Supplied by Algoma University…
(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON- October 4, 2019): Community organizations from across Canada are being recognized for their exceptional work in the field of Canadian community programming. Canada’s History announced this year’s shortlist for the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming, and Algoma University’s Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre’s (SRSC) “Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall” exhibit is among them.

The organizations featured represent remarkable and inspiring initiatives that encourage public engagement in Canadian history. “Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall” honours over three decades of work by the Shingwauk Residential School Survivor community to tell the truth about the Residential School legacy and contribute to healing and reconciliation efforts. The exhibit shares the story of the Shingwauk Residential School within a larger narrative of colonization and the struggle for self-determination. This space is dedicated to the generations of Survivors who attended Indian Residential Schools across Turtle Island.

It is the first major, permanent, Residential School Survivor-driven exhibition in a former Residential School building. This exhibition embodies an iterative design process which worked with the Indigenous Survivors of the Shingwauk School to determine their needs for commemoration, public education, and reclaiming a site associated with historical trauma. To read more about this historically significant project, click here.

“The recognition of the Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall project honours the decades of advocacy work undertaken by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association to ensure that their experiences at Residential School are never forgotten,” shared Researcher and Curator Krista McCracken. “The SRSC is happy to see the work of Survivors, the important history of the Shingwauk site, and the legacy of Residential Schools being shared across Canada.”

The award will honour two recipients, one French and one English, for innovation in community programming. Organizations receive a cash prize of $2,500 and a trip for two to Ottawa to receive their award. The individuals and organizations being recognized deepen our country’s understanding of the past by highlighting lesser-known stories, representing the diversity of our experiences, and encouraging meaningful public dialogue around history.