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By Liam Verster
Walking with the 215+ Children

Grande Prairie woman organizing walk to honour residential school victims

Jun 3, 2021 | 11:26 AM

A Grande Prairie woman is organizing the Walking With the 215 Plus Children event to honour the lives of Indigenous children who died while attending Residential Schools.

Lucia Lavigne says she was inspired to organizing the walk through Muskoseepi Park after learning of the remains of at least 215 children found at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

READ MORE: Bodies of 215 children buried at former Kamloops Indian Residential School site

Lavigne’s goal of the walk is to honour the children who lost their lives, while also creating an opportunity to have conversations with the next generation about the history of Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people and the residential school system.

She is asking people to paint rocks with their children, which can be left on the path in Muskoseepi, and while doing so also take the time to have age-appropriate conversations with their kids, as it will not only educate them on the history and treatment of Indigenous people, but also allow them to be more conscious of the world around them and compassionate towards other people.

“To facilitate this conversation, I think it’s okay to tell them about how some children didn’t get the chance to play, some children didn’t get the chance to move forward with their lives because of different government bodies, and just understanding that their voices are important and to move forward they need to understand our path so we can prevent anything like this from happening again in the future,” says Lavigne.

“And too also understand the trauma that may have happened in other people’s lives and to be welcoming towards everyone.”

Along with leaving rocks, which represent strength, on the trail, people can also leave battery powered candles, which will create a visual representation of those whose lives were lost.

Lavigne says she would like to see at least 215 rocks put out during the walk, but acknowledges that there probably should be more than that in order to honour all the children who lost their lives in residential schools.

“We know it’s more than 215 children who have passed away due to the residential school system, so I don’t think we should only have 215 rocks or 215 candles, but the visual impact of that will make it more ingrained in [people’s] heads as how big this atrocity was and how many lives have been affected by the residential school system.”

She says it’s important to give a voice for the kids who lost their lives, and to educate the next-generation to help push for reconciliation .

Lavigne says events like these will also keep the conversation around Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people, particularly with residential schools, in the forefront of everybody’s mind.

In addition to the stones and candles, Lavigne says Speedpro Signs has agreed to donate some signs that will have messages written in different First Nations languages to honour the children.

She asks that anyone who knows First Nations languages and wants to help make more signs to be placed along the trail to contact her through her Facebook event.

Lavigne has also been in contact with the Metis Association and the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre, who have told her they support this event.

The Walking With the 215 Plus Children event will begin at Centre 2000 at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 4.

She asks that people who attend follow COVID-19 health guidelines by wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

Lavigne adds she and her children will go back to the park Saturday morning and clean up the candles and anything else left behind on the trail from the walk.

by Liam Verster