Truth and Reconciliation Week 2026

September 25, 2026

By Elaina Cox

On September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect on the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools and consider what reconciliation can look like in action.

Residential schools caused generations of harm by separating Indigenous children from their families, communities, cultures, languages, and lands. This disrupted the transmission of knowledge, stories, and land-based teachings from one generation to the next.

We have an opportunity to reflect on the importance of education, and the role it can play in building a more informed, respectful, and connected future. Today, supporting environmental education and youth are meaningful ways we can help strengthen those connections.

For young people, learning about the environment should go beyond textbooks and classrooms. Land-based learning, Indigenous Knowledges, languages, and cultural teachings can help young people develop a deeper understanding of the land and their relationship with it.

Environmental education can create space for Indigenous perspectives and Knowledges in how we understand and care for our forests, waters, and ecosystems.

Supporting Indigenous youth can help strengthen connections to culture, language, community, and land while creating pathways into education and careers in forestry and environmental stewardship. Educating all youth about Indigenous histories, cultures, and relationships with the land can help foster understanding, respect, and meaningful relationships for generations to come.

Reconciliation requires more than remembering the past. It also means creating opportunities for the next generation to learn, connect, and carry knowledge forward.

By investing in youth and environmental education today, we can help build a future where Indigenous Knowledges, cultures, and voices are respected—and where young people are empowered to become stewards of the land. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Project Learning Tree Canada are committed to building and promoting forest-focused collaborations rooted in recognition and respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and Traditional Knowledge. Several outcomes in SFI’s 2025-2030 Strategic Direction, such as Increased integration of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Traditional Knowledges, and self-determined priorities into forest management practices and Increased collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, support this work.

Learn more

• Explore resources to start your educational journey on truth and reconciliation, including Territory Acknowledgements, the Pass System, residential schools, and more.
• Find information on land and traditional stewardship, including forest gardens, cultural burns, and the revival of traditional practices.
• Learn more about truth and reconciliation in the forest and conservation sector, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

Mental health support
Indigenous People can call The Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for counselling and crisis intervention. Call 1-855-242-3310 or chat online.