I’ve written about story in my blog posts before – the way in which, as a communications vehicle, it enables people to connect with one another, find commonalities, and entertain. Curling up with a book and devouring a good story is one of my favourite pastimes. I can feel connections to people I’ve never met – who may or may not even be real – and, momentarily, another’s point of view dominates my mind.

Given the power of story, it’s not surprising that this week Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is opening up the history books and, for the first time, allowing First Nations peoples who were tormented in the residential school system the opportunity to tell their story publicly. Moreover, participation isn’t limited solely to individuals who were enrolled in the system – children of former students as well as any Canadian who feels impacted by this black mark on our history are invited to register and share their tale.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Canada’s Residential School history, it’s not something to brag about as a nation. It was a disgrace, an education system whose objective was to assimilate First Nations children into white society. In total, about 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend the government and church-sponsored residential school programs, forbidden from speaking their native languages and many were physically and sexually abused. The first school opened in 1861 and the majority of the schools closed in the 1960s (although one remained operational until 1996 in Saskatchewan). If it’s any indication as to how they were treated, individuals who graduated from this system are referred to as “survivors.”

As a human being, I find these stories disturbing. As a former history student, I think that gathering these stories is essential to understanding our country and our past. As a communicator, I feel that these stories will help bind us together so that, hopefully, nothing of this nature can happen again in Canada.

It is common to say that history has a habit of repeating itself. I truly believe that strong communications and avid story sharing can help change that. We all can.