Witness Blanket: Bringing Voices of Residential School Survivors to the Classroom

Graham Lowes is the manager of education and program development at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He will present on the Witness Blanket — a large-scale work of art. It contains hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings, and both traditional and cultural structures from across Canada. Witnessblanket.ca invites visitors to explore objects from the blanket and hear directly from residential school survivors about their experiences.

This presentation introduces participants to WitnessBlanket.ca and discusses how to incorporate a trauma-informed approach in bringing voices of residential school survivors to the classroom. Additionally, educators will learn how to walk alongside their students in taking the next steps on their pathway of reconciliation.