Canadian Geographic Education has worked closely with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation of the University of Manitoba to create an educational tool that will help students learn about the history of residential schools in Canada.
Told through a geographic lens, the Google Earth Voyager residential school story shows students where each school was located on a map of Canada and provides an overhead view of some of the schools. The story explains why the schools were built, what attending a residential school was like for Indigenous children, the effects of the system on students, and how residential school survivors are working to move forward.
These honest accounts of childhood loss and abuse will hopefully help students to break down any learned prejudices, and build understanding that will aid in the reconciliation process.
The residential school story can be accessed at earth.app.goo.gl/iL67