Sharing Our Stories Seminar Featuring ‘Far from Home’ A Production by Tungasuvvingat Inuit Available for Screening Online or In Person.
‘FAR FROM HOME’
‘Far from Home’ film shares first hand accounts of being an Inuk 60’s scooped baby and shares of the life long impacts it has had on their families, and relationships throughout their lives and is impactfully told by Karen Orser and Tauni Sheldon.
The Inuit Sixties Scoop Research Final Report created by Tungasuvvingat Inuit will be discussed post film. The discussion explores the history and consequences of the mass removal of Inuit children from their families between the 1950s and 1980s, a practice known as the Sixties Scoop. Unlike the well-documented experiences of First Nations and Métis children, the Inuit experience remains largely overlooked, with many children being sent to non-Indigenous foster and adoptive families, often without parental consent. This separation resulted in cultural loss, identity struggles, and lasting trauma for survivors, their children, and their extended families.
The report draws on survivor testimonies, legal documents, and research to outline the systemic issues that contributed to these removals, including colonial policies, government inaction, and racial biases in child welfare systems. It details legal battles such as the Sixties Scoop class-action lawsuit and the challenges Inuit survivors face in accessing compensation and reconnecting with their families. Healing and reconciliation efforts, including the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation, are examined, along with gaps in existing support systems.
The report concludes with a series of recommendations emphasizing Inuit-led initiatives, increased research, mental health support, and policy reforms to prevent ongoing injustices in child welfare. It calls for greater recognition of the Inuit-specific impacts of the Sixties Scoop, access to family reunification resources, and long-term funding for culturally appropriate healing programs. The findings stress the importance of acknowledging past harms while actively working toward solutions that support Inuit families and communities in reclaiming their cultural identity and well-being.
Certificates of participation are provided to those attending in person at the Cours Bayview Yard venue.
THE VENUE IN PERSON SESSION
ONLINE SESSIONS
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
