Here is some information about the new Commemoration funding for the Interagency Committee members to give you a chance to think about this and/or discuss with others before coming to the meeting, where you can ask questions to INAC and TRC representatives.

This is an excerpt from the INAC website – the full information is at: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/rqpi/rcomm/index-eng.asp. The criteria and guidelines aren’t available yet, but there’s enough to start talking about it:

COMMEMORATION INITIATIVE OBJECTIVES:

The main objectives of the Commemoration Initiative are to:

Assist in honoring and validating the healing and reconciliation of former students and their families by acknowledging their experiences;
Provide supports in an effort to improve relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people;
Provide an opportunity for former students and their families to support one another and to recognize/celebrate their strengths, courage, resiliency and achievements;
Promote Aboriginal languages, cultures, traditional values and spiritual beliefs;
Ensure the legacy of IRS, former students and their families’ experiences and needs are affirmed; and, Memorialize the Residential School experience in a tangible and permanent way.

Former students of Residential Schools are eligible for commemoration funding, as well as organizations that act on behalf of former Residential School students to develop and deliver commemoration activities.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Commemoration Initiatives will begin after the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been established and the Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee has been appointed. The TRC is working in partnership with INAC to develop criteria and guidelines for the Commemoration Initiative.

Once the process is in place, proposals can be submitted by: survivors, their families, communities, groups and organizations acting on behalf of former students.

The TRC will receive proposals, complete evaluations and make funding recommendations to INAC.”

In the interim, communities can prepare for the launch of Commemoration by:

• Holding community discussions to identify potential commemorative projects.
• Ensuring that all Commemoration Initiative proposals have a lasting and permanent component.
• Creating partnerships and networking with other communities and organizations as it will be necessary that proposals have regional linkages.

For more information on eligibility criteria for submitting Commemoration proposals, see Schedule J of the Settlement Agreement. (http://www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca/settlement.html)