REGINA, SK, May 31, 2022 /CNW/ - The organizing committee for Miyo-wîcîwitowin Day is excited to announce people can now register to reserve their free seats for the first Truth and Reconciliation Day event. This incredible day is on September 29, 2022, at Mosaic Stadium.
Miyo-wîcîwitowin means reconciliation in Cree: walking together in a good way.
"On Treaty Four territory land we all share, we will gather, learn, better understand, and walk away with actions to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. Also, survivors of Residential School will be with us and this is a time to show how better change is coming to help in healing and empowering them and their kinship," said Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cowessess First Nation & Co-chair of Miyo-wîcîwitowin Day.
The goal of the event is to bring 10,000 high school students, business leaders, and the general public together. There will be survivor stories, music, dance, keynote speakers, and a presentation to advance the 94 calls to action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Individuals and businesses are encouraged to take part to understand their unique role in supporting and furthering the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The organizing committee is excited to announce Chief RoseAnne Archibald, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations will be bringing greets to the event. In addition, renowned Indigenous artists DJ Kookum and the Snotty Nose Rez Kids will be performing. Saskatoon poet Zoey Roy and Regina Symphony Orchestra will also perform a piece from the Zoey Roy Project. Additional speakers and artists will be announced at a later date.
"As Chief Delorme has said, regardless of our race or where we came from, we all have a role in understanding, learning, and changing behaviour as a result of the residential school tragedy," said Tim Reid, President, and CEO of REAL and Co-chair of Miyo-wîcîwitowin Day. "This event is about supporting survivors, learning, and ensuring we move forward as a community, together."
One of the key pillars of the day is creating an educational legacy. The committee is pleased to launch their youth contest: What does the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Mean to You? Students from across the province will be invited to submit videos, poems, or artwork that shows their commitment to reconciliation to the website.
The Federal Government has declared September 30, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday. Miyo-wîcîwitowin Day is being held the day before and is meant to provide people with the knowledge and information necessary to be able to pause and reflect on the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools and how we all move forward.
Miyo-wîcîwitowin Day is proud to partner with the Mosaic Company which is supporting this event as an Eagle Sponsor. Because of Mosaic and the sponsors of the event, tickets are being made available at no charge.
"Together, we must do more than just talk about reconciliation" said Bruce Bodine, Senior Vice President, North America, for The Mosaic Company. "We continue to learn and practice reconciliation through everyday business engagement, community involvement and employment. We believe an important part of reconciliation also involves the business community."
The team leading the Truth and Reconciliation gathering at Mosaic Stadium wants to assure the impact of the day is to uplift the ones who attended Residential Schools. To honour Residential School Survivors, aged 65 and over, will be offered the opportunity to attend the event in the quiet, safe, indoor space in the Alumni Lounge at the stadium and outdoor on the Champions Deck. Support people are also welcome.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) defined reconciliation as the process of "establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada." They also said that for reconciliation to happen in Canada, "there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgment of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes and action to change behavior." This event is meant to move forward on that statement.
We cannot change the past but together through this day we can learn in the present and write a future for everyone that tells a story of healing, togetherness, and moving toward a better outcome for all.
For more information, please visit www.wewalktogether.ca.
SOURCE Regina Exhibition Association Limited
Media Contact: Mark Rathwell, Manager, Communications & Public Affairs, Regina Exhibition Association Limited, Cell: 306 537-9015, Email: [email protected]
Share this article