Please note that our blanket exercise event has been postponed due to illness on the part of the presenter. we will release a new date once it has been scheduled.
On Saturday, September 16th, 2023, we will be hosting the Blanket Exercise at St Pius Brantford. The event runs from 1:00pm until approximately 4:00pm More information on the event and the facilitator is below. Jump straight to the registration form here.
In 1996, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition worked with Indigenous elders and teachers to develop an interactive way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught. The Blanket Exercise was the result; it has since been offered thousands of times and the fourth edition was released in 2016.
How it works
The Blanket Exercise is based on using Indigenous methodologies and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.
Where and how
The Blanket Exercise itself takes about an hour and will be followed by a talking circle which will require at least another hour.
We are pleased to be welcoming retired Archdeacon Valerie Kerr from the Anglican Diocese of Niagara to lead this session.
Registration
To register for this event, which is limited to a maximum of 50 participants, please complete the form below. Upon successful completion, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation email. If you do not, then your registration has not been successful.
The cost to participate is $10, and payment can be remitted by cheque, cash, or credit card through the Parish Office or at the Welcome Desk on the weekends.
If you have any questions, please email Andrew Beach.
This event has been postponed due to illness on the part of the presenter. If you would be interested in participating in future events, please email pastoralassociate@stpiusbrantford.ca.
Facilitator: Archdeacon Valerie Kerr
Archdeacon Valerie Kerr retired from her role as archdeacon for truth, reconciliation, and Indigenous ministry, effective December 31, 2021.
Appointed in 2016 to guide the Anglican Diocese of Niagara’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, Archdeacon Val’s ministry included teaching, building relationships, and fostering healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
A Mohawk woman of the wolf clan, Archdeacon Val was instrumental in working with parishes to better understand the truth of the Church’s complicity within the residential schools system and the ways in which Indigenous people have and continue to be oppressed.
In addition to this role, archdeacon Val served as a priest for more than 15 years at St. George’s in St. Catharines, St. John’s in Niagara Falls, and All Saints in Hagersville, in addition to her contributions to Sacred Circles and the Council of General Synod.