Professional Development and Reflection Day

September 22, 2021
Brandy Douglas

What is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

As you may be aware, the government has recently passed legislation to make September 30th a federal statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

This day is intended to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the objective is to create a chance for Canadians to learn about and reflect on a dark chapter in their country’s history and to commemorate the survivors, their families and their communities, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indigenous leaders.

September 30th also marks Orange Shirt Day, an unofficial day that has been observed since 2013 in memory of a piece of clothing that then-six-year-old Phyllis Webstad had taken from her on her first day at a residential school in 1973 (for more information, see https://www.orangeshirtday.org/).

Ontario has not made this a provincial statutory holiday; however, many provincial organizations are looking to recognize this day and its mandate.

How We Can Acknowledge This Day at Work

While this day is not a statutory holiday, in lieu of using the day to learn at home, a meaningful idea would be that, on September 30th of each year, in place of regular work activities, staff are expected to participate in learning activities that are related to the legacy of residential schools and that commemorate the survivors, their families and communities.

Key Principles:

This day of learning and reflection is one way to intentionally create space to learn, and signals to employees and community that we are committed to action and not just words of support.

Annually, provide a list of learning education and experiences. This variety will work to meet the range of learning needs of staff and create the flexibility for staff to take advantage of events happening in their local community.

The intention should be meaningful learning and reflection which means this day needs to be worth the cost of setting this day aside from regular work activities and does not need to necessarily fill a normal 8-hour regular workday.
Recognize that everyone is responsible for their own learning. This means prioritizing learning that does not burden Indigenous organizations, or communities. It also means empowering staff to take charge of their own learning journey when it comes to this day.

Sample Procedure:

Professional Development and Reflection Day will happen on September 30th of each year. When this date falls on a weekend, designate the closest weekday
Participation in the learning activities will be tracked and reported on.

This is an intentional effort to all do something on the same day – together even while participating in different learning opportunities.
This is also Orange Shirt Day, some communities may have local events, encourage staff to participate in those events as part of the learning for the day.
Encourage Staff to participate in the all-staff call-ins and then at least 2 additional hours of guided learning activities. The remainder of the day is to focus on self-guided learning.

Not sure where to start?

Check out our sample agenda and resources below.

Sample Agenda

Mandatory for all staff:

Staff Call-in: 9-9:30AM – set tone for day and answer any questions
Staff Call-in: 3:30 – 4:00PM –share how some spent the day and to provide a time of reflection

Optional options for staff:

Participate in one of the below resources on September 30th
If staff would like to continue their learning, there are options for free educational courses on Indigenous history (i.e. University of Alberta’s 12-lesson Indigenous Canada course)

Sample Learning Resources

Choose from events and activities offered by partners and other leaders from the resource list below:

Canada:

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation