“Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination.”
– United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The Board of Education commits to Reconciliation through truth, equity and honouring traditional Indigenous knowledge by witnessing, listening, and learning.
We recognize that First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students come from a variety of homelands.
The Board recognizes the impacts that Canadian educational institutions have had, and continue to have, on Indigenous peoples. The Board supports the active decolonization of our learning communities as informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, Professional Standard 9 for BC Educators and the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning.
The Board values an educational environment that suits the individual and collective needs of Indigenous students; an environment that creates space for Indigenous students to be engaged throughout their school career and leads to graduation with dignity, purpose and options.
The Board values a focus on Reconciliation that includes continued learning about:
- The lands, languages, and cultures of the First Peoples who have been stewards of the Columbia Valley since time immemorial.
- The legacy of colonialism in our local area, and Canada.
- The knowledge and contributions, both contemporary and historic, of Indigenous Peoples to present-day Canada.
Embedded in the Strategic Plan of 2021-24 is the following,
We acknowledge the responsibility of our school community to learn the truth about, and honour, Indigenous cultures, languages, and histories, and our responsibility to work through the Reconciliation process.
Board of Education will:
- Understand that personal achievement and success can be defined in many ways.
- Identify promising practices and implicit bias that impact Indigenous student achievement and success.
- Ensure that all members of our school community understand the role they play in Reconciliation.
- Support our strong local advocates and allies for Indigenous learners.
- Increase awareness and knowledge in our school community of Indigenous cultures, languages, and histories to further enhance the success of all students.
- Support and provide professional learning opportunities related to Indigenous cultures, languages, and histories.
We recognize that we have much learning ahead of us. Revelstoke school district is committed to ensuring that Truth and Reconciliation is fostered and taught throughout grades K-12. We are working towards Truth and Reconciliation each and every day.
