On June 21st, 2021, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. We celebrate the heritage, the cultures, and the achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. Today and all days, we honor, respect, appreciate and value the countless contributions of First Nation, Inuit and Métis People across Canada, and we commit to learn and grow from events of the past. The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is committed to reconciliation, and committed to be a program that is inclusive and culturally safe for all participants.
*Image, and further information on National Indigenous Peoples Day 2021 found at https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/
Today we celebrate Fathers, recognizing that Fathers can take many different forms. Happy Father’s Day to Dads, Step-Dads, Foster Dads, Grandpas/Grandads, Uncles, Friends, and Teachers.
Our Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is a shared experience for the whole family, and we just love when Fathers get involved. Today we recognize all the Fathers, who ‘Zoom to the Moon, travel on Smooth Roads and Rough Roads, and snuggle close to sing Twinkle Twinkle to their littles.
To all the Fathers, we wish you a Happy Father’s Day.
On March 27, 2021, we learned about the devastating discovery of the bodies of 215 children in unmarked graves, at the former Kamloops Residential School. Some of these bodies were children as young as three years old. We pause, stand in solidarity and support, remember and honour, and we commit to learn from these tragic events. We recognize that these deaths are a part of the ongoing suffering and pain of generations and intergenerations of families struggling from the hurt and trauma that was endured. It was not only these 215 children that were impacted by the residential schools across Canada. Other children never made it home, and the discovery in Kamloops is just the beginning.
The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is committed to being inclusive and culturally safe for all participants. Our heart goes out to the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation, and all communities that continue to be negatively affected by residential schools across Canada. We want to reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation, and we want to learn from this tragedy.
Our Diversity Council is committed to learning about racism embedded in rhymes, songs and stories, and being a voice for program teachers and trainers to share their approaches to involving all languages and cultures. We make every effort to be a culturally safe program. We welcome your input and your thoughts – please email [email protected].
Every Child Matters.
* Quote respectfully borrowed from Mi’kmaw artist Whitney Gould of We’koqma’q.
A note from Lorinda Seto, member of our Diversity Council, and Parent-Child Mother Goose Program Facilitator
My name is Lorinda Seto. I am a Plains Cree Woman. My Plains Cree name is “Kehew Iskwew” (Eagle Woman). I am one of the last generation in my family to attend Residential School in Saskatchewan. I have worked hard in my life to gain culture and regain language since I became a parent. We attend many powwows across Canada/USA. It was one of these gatherings we attended was Kamloopa powwow in which is next to the Kamloops Residential school grounds. On my travels, I like to photograph and document my child’s journey in the Powwow Circuit. I asked my Daughter Mikayla Seto to take a pic of the beautiful backdrop of the dancing and spectators on this particular night. I kept getting orbs upon orbs of photos in each photograph I took. I cleaned the lens and still my camera captured this same images. In our spiritual way, I told my daughter I captured a lot of the ancestors in the photos I took of her. I posted the photo to my travel album and it was left unnoticed on Facebook for others to see on On May 28, 2021, We all just learned of the 215 children who were in unmarked mass graves. It triggered a memory that I had in the past in which I photographed unexplainable orbs. I decided to have a relook and decided to post it to my Facebook again. It was shared many times over social media. I like to think now that they tried to tell us they were there with us in spirit but we were all oblivious to knowing the real truth. On a good note, it left me with peace knowing the lil orbs were dancing and being curious during the powwow celebration. It was like they enjoyed being in celebration with us.
