DCDSB Tulips for Truth

Posted On Friday September 24, 2021

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day will take place on September 30, 2021. This day commemorates the tragic effects of residential schools in Canada and the continuing impacts on Indigenous communities while seeking to ensure that the devastating history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten.

In recognition of the lives lost, the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) will be launching Tulips for Truth. As part of this initiative 25,000 tulips will be planted in honour of the Indigenous peoples whose lives have been lost due to the residential school system.

DCDSB staff, students and families are invited to donate towards the planting of each tulip. All funds raised from the Tulips for Truth initiative will go to The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society is a non-profit organization that was started by Squamish First Nation in 1998 and is led by Dr. Cindy Blackstock who saw the inequities for Indigenous youth and families in accessing health and education services. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society works to support Indigenous families across Canada to ensure that they receive the care that all children in Canada deserve.

As part of the Tulips for Truth initiative, each DCDSB student and staff member will receive a tulip bulb to plant. One of the great gifts of the tulip is that you only have to plant it once. Since it returns every spring it can represent renewal, the eternal nature of the soul and refreshed perspectives. We hope when planting this bulb that students, families and staff will reflect on the ways we can all commit to ongoing action towards reconciliation. 

DCDSB students will be engaging in further learning about the history of Residential Schools in Canada and the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Please visit the DCDSB’s Residential Schools in Canada webpage and Indigenous Education Resources webpage for further information and suggested resources.