​This past Sunday, May 5, 2024, marked Red Dress Day, or the National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S).

Across SJASD schools, staff and students have been making red dresses, attending walks, and learning about the disproportionately higher levels of violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people in Canada.

Last Friday, staff and students at John Taylor Collegiate, came together as a community to walk for change and justice. “We walk to remember, we walk to change, and we walk to connect. Thank you to everyone who joined the movement," says JT Vice Principal Joan MacCutcheon.

At Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, Grade 9 French Immersion students participated in the Faceless Doll Project to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Gender-Diverse+ Peoples. “The faceless dolls represent these missing people and remind us of their individuality," says French teacher Elizabeth Paulson.

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At St. James Collegiate, recent Manitoba Teaching Award winner Tara Tuchscherer helped organize five days of awareness activities. On Friday, student group The Sacred Peoples Circle coordinated a walk.

Over the weekend, Tara took students to visit various MMIWG2S memorial sites around the city, ending the afternoon around the fire at Camp Marcedes. They held a fundraiser this week to support Ayangwamizik, a new organization looking to provide safe transportation to Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.

Over at George Waters Middle School, students and staff were encouraged to wear red on Thursday and Monday to honour the many missing and murdered.

On Friday, students participated in a joint fire with students from St. James Collegiate to honour missing relatives. The event was led by Knowledge Keeper North Star, with support from the SJASD Indigenous Education Team and high school students.

Students also participated in school-wide lessons. Principal Adam Lister confirms they also created an art installation “[They] designed their own red dresses or handprints with thoughts, feelings or learning written on them," he says.

Students at Golden Gate Middle School hung red dresses on school grounds to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited People, while teachers at Lincoln Middle School, facilitated thoughtful discussions and lessons on the topic, with the help of SJASD's Indigenous Education Team.

Together, we're committing to continue listening, learning, and taking action to create a more inclusive and compassionate future," says Vice Principal Connie Lowe.

Students from the school's Indigenous Planning Committee also researched, planned, created posters and PA announcements, baked cupcakes and held a bake sale to raise money to support local initiatives. “It's inspiring to see these students use their voices to take action," she adds.

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Over at Bruce Middle School, students made red dress pledges out of paper. Vice Principal Nadia Cantafio says the school community has been listening and learning this week. “Education is key – let's learn, listen, and amplify their voices," she says.

At École Voyageur, students Grade 3/4 and 4/5 have been learning about the subject in an age-appropriate manner. “The classes have been reading books like Missing Nimama and Together We Drum, and Our Hearts Beat as One," says teacher Madison Carter-Plouffe.

Using prior knowledge of Residential Schools, the history of colonization in Canada, and the Sacred Hoop, the students have been making “connections to better understand this complex topic," she explains.

To learn more about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited Peoples, read the 2019 Final Report and Calls to Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's web page on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQi+ people.

For family members of victims and community members that may need support at this time, consider contacting the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' toll-free support phone line (1-844-413-6649) or the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310). SJASD students that need support can contact their school guidance counsellors or Educational Support Services.