A Reconciliation Walk is taking place on Sunday in Guelph so residents can learn more about Canada’s Indigenous history.
The Rotary Club of Guelph, in partnership with Indigenous charity True North Aid, is hosting a walk at Riverside Park to support National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Monday.
Eleni Bakopoulos, the Rotary’s Indigenous awareness lead, said the walk is an opportunity to educate people about Canada’s residential school legacy.
“How do you look at a difficult history and walk away from it feeling not just sad but hopeful? And I think that’s what we want: people to come to this event, to understand that history, the truth behind it, some of the real difficult aspects, but also kind of feel like you’re leaving towards a hopeful future for Canda,” Bakopoulos said.
Bakopolous said it’s a self-guided walk and there will be information panels hanging between trees to read. She highlights the significance of this event with an emphasis on wanting to be truthful about a lot of difficult things and healing cannot happen until the truth is acknowledged.
She said the walks are not always a celebration for Indigenous Peoples as they can be traumatizing or bring up really painful things, so there are lots of events happening in the city to attract what each individual needs.
The walk is one of many events occurring in multiple cities and it has been carefully thought out by organizers, with the involvement of the local Indigenous community.
Bakopolous said it’s interactive and you can learn as much as you want. It is about educating and making a commitment to moving forward on the path of reconciliation together, so participants can treat it any way they want.
“If you don’t want to feel bombarded by a lot of heavy stuff, you can choose what to read,” she said.
Participants can wear the colour orange as well to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day, coinciding with the statutory holiday.
Bakopolous said wearing the orange shirt makes people feel a part of something.
“You’re not just letting that day go by, you’re going to say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to acknowledge this day and do something with myself, with my children and with my family, on a nice Sunday in the park,'” she said.
The event is free and goes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.