Everybody has their own reason to “Walk for Wenjack” in 2024. For some, it may be a moment to honour Chanie Wenjack and the many others like him. For others, it may be an opportunity to raise awareness of the true history of residential schools.
In 1966, Chanie Wenjack ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. He walked for 36 hours along the train tracks before dying of exposure on October 22nd. He was just 12 years old. His death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in the residential school system. Chanie’s story, tragically, is like so many stories of Indigenous children in this country.
Beginning in 2016, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund has been challenging all people in Canada to “Do Something” meaningful. Bruce County, along with their valuable community partners, are hosting a Walk for Wenjack event on Thursday, August 15th (2024) in Cape Croker Park, Neyaashiinigmiing, at 1:00 PM. Participants are asked to gather at the Arbour. This event offers an opportunity to come together as a community, in the spirit of reconciliACTION, to walk, learn, and reflect on the more than 600 kilometers Chanie Wenjack needed to get home.
This is a free admission event and refreshments are provided. Donations to the Nawash food bank will be accepted and the first 20 donations at each event will receive a prize from the Downie Wenjack Foundation.
Walk for Wenjack events in Bruce County are hosted in partnership with Cape Croker Park, Kitaamgwedaagwad Gindasswin Adult Learning Centre, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief & Council, Bruce County, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and Bruce Power.
For more information and event updates, visit
https://www.brucemuseum.ca/event/walk-for-wenjack/
Discover more about Chanie Wenjack:
Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack
Chanie’s Life Journey (Story Map)
Gord Downie’s “The Secret Path”
DWF Recommended Resources
