September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada – a day to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis survivors and their families and communities, and to acknowledge the history and the legacy of residential schools.
At ehm, we see the impact of the harm that the residential school system caused every single day. Many of the clients that use our services are survivors, and share stories of what life was like for them as children, having been taken from their families. We learn about how growing up and leaving the school didn’t end their pain, as their stories describe how hard it was for them to parent their own children, having not had the loving care and role modelling of their own parents, grandparents, and community.
At ehm, we sit and listen to these stories, and hold space for the pain of the storyteller. We create an environment where everyone can be proud of who they are. We support and partner with local Indigenous-led programs where survivors, their children, and everyone impacted by these schools can reclaim what they have lost through celebrations and services that reconnect them with their culture, their art, their history, and their language.