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Residential School Syndrome

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In the past, Aboriginal communities in British Columbia were severely repressed and mistreated by the residential school system. In fact, the last residential school in British Columbia was not completely shut down until 1984 (Barton, 2005). This piece of statistical evidence shows that the trauma experienced by Aboriginals transpired not extremely long ago and memories are likely still vivid and fresh in survivors’ minds. Now, due to the aftermath of residential schools, Aboriginals must overcome numerous obstacles in order to survive. The loss of culture, language, and identity has impacted the lives of residential school survivors severely, and the road to recovery is an arduous one. Though the Canadian government has made modest attempts …show more content…

Research has shown that they could suffer from Residential School Syndrome, which has some symptoms that are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder (Barton, 2005). In turn, this can have a negative impact on some, if not all, aspects of an individual’s life, because these symptoms tend to remain with a person forever and are exceedingly difficult to eliminate in a short period of time. Moreover, residential school survivors have been noted to possess low self-esteem, bad parenting skills, and unsatisfactory social skills- all of which can be attributed to the detrimental and abrupt disruption of their childhood (Barton, 2005). Embodying these qualities is extremely toxic and will most likely affect a child’s ability to maintain a positive outlook on life once they reach …show more content…

Even now, it is easier to find French classes than it is to find any program devoted to learning Indigenous languages (Denis, 2007). In short, it is of upmost importance for the government to raise awareness of the Indigenous population by finding a practical procedure of integrating Aboriginal languages into current Canadian society.
In order for Aboriginal youth to flourish as strong and independent individuals in society after they mature, effective early education of Aboriginal culture is a necessary implementation that must occur in schools so that every child knows at least some background knowledge of Aboriginal culture and traditions. In Nguyen’s work, Closing the Education Gap (2011), she discusses how education for Aboriginal children must be centered around rebuilding their culture and identity, which will in turn empower and allow them to move forth confidently in Canadian

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