Hey everyone, I’m back!

Welcome to my first blog post of grade 11! This year has been full of new courses and exciting beginnings, including PLP B.C. First Peoples 12. For our first big project, we explored a powerful and timely question: How might the acknowledgment of rights impact Indigenous peoples now and in the future?

Did you know we’re still traveling down the long road to rights for Indigenous peoples in B.C.?

Indigenous peoples have played—and continue to play—a vital role in shaping our country, yet for generations, their rights were stripped away by discriminatory government policies. Canada has a dark chapter in its history, from residential schools—what the government chillingly called an effort to “kill the Indian in the child”—to the oppressive Indian Act. These measures aimed to assimilate Indigenous peoples and erase their cultures.

 

One of our first tasks in this project was to research a part of the Indian Act and create a small infographic summarizing it. I chose #18, the one that made cultural ceremonies illegal. I thought it was just a quick practice, so I focused mostly on my research rather than polishing the design. Well, while I was away for a field hockey tournament, the class peer-reviewed my draft. Let’s just say my first attempt had plenty of room for improvement!
At first, I felt a bit frustrated—nobody likes hearing their work isn’t great. But once I started revising, I could see how the feedback helped. My final version was clearer, more visual, and better at getting the message across. It made me realize that good research alone isn’t enough—you need to present it in a way that grabs attention. Here’s a photo of the before and after!

As we dove deeper into the project, we learned about key events like the Delgamuukw court case, Bill C-31, Section 35 of the Constitution, and the First Nations’ right to vote. Each of these events played a role in the long and ongoing journey for Indigenous rights.
For our final product, we created a massive 24-panel infographic called The Road to Rights. Each panel highlighted a significant moment or event, from the 1800s to today. The idea was to educate our school community about the injustices Indigenous peoples have faced—and the progress that has been made.

My contribution was a panel on UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I didn’t know much about it at first, so I started by writing down all my questions: What is it? Why is it important? How does it affect Canada? As I dug into the answers, I realized how huge this declaration is. It’s a recognition of the rights Indigenous peoples deserve worldwide and highlights how much still needs to be done.

Creating the infographic was an interesting challenge. I had to figure out how to condense all the big ideas into something people could absorb in a few seconds. It was a good reminder of how we live in such a fast-paced world—if information isn’t short and direct, most people won’t bother reading it.
What I loved most about this project was seeing how all our work came together. Individually, each panel told its own story. But when we pieced them together in the hallway display, it became something bigger: a timeline of resilience, courage, and determination. It showed how much has been done—and how much further we still have to go. Check out our hallway display!

Looking back, this project reminded me why it’s so important to understand the past. You can’t fix something if you don’t know what’s broken. As we want and strive to create a future where Indigenous knowledge, lands, and cultures are truly respected, we need to keep learning, speaking up, and standing with Indigenous communities.

Romeo Saganash, a Cree lawyer and former MP, said it best: “There cannot be reconciliation in the absence of justice.”

Let’s keep moving forward on this road to rights—together.

Our next BCFP project is our Winter exhibition project—so stay tuned!