Surrey Schools participating in virtual event for National Indigenous People's Day on June 21
This year marks the 25th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day, and to celebrate, the district has partnered with the City of Surrey, the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association (FRAFCA) and other stakeholders to showcase a virtual event for students, teachers and parents.
On June 21, schools are encouraged to join a livestream from 10:50 to 11:30 a.m. on the FRAFCA Facebook page and YouTube channel. Hosted by the Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo First Nations, the event will feature a cultural performance, during which classes are encouraged to provide feedback by commenting on Facebook Live and YouTube in real time.
Students will later be able to watch the rest of the livestream with their families at home, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., honouring Indigenous people of the past, present and future, and sharing their history, spirit, experiences, stories, songs, art and dances.
"Students will get a taste of it and hopefully they'll go home and encourage their family to watch the rest of it online," said Juanita Coltman, District Principal with the Aboriginal Learning department. "Quite a few teachers are interested in having their class be part of this - it's going to be a great event."
Surrey Schools currently has about 3,100 Indigenous students in the district. Lyn Daniels, the Director of Instruction with the Aboriginal Learning department, said the proclamation of National Indigenous People's Day in 1996 marks the acceptance of Aboriginal and Indigenous identities, allowing First Nations across Canada to be themselves.
"Having a day reminds Canadians that the country was not settled by Europeans, it was settled by Indigenous people," she said. "We've been here since time immemorial and it feels really freeing to be allowed to be who we are. It sounds strange, but that is a very important acknowledgement."
Other partners in the event include the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Surrey RCMP.
In addition to National Indigenous People's Day, the Aboriginal Learning department invites students to participate in other Indigenous celebrations throughout the year, with more information and resources available at bit.ly/AbEdCalendar
"Our Indigenous Connections poster identifies something to do with Indigenous people every month of the school year and explains the history of National Indigenous People's Day," said Daniels. "It has all kinds of plans you can do to recognize the day."
For more information on this year's virtual celebration, visit surrey.ca/NIPD
