Annual truth and reconciliation gathering in Regina's North Central highlights hope for future generations

Eagle Heart Centre in Regina's North Central neighbourhood held its third annual truth and reconciliation awareness event Thursday morning.

Back in 2022, the centre — which provides a handful of services for Indigenous families in Regina — gathered shoes and set up a memorial wall to honour the children identified in residential school graves. Since then, the event has turned into so much more.

"To our surprise, our community of North Central had taken those shoes because they were in need of them," said Mandy Bull, executive director of Eagle Heart Centre.

"This created moving and powerful emotions on many levels for our staff."

The event serves as outreach for many families and children coping with the effects of residential schools, and those challenged to provide for their children.

Bull said each annual gathering is meant to highlight Eagle Heart's commitment to healing and addressing the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization.

Approximately 150 shoes were donated this year, many coming from the Ministry of Social Services, North Central Family Centre and All Nations Hope Network, according to Bull.

"Those are the children that you seen today … this is our future, this is our legacy. These are the ones that we're raising up as future leaders," she said.

"So being able to be a part of their growth is just absolutely amazing. There's no words to describe the input that we have on these children's lives."

One of those potential future leaders is young Dawson Hunter, who danced to live drumming and singing at the event, along with his peers from Regina Aboriginal 'Come and Learn' Head Start program. While Dawson is a boy of few words, particularly when there's a microphone in front of him, he said he had fun at the gathering.

His mother, Chloe Hunter, works with Eagle Heart Centre. She said it is especially important for her to gather to raise awareness and lift Indigenous people up.

"My mom is a residential survivor. My mom's mom was a residential survivor. So it kind of means a lot coming here because they got to go home and some other kids didn't get to go home," Hunter said. 

She said she's happy that Dawson and other Indigenous children are being taught the history of their people and their culture."The older he gets, the more he'll understand about what happened in the past. And whatever happened in the past, it's not gonna go away, like fully. It's still gonna have traits and people are still going to have trauma from the past," said Hunter.

"He's gonna see it, but then at least he'll know he has more knowledge about it instead of asking why did they do that or why did the kids have to go [to the residential schools]?"

Linda Anderson, chair of the board for Eagle Heart Centre, said gatherings like Thursday's are instrumental in furthering truth and reconciliation.

"I've seen a lot of promises made and a lot of promises forgotten about," Anderson said.

"I think every year, this time of year, we have to come together as a community and see where we're at with the 94 recommendations. Has it lost momentum? I know it started off with a bang like everything else, but then it just kind of falls to the back burner. And we can't let that happen."

Anderson is kokum to three children. She said she wants them to know their culture and be proud of it. She said there was a time in her life when she was not proud of who she was because of how she was made to feel by others  That has motivated her to push for change.

"I can't see another generation of my people living in poverty still," said Anderson, who grew up in poverty herself.

"They're not asking for big mansions or whatever. They just want to survive like the rest of us."

Anderson said Indigenous people want their children to live in safe neighbourhoods.

"They want them to flourish. And that's what we have to hope for — is that our future generations will have a better life than former ones."

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is Monday, Sept. 30.