March 8, 2023, marks International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is dedicated to achieving a world with gender equity. A day to raise awareness about discrimination against women and to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history. The theme for 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, a theme about understanding the difference between equality and equity, and why equity is essential for a world free from discrimination. The CTRC has composed a list of resources for all ages to support you wherever you are in your learning journey. 

IWD has a page dedicated to understanding the importance of gender equity. 

The Government of Canada has created a timeline of significant women throughout Canada’s history. 

The official UN Women website has a variety of information and resources dedicated to raising awareness of the rights of women all over the world.

Shaking Things Up by Susan Hood 

My Own Way by Joana Estrela

A beginning list of gender equity children’s books: https://mashable.com/article/best-childrens-books-teach-kids-gender-equality 

In 2007, a young person named Chuck McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt to his first day of ninth grade. Twelfth grade students David Shepherd and Travis Price saw this, and organized a day for 50 students to wear pink shirts in solidarity with Chuck. This was the beginning of Pink Shirt Day, also known as Anti-Bullying Day, in Canada. Today, 1-in-5 kids in Canada are affected by some form of bullying, and Pink Shirt Day is a day to stand in solidarity with those who suffer from bullying. In honour of Pink Shirt Day, the CTRC would like to offer some resources to support moving toward shaping spaces and places where bullying is understood, challenged, and significantly reduced.

Pinkshirtday.ca is the website for the CKNW Kids Fund, and has a host of resources available to the public for bullying. They have resources for youth focused on tips for stopping bullying, and how to deal with things such as cyber-bullying, as well as resources for parents and teachers who are witnessing a child in their lives deal with bullying.

BeKindOnline is an initiative sponsored by SaskTel in Saskatchewan, and has resources available to children and parents on how to deal with bullying in a child’s life.

BullyingCanada is a Canadian organization that offers a wide variety of resources for youth, parents, and teachers about bullying and how to address it. 

Dragon and The Bully by Steve Herman.

The Bully Blockers Club by Teresa Bateman

February 12th to February 18th is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in Saskatchewan. The theme this year is ‘Champions of Learning,’ and the CTRC can think of no better way to describe the amazing staff and teachers that work in schools and classrooms. The CTRC would like to extend our appreciation and compliments to the educators in all schools, and to recognize all those who put incredible amounts of time and effort into delivering a safe and constructive environment to students everywhere.

February is Black History Month across Canada, a month to celebrate and remember the legacies of Black Canadians. The theme for Black History Month in Canada in 2023 is “Ours To Tell,” highlighting the crucial point of centering the voices of Black Canadians when learning the legacies of Black Canadians, and how they have shaped, and continue to shape, Canada throughout history. Listed below are some supportive resources the CTRC has compiled.

The Saskatchewan African Canadian History Museum has a large repository of resources available, including a virtual museum that has material to learn about significant Black Canadians throughout the history of Canada, like the early Black homesteaders and settlers who came to Saskatchewan.

Last year the CBC curated a learning experience entitled Black on the Prairies (You can find these by following the link here and the link here). There are great resources accessible to teachers through the CBC’s Curio site (free entry with an institutional email).  From here you can access the teachers’ guide for Black on the Prairies, and other resources such as Kids’ News.

This year, they have developed a series entitled Being Black in Canada.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has compiled a list of resources and stories of Black Canadians throughout the history of Canada that are available on their website. 

Follow the links here to find many children’s and YA books foregrounding the experiences of Black Canadians are available (Follow the link here and here).

Africville by Shauntay Grant offers readers a story of reality, resilience, and courage. 

February in Saskatchewan is Aboriginal Storytelling Month, a month dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the histories, traditions, and cultures of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people of Canada. Aboriginal Storytelling Month was a day begun by the Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples to promote traditional storytelling, and decolonize school and library collections through the promotion of Indigenous storytelling traditions. The CTRC has put together a list of books and resources to support learning with Indigenous storytelling traditions from Indigenous institutions and storytellers in Canada. 

Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples is the organization that started Aboriginal Storytelling Month in Saskatchewan in 2004, and they have a list of resources and events available on their website to learn more about the month.

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has a video series titled Indigenous Storytelling with Elder Hazel to share Indigenous stories focused on children from grades K-5. 

The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education has a wide range of resources focused on Indigenous stories and traditions, including a lesson plan for educators titled Understanding Indigenous Stories and Storytelling, appropriate for a wide variety of ages. 

Stolen Words by Melanie Florence

Turtle Island by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger

January 25th marks Bell Let’s Talk Day, a day committed to raising awareness for mental health in Canada. Mental health can be a difficult subject to talk about, and it requires a safe and supportive environment, especially for children struggling. Helping youth understand their experiences and emotions, supporting them, where they are at, and how they express themselves can be a strong step towards building strong and healthy mental health practices. The CTRC has put together a list of resources below, supportive of both youth, and those entrusted with their care.

Bell Let’s Talk has compiled a variety of resources dedicated to mental health, including tools for the classroom. 

Jack.org is a Canadian organization dedicated to empowering youth and mental health advocacy that offers access to many resources.

Saskatchewan Government Mental Health Resources 

Mental Health Literacy

Wellness Together Canada

Youth Helpline: 1-888-668-6810 

Adult Helpline: 1-866-585-0445

Wellness Together is a free 24/7 helpline and support service with access to resources like articles and self-guided programs. 

Kids Help Phone

1-800-668-6868

The Kids Help Phone is a 24/7 helpline available for anyone aged 5 to 29, with a variety of online resources as well as an online chat.

January 24, 2023 marks the 5th annual International Day of Education, a day started to recognize the importance of education and the role it plays in healthy and sustainable development. Education is one of the most important building blocks for a child’s development, and the International Day of Education is a day to raise awareness for the barriers around the world that obstruct children from obtaining the education they deserve. In Canada, those facing barriers with regards to their education are often experiencing multiple vulnerabilities within their contexts. The CTRC would like to use the International Day of Education as an opportunity to raise awareness for these barriers and understand the importance of a supportive and healthy education.

Below is a children’s book that can support many children’s and families’ experiences:

Sumi’s First Day of School Ever

Visit the United Nations’ page to learn more about this day