Next Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt, the Sechelt Nation will be showing the film We Were Children.
This film provides a vivid, but accurate depiction of the experiences endured by First Nations children during their time at residential school. In the Sechelt Nation alone, predominantly, anyone aged 48 or older attended residential school and therefore we have today two existing generations remaining in our community that have been directly impacted and following generations who have experienced the residual effects.
We share as a people that it is our goal to be open, candid and informative about this experience in an effort to educate our younger generations and our fellow Sunshine Coast community members and in the spirit of truth and reconciliation, to build relations and move forward from this challenging time in our history.
The day starts at 1 p.m. with a candlelight ceremony, and the film starts at 1:50 p.m. A panel discussion will take place at 3:25. All members of the community are invited and seats are limited. Due to the sensitive nature of the film, is not recommended for young children.
Tourism event
On Thursday Feb. 20 the Sunshine Coast Tourism industry is hosting its inaugural 'Let's Gather Aboriginal-Eco Tourism Networking Event' at the Sechelt Nation Longhouse. Joining us will be several Sunshine Coast tour operators, the people who bring recreation and fun to our visitors throughout the world. We will also have folks from the Gibsons and Sechelt Visitor Information Centres, Sechelt Nation, the shishálh xwamstut and a delegation from the Squamish Nation -the Chinook Song Catchers.
Simply put, big things are happing in this little town and you will want to be involved.
As a lower and upper Sunshine Coast from Port Melon to Lund, we look forward to a growing and thriving tourism industry. Thank you to AtBC (Aboriginal Tourism British Columbia), Sunshine Coast Tourism, and Sunshine Coast Boat Tours for your sponsorship contributions. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The day will include a catered lunch. To attend RSVP [email protected]. The first 100 guests to reserve before Feb. 15 are complimentary.
Editor's note: Candace Campo writes regularly for Coast Reporter on Sechelt Nation issues, its people and its history.
