Singing O Canada is a morning ritual familiar to every Canadian student. But at one Toronto school, they've added another tradition.
Recently, Craig and former Prime Minister Paul Martin visited Eastview Public School in Scarborough, Ont. They were ushered into the gym in time for assembly. The last note of the national anthem had barely finished when a student marched confidently up to the pair. From a pot in his hands came a sweet-smelling smoke, which he wafted over the visitors with a feather.
Students perform this traditional Indigenous smudge ceremony every morning alongside the national anthem.
Eastview is, in small scale, a model and road map for national reconciliation. The school is taking cultural education beyond abstract facts to real understanding through experiential learning.
"Before I came to this school I had no idea about the First Nations. It has made me more open to learn about other people," says Maria Sethi, a Grade 8 student who has attended Eastview for three years.
One third of Eastview's 410 students identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis, says Principal Kenneth Morden, while the rest come from other diverse backgrounds. Craig and Martin were there as part of the We Stand Together campaign, designed to build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through classroom education (supported by the Martin Family Initiative).
Eastview's efforts are having a positive impact on students, staff and families.
Eastview's commitment to integrating Indigenous culture is evident throughout the school. Morning announcements recognize that the campus resides on six First Nations' and Métis territories. (The entire Toronto School Board has adopted this honoring practice, but Eastview is proud to have been among the first). Hallways and offices are decorated with Indigenous art. In June, Eastview hosted a Pow Wow with more than 2,000 attendees.
But integration goes much deeper than events and décor; it's woven into the curriculum.
Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students can choose to learn Ojibwe or French. All grades take classes in Indigenous culture and history, including residential schools. Students making dreamcatchers in visual art will also learn its symbolism and traditions: the four medicines, and the seven sacred grandfather teachings.
Eastview's efforts are having a positive impact on students, staff and families.
Fourteen-year-old Métis student Jahnya Michael tells us she finds her non-Indigenous classmates more accepting than students she meets from other schools.
The spirit of inclusion at Eastview helps some Indigenous students feel more positive about their relationship with Canada.
"I feel more connected. I identify as both Canadian and Indigenous," says Jahnya.
Seeing their children in a welcoming environment that reflects their culture is also slowly winning the trust of Indigenous parents, who still fear an education system that once created residential schools, Morden says.
For teachers, the program has provided opportunities for growth and development. Morden admits he and the other non-Indigenous staff still make occasional blunders around cultural sensitivity. One of the hardest but most important lessons, he says, has been accepting criticism gracefully and learning from mistakes.
As Canadians, one of the toughest roads ahead of us is the path to reconciliation. Pathfinders like the staff and students of Eastview can show us the way.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day.
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