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Teaching Residential School History Safely and Meaningfully | Webinar with Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse
How can we teach difficult truths without overwhelming the people we serve?
On September 3, 2026, North York Community House (NYCH), in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership, hosted a virtual webinar featuring Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, an Anishinaabe scholar, author, educator, and former Indian Day School student. This practical and culturally grounded workshop explored how teachers, settlement workers, educators, and community leaders can approach the history of Canada’s Indian Residential School system with truth, care, and responsibility. During the session, Dr. Toulouse discussed how to:
- Develop frameworks for teaching difficult truths to different ages and learning needs.
- Use trauma-informed and culturally grounded teaching practices.
- Recognize and respond to intergenerational trauma.
- Distinguish anecdotal fears from evidence-based teaching methods.
- Support newcomers in understanding their responsibilities as Treaty people.
- Avoiding Indigenous history out of fear does not protect learners. It risks reinforcing denial, dishonouring Survivors, and overlooking the thousands of years of Indigenous presence across these lands.
Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse is Anishinaabe-Kwe from Sagamok First Nation. She is a consultant, researcher, curriculum developer, trainer, facilitator, author, and educator with more than 33 years of professional experience across education, research, wellness, and interdisciplinary fields. She also brings 56 years of lived experience as an Anishinaabe-Kwe. We invite you to watch this webinar as an opportunity to deepen your understanding of residential school history and explore meaningful approaches to teaching truth and reconciliation.
Content note: This webinar discusses Canada’s Indian Residential School system, colonialism, and intergenerational trauma.
