About Project of Heart
Project of Heart facilitates a safe space for reciprocal learning about the residential school system in Canada, a history that still has repercussions on Indigenous communities today. This program responds to the Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and is identified as a recommended activity by the Commission.
Project of Heart was originally created by University of Regina (U of R) graduate student, Sylvia Smith, as part of her Master of Education program as a way to address the lack of teaching tools on Indigenous history in the school system.
How Project of Heart Supports Truth and Reconciliation
• Examines the history and legacy of the residential school system forced upon Indigenous people in Canada in order to seek the truth about that history and acknowledge the extent of loss to former students, their families and communities
• Commemorates, with the use of artistry and Indigenous ceremony, the lives of the thousands of Indigenous children who died as a result of the residential school experience
• Builds on our understanding of how residential schools contributes to the intergenerational trauma experienced across the Indigenous population of Canada
• Calls all Canadians to action, through social justice endeavors, to recognize our current as well as historic colonialist practices
• Builds right relationships, based upon truth and reconciliation, amongst all peoples with the intention to transform Canada from a colonized land to one built upon mutual respect and full autonomy for all
Luther College’s Role in Project of Heart
Luther College finances the Project of Heart eight-week evening workshops and encourages participation from faculty, staff, students, and community members as one of our institution’s responses to the Truth and Reconciliation’s 94 Calls to Action. To date, over 200 people have participated in Project of Heart at Luther College at the University of Regina.
“I was given the opportunity to participate in an engaged learning component and I jumped at the chance because I knew that getting out and doing something would be more interesting and rewarding to me than hours of research on the computer. Although there were many options, I chose to participate in Project of Heart because Aboriginal (sic) history is a very significant yet often ignored part of Canada….This was a way for me to participate in acts of reconciliation and acknowledge past wrongdoings. Project of Heart allowed me to be part of a group with a shared goal and to have practical experiences be a foundation of my learning.”
Mirella M.
POH Participant
Project of Heart 2026
Healthcare and the Children of the Qu’Appelle Industrial School
In this edition of Project of Heart, participants will learn about the health care that the children detained at the Qu’Appelle Industrial School received. This includes care provided by the school’s staff, along with other services and public health initiatives, such as the File Hills Colony Hospital, the Fort Qu’Appelle Sanatorium, and the Fort Qu’Appelle Indian Hospital. They will also hear about the Church’s and the State’s motivations for providing these services, while actively seeking to suppress local forms of knowledge and healing practices.
Although many of the stories in this series are from several generations ago, and the physical spaces where they unfolded have disappeared from the regional landscape and the settlers’ collective memory, this history still has repercussions on Indigenous communities today.
Details
Project of Heart will be offered weekly from January 26 to March 23, 2026. Facilitated by Veronique Mireault, the sessions will take place on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in LC 207 at Luther College at the University of Regina.
This series is open to all and offered at no cost. Please direct any questions to Veronique.Mireault@uregina.ca
*Please note there will be no class on February 16, Family Day.