Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

288 • Truth & Reconciliation CommissionCall to Action60) We call upon leaders of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement and allother faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, Survivors, schoolsof theology, seminaries, and other religious training centres, to develop and teachcurriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginalcommunities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, thehistory and legacy of residential schools and the roles of the church parties inthat system, the history and legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families andcommunities, and the responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflictsand prevent spiritual violence.Church healing and reconciliation projectsBeginning in the 1990s, the four Settlement Agreement churches began allocatingspecific funds for community-based healing and reconciliation projects. Thiswork continued under the terms of the Settlement Agreement. Each of the defendantchurches agreed to provide and manage funds specifically dedicated to healing andreconciliation. All the churches established committees, including Aboriginal representatives,to review and approve projects. In broad terms, the reconciliation projectsfunded by the Settlement Agreement churches have had three primary purposes:1) Healing. The Toronto Urban Native Ministry, funded by Anglican, United, andRoman Catholic churches, “reaches out to Aboriginal people on the street, inhospitals, in jails, shelters and hostels.” 97 The ministry works with all Aboriginalpeople who are socially marginalized and impoverished, including Survivorsand intergenerational family members who have been impacted by residentialschools. Anamiewigumming Kenora Fellowship Centre, with funds from thePresbyterian Church in Canada, developed “A Step Up . . . tools for the soul,” inpartnership with local Aboriginal organizations. Under the program, a seriesof ten teaching events led by Aboriginal Elders, teachers, and professionalswere held to support Survivors and family members on their healing journey,featuring education about culture and tradition, with the goal of fosteringreconciliation. 982) Language and culture revitalization. The Language Immersion Canoe Coursein Tofino, British Columbia, funded by the United Church, focused on reconnectingAboriginal youth to their homelands and cultures. For one month,young Aboriginal people from Vancouver Island, including the community ofAhousaht, where the United Church operated a school, were taken to a remote