Canada, like other settler-colonial nations, has an abominable legacy of atrocities against Indigenous Peoples. In response, the Canadian government mandated a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (NTRC) which delivered its final report in 2015. Over a decade later, much work remains to be done and many calls to action put forth in the final report have not been actioned (Wilson-Raybould, 2022). There are also concerns for reconciliation education and work becoming tokenistic (Stein, 2020), which is why more relational and reparative frameworks are necessary. Within Canada’s NTRC are several calls to action for newcomers. A complex and poorly addressed question is: how, where and when do we education newcomers about the treatment of Indigenous peoples by the Canadian state and how do we shift the historical narratives about Indigenous peoples from a damage cantered framework (Tuck, 2009) towards honouring and celebrating the exquisite knowledge and culture of Indigenous Peoples? This paper shares findings from a community educational research project that developed a strengths-based approach to educating newcomers about the presence of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In relation to the focus of the symposium, this paper explores how learning to think more relationally supported these newcomers with building a deeper connection to place and engaging in the praxis of reconciliation. This project employed decolonial methodology (Tuhiwai Smith, 2021) and embodied learning pedagogical approach (Ng, 2018). Participants attended twelve educational sessions featuring different embodied learning activities. Among these was a sharing circle which fosters relational awareness and connection (Graveline, 1998). Pre-project interviews were conducted to set a baseline for comparison post-project. Participants were interviewed post-project about what they learned and their learning experience. It became clear that participants knowledge and comfort to discuss Indigenous Peoples and the issues of colonization in Canada increased dramatically. Of all the topics discussed, relationality was both the most challenging to conceptualize, but in the end one of the most significant. While this shift may initially be challenging, it is significant for feeling more connected to each other and the land. Understanding this interconnected way of being, through a relational understanding of place, helped participants feel closer to their new home and not so alone. Thus, this research concludes relationality is a critical educational concept for supporting newcomers in their learning, both for how it can support them with engaging in the praxis of reconciliation and helping them feel more connected to place.

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