Secret Path Week is a national week to remember the death of Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy who died trying to run away from residential school and reunite with his parents.
Chanie’s story sparked national conversation about the standards and practices of Residential Schools. During an inquest following his death, a jury of settlers created a list of recommendations for the system, bringing the practices of the schools into question. Though residential schools would continue to operate for many years, the attention to Chanie’s story was significant in the path to change.
The week was started by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, and promoted Gord Downie’s call to action #DoSomething, which is now met with the response of #reconciliACTION.
Participate in Secret Path week by educating yourself about Chanie’s story and the stories of other children lost to the residential school system and Survivors in your area, taking action to raise further awareness and doing something to create positive change.
Oct 17-22 #DoSomething #ReconciliACTION #SecretPathWeek
How to learn more about Chanie’s story
- Read the original story of Chanie published in 1967
- Explore the story map chronicling the life of Chanie including images and video clips
- Learn the stories of the other Chanie Wenjacks
ReconciliACTION
- Watch the CBC Short Doc in which Chanie’s sisters visit one classroom of fifth graders who have been taught Chanie’s story
- Read about the reconciliACTIONs of schools nationwide
Teaching Resources
Download the Indigenous Languages and Secret Path resource kit from Learning Bird