Blanket Exercise Benefits:
All members of the Faculty of Health are welcome to participate in the Blanket Exercise being hosted by the faculty.
A blanket exercise is a hands-on teaching method that helps participants practically walk through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonisation, and resistance scenarios to increase awareness and understanding of our common history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Reading scrolls and carrying cards—which eventually determine their outcomes—draw participants into their roles. The activity fosters empathy while being educationally beneficial. It touches the emotions as well as the mind.
You will need to stand for about fifty minutes throughout this interactive event. There will be seats accessible for our lodgings.
For the Blanket Exercise, we need indoor shoes—sock feet or slippers. Not soiled or moist.
How it functions :
By navigating pre-contact, treaty-making, colonisation, and resistance, the Blanket Exercise aims to foster knowledge of our common history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is founded on the use of Indigenous techniques. As they take up the roles of First Nations, Inuit, and subsequently Métis peoples and tread onto blankets that represent the land, everyone participates fully. Through both intellectual and emotional engagement, the Blanket Exercise effectively teaches and fosters empathy.
Where and how :
The Blanket Exercise takes around one hour, and it is always recommended to have a discussion circle afterward, which usually takes at least one additional hour. It is occasionally possible to complete the Blanket Exercise and debrief in 90 minutes with young people.
Please be aware that in order to access the scripts, individuals must complete facilitator training. Furthermore, when utilising this teaching tool, if you are not Indigenous, please make sure that you are collaborating with Indigenous facilitators and Elders.
History :
One of the most important elements towards reconciliation, education, was suggested as a way to strengthen ties between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians in the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' 1996 report.[1] KAIROS, a Canadian faith-based ecumenical organisation, worked with Indigenous elders and representatives to design the programme in 1997 in response to these recommendations.[2] The blanket exercise gained traction when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission once more in 2015 noted that education is a crucial component of fostering better ties between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.
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