NACI group gets the right experience
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- Published on Thursday, February 25, 2016
Submitted photo. A group of NACI students and their exchange partners from Quebec experienced the Human Rights Museum earlier this month.
Submitted by Nora Heschuk
Neepawa Area Collegiate
On Feb. 8 and 9, 17 Grade 9 NACI students and their 18 exchange partners from Quebec participated in workshops and tours at the Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. Sponsorship from Great West Life as well as a partnership between Experiences Canada (formerly “SEVEC”) and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights made this opportunity possible.
The students explored the idea of human rights through activities that helped them to see how rights are interconnected. Students then had the opportunity to explore galleries, where they learned about Canadians and others who fought for their rights.
One of the galleries that the students explored gave them some insights into the lives of aboriginal children who were sent to residential schools. They were able to see a temporary exhibit called the “witness blanket”. Artifacts from former residential schools were put together to form this beautiful wall-like piece of art and history.
On the second day at the museum, the students were again involved in some activities and discussions as well as interactive displays where they were able to see human rights cases that were brought before the Supreme Court. After hearing some information about the cases, the students were able to say how they would vote, see how others had voted, and then see how the Supreme Court ruled on the case.
On Tuesday afternoon, the students were also able to hear Muuxi Adam tell his incredible story of being a Somali refugee who escaped from civil war and its horrible aftermath. His life in Canada began on a cold October morning at the bus depot in downtown Winnipeg, where he had been abandoned and stood all alone for hours until a stranger, Abdi Ahmed, passed by and asked if he needed help. Living in Winnipeg since 2004, Muxxi now works at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba Inc. In 2008, Muxxi was able to find his mother and reunite with her in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. It was during this trip that he met an eight-year-old boy who could not go to school because he was a refugee and he became inspired to establish a not-for-profit organization called Humankind International Inc. (HKI), based in Winnipeg, dedicated to building schools for refugee children in Ethiopia and Kenya. (To learn more about this project, go to: http://humankindintl.org/ )
As Manitobans, we should be very proud to be able to have this world-class museum and learning experience so close to home. Likewise, as residents of Neepawa, we can be very proud of our students who showed such maturity and compassion as they learned about these sensitive issues.
