A public activity designed to build understanding and reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous communities is coming to Kingston’s Inner Harbour this summer. The interactive learning experience covers 500 years of history in 90 minutes – it is easy to understand, yet impossible to forget.
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise puts participants in the role of Indigenous Peoples in Canada starting from first contact. Scrolls and cards are distributed with instructions that ultimately determine their circumstances and outcomes. It was first conceived by Indigenous youth organization Assembly of Seven Generations and developed with the support of KAIROS. This summer’s Blanket Exercise in Kingston is hosted by PeaceQuest, Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour (FKIH), and Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre (FDASC).
The experience ends with a debriefing session and talking circle in which participants have the opportunity to discuss the experience as a group.
Mass Blanket Exercises are taking place across Canada throughout the spring and early summer as part of the KAIROS Winds of Change Campaign.