the Awen Gathering Circle in Collingwood this week will recognize and reflect on the generational impact of Canada’s residential school system.
For Orange Shirt Day, the town will be setting up a temporary story walk at Awen featuring a children’s book called Stolen Words, which will be displayed in Cree and English. Anyone can visit the site, located at Harbourview Park at the north end of Cedar Street, to read the story.
Orange Shirt Day, which takes place on Sept. 30, is a national day inspired by the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstand, who is a residential school survivor.
For her first day of school, at just six years old, Webstand wore a new orange shirt given to her by her grandmother. The shirt was taken from her and she says the colour orange reminds her of the residential school system and that her feelings, dignity, or self-worth didn’t matter in that system. Today, people wear orange shirts on Sept. 30 as a reminder of her story, and the story of thousands of other children and families damaged or destroyed by the Canadian institution.
Jennifer Parker, the town’s coordinator for community well-being and inclusion, will be on-site on Sept. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to share resources and information on the residential school system and its impact on multiple generations and families.
“Because of the nature of the gathering circle, it’s a nice place to pause,” said Parker. “This is another way of putting forward that message of truth and reconciliation and looking at the legacy of the residential school system and its past and present impacts.”
The Awen story walk will only be in place for Sept. 30, but there will be another story walk along the train trail by the Collingwood Museum in place for at least 30 days.
Parker said the book featured on the trail will be When We Were Alone, and it looks at the intergenerational impact of the residential school system.
The town will also be offering a mobile story walk to local schools, which can be used outdoors.
The Orange Shirt Day story walks are a partnership between the town, Collingwood Public Library and Collingwood Museum.
