Shannen's Dream

There’s a story I recently heard.  It happened in Canada.  It happened in the past ten years.  Some of it was vaguely familiar but somehow I missed most of it.  I admit, I don’t watch the news every night or read a newspaper every day but this is such an inspiring story that I can’t believe that I missed it.  Maybe you missed it too, so I will tell you the story.  Maybe you didn’t miss it and you will remember it fondly.

The story came to me when my partner told me that Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay was going to be on CBC radio talking about a new book he had written, Children of the Broken Treaty.  I was free so I tuned in and listened. I was intrigued and so I read the book. I wanted to know more. At the library, I found a book by Janet Wilson, Shannen and the Dream for a School that told the story for older children. Once I learned that filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin had made Hi-Ho Mistahey! about this story I downloaded it and watched the story come to life.

This is the story of a teenager named Shannen Koostachin who lived in the First Nation of Attawapiskat on James Bay.  The elementary school had to be condemned in 2000 because of poor construction by the government contractor that allowed a pipe to leak tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel into the ground beneath it.  Three Ministers of Indian Affairs had promised to build a new school and had reneged on each of these promises.  The kids went to school in old portables that were often very cold, were disconnected from each other and were not up to safety standards.  Because the federal government is responsible for reserve schools they don’t have to be up to provincial standards.  In fact, these federally funded schools only receive roughly two thirds of the funding that provincially funded schools receive per child.

Shannen wanted to change this situation for her siblings and the other young people in her community. “It really feels like we’re alone and that no one cares.  But we really think we can make a difference,” she said at age 13 (Wilson, 42). She and other young people from the community began a campaign in 2007 to fight for a new school.  They created a Facebook page and youtube video with Charlie Angus about their situation that attracted the attention of kids across Canada You can still view it at view it here.  It powerfully describes their situation in three minutes and lets other children know how to help.

Together children from across Canada wrote thousands of letters to the government, held protests, signed the on-line petition and even went to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Service Caring Society of Canada called this Students-Helping Students campaign “the largest child-led children’s rights movement in Canadian history.” (Wilson, 131)  They gained the support of school boards, teachers’ federations, churches and union workers.

Sadly, in 2010 Shannen died in a car accident before she could see the new school built.  Her passing was a terrible blow to her community and to the campaign but other young leaders stepped forward to continue what became known as Shannen’s Dream.

In Nov 2010 Shannen’s friend Chelsea Edwards spoke after Shannen’s family accepted a human rights award on her behalf from the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of the Child.  Chelsea said, “Shannen’s Dream is about inspiring our Aboriginal students.  One spark can light a fire inside every Aboriginal student.  It’s not just about the students in Attawapiskat.  It’s about freedom, equality, and justice for children in every reserve across Canada.  Today I ask for your support.  Shannen said we could change the world if we tried.  We can do that hand in hand as we stand together shoulder to shoulder and say ‘We can do it.’  Let’s make her dream become a reality.  For those of you who want to make a difference. Join with us.  Stand with us.  Let’s make the change right now!”  (Wilson, p. 185)

In 2012 Charlie Angus’ Shannen’s Dream motion was unanimously passed by the House of Commons.  This statement of principle declared that First Nation children have an equal right to high quality education as off reserve Canadian children including the funding necessary and collaboration with First Nation leaders.

The new school was completed in 2014. Shannen’s teacher Carinna Pellett said, “These children are beautiful people; they have ideas, skills, and abilities which need to be encouraged and inspired as much as any other child in Canada.  We need to provide them with a place where they are proud to go every day.” (Wilson, 29)  Charlie Angus reflected that “Shannen had taught me, however, that building a school isn’t just an investment in infrastructure but also a project of hope.  It is a commitment to the future.  She had been right.  I could see this hope manifested in a beautiful building in which spirited children played in an environment free from mice, toxins, and almost certain failure.” (Angus, 285)

Shannen continues to inspire.  I discovered that artist Tyler Fauvelle was commissioned to create a statue of her dancing in her Pow Wow regalia which was erected in New Liskeard where she went to high school.  You can see this beautiful monument here.

This inspiration is expressed beautifully by Keisha Iahtail from Timmins at age 14: “Shannen was an ordinary individual who found the strength to persevere and endure in spite of an overwhelming obstacle – taking the stand to fight for Native rights.  As Shannen said, ‘Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.’  She took action and shared her faith in what she had always believed was right.  She became a shining light and such a big help to others in our community.  And now the broken pieces to the heart of Attawapiskat have healed.  Thanks to her example we can become the solution.  We can put words into action.  And we can finally make dreams into reality” (Wilson, 181).

It is heartbreaking that Shannen never saw the school she fought so hard for but it would be even more heartbreaking if other on-reserve children never saw the schools they need.  The new government of Canada has promised to end this inequity.  That is going to take political will, money and the support of Canadians.  The story is not over.  We can be part of what the children began by adding our voices of support to this new government. We too can put our words into action and be part of the solution.

Be Part of the Story: Resources

You can write to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs at the House of Commons, Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6 (no stamp needed) or email them.at justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca or carolyn.bennett@parl.gc.ca .

Angus, C. (2015) Children of the Broken Treaty. Regina: University of Regina Press.

Angus gives a concise history of the residential school system and the government forces that have created the chronically underfunded on-reserve school system.  It is an easy way to learn the history that we never learned in school.

NFB Film Hi-Ho Mistahey  Alanis Obomsawin 

You can rent this film on-line for under $3. Watching this film allowed me to hear the voices and see the faces of Shannen’s family, friends, the politicians that helped, community members, and children from across Canada.  I cheered them on and burst into applause when I heard the children reading their speeches from the steps of Parliament Hill. 

Wilson, Janet (2011) Shannen and the Dream for a School.Toronto: Second Story Press. I found this book at my local library.  It is full of photographs of Shannen and her friends, the community and the other school children who supported them.  Shannen’s words are shared throughout the book. It is also a good read for adults with less time.

Shannen's Dream Facebook page is a good way to stay up to date on this story.