We are excited to be working with Stands With Trees, Educators in VR Logistics Manager and Senior Trainer, to launch his Residential School History Museum in VRChat.
Educators in VR has been working closely with Stands With Trees over the years developing this VRChat educational world. Join us Thursday, May 23, 2024, in VRChat as Stands With Trees opens the doors to the general public and gives us a personal tour.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM UK / 2 AM* Hong Kong / 5 AM* Sydney
Join the Educators in VR VRChat Group
Instructions below
Stands With Trees has been researching the residential school programs and history, focusing on Canada, for many years. Educators in VR has hosted his annual “Honor the Children Memorial” for many years and celebrated “Indigenous People Day,” a Canadian holiday many are eager to spread internationally.
The Canada and US Residential School program was a systematic effort by the government and churches to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture by forcibly removing them from their families and communities.
Established in the 1830s, the program reached its peak around 1930 with 80 institutions across Canada, operated primarily by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and United Churches. Children were subjected to harsh conditions, abuse, and neglect, resulting in numerous deaths that were covered up by the church and government.
The Residential program aimed to eliminate Indigenous culture by separating children from their families, prohibiting the use of their languages and cultural practices, and indoctrinating them into Christianity. Some children were even “sold” to white families for labor or adoption.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, established in 2008, documented the devastating impacts of the residential school system, including the deaths of thousands of children due to malnutrition, disease, and abuse. The Commission’s final report in 2015 concluded that the system amounted to cultural genocide and made recommendations for reconciliation and healing.
The new Residential School History Museum in VRChat is an educational recreation of a hypothetical residential school with teaching and living spaces demonstrating the conditions the children lived, learned, and worked in. The two-story school features educational posters and information on the history and the efforts towards acknowledgement, recognition, and reconciliation, at least with the Canadian Government and Catholic Church. Much work still needs to be done in the United States and other parts of the world. This historical museum is a great way to not just preserve the history of the Residential School program, but educate students today about the past.
Join the Event in VRChat
Stands with Trees is co-hosting the event with Educators in VR in VRChat.
Before the event time, join the in a web browser if you have not previously joined it:
- Log into VRChat website.
- Join the Group EDVR.5885.
At the event time, log into VRChat through STEAM or STEAMVR on your desktop computer or VR headset app.
- Go to Menu > Groups > Educators in VR > Instances
- Click “Residential School Museum by Stands With Trees” world > Join
For more information on how to attend this and other Educators in VR events, check out our “How to Attend a VR Event” guide.
Don’t miss this chance to explore the cutting-edge “Brainwave” experience and engage with the talented team behind it. We look forward to seeing you there.