Students gather in Sudbury for learning ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

There were hundreds of students of all ages today at Sudbury's Bell Park, where they gathered for a day of learning and performances around Indigenous culture.

The students, ranging from kindergarten- to Grade 12, were shown a film, and watched actors perform scenes on stage.
It's all part of the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday.

Jamie McDonald-Guizzo is an Indigenous support worker at two Sudbury-area schools. She called it an impactful day.

"This is impactful for my own story, but it's also impactful to be able to be here and be a part of our history going forward, and see the change that's to come. So I, myself, got quite emotional today in the presentations, and I think it's just a really really great honour for us to all come together," she said.

Emma Rochon is a student at Sudbury Secondary School, and says it was important for her to be at the event.

"I think it's important to learn about it because not a lot of kids get to. Like for me, for example, I didn't get to learn about this until last year when I came for the last one of these," she said.

"It's good to keep talking about it so we never forget about it because it's always going to be part of our history. Someone you know will probably have family that went through what the residential schools put the kids through."

Fellow student, Emma Card, is in Grade 10 at from Sudbury Secondary School, and was moved by the presentation.

"It kind of got me in certain parts, and I think it's really meaningful for everybody to listen to it," Card said.

"I feel like more needs to change too because I feel like this only gets mentioned during this month. I feel like it should be mentioned all the time."

McDonald-Guizzo says she's glad students are being engaged in this way.  

"I think, at the end of the day, a lot of our students are willing to engage and learn, the more open that we are in discussion, the better that it's received," she said.

"I think the more than we provide these opportunities for learning and education in regards to our Indigenous culture, it just provides that open conversation that we should be having more often."