You may remember B’yauling Toni, in 2018 he attempted to break the world record for the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle (Check out the story here). During the trip, he accepted donations and split them 50/50 between funding his massive undertaking and also funding a local outdoor education program in Saskatoon. Well, he’s at it again, during August he’s cycling around Saskatchewan to deliver pairs of moccasins to Residential School locations in the province. The moccasins were made by youth in Saskatoon through Chokecherry Studios, a local art non-profit.
“My journey starts in Saskatoon on the 2nd of August and heads south towards the first of twenty Residential School locations in the province. I will be traveling solo and unsupported and the route will cover over 3000 km returning to Saskatoon tentatively on the 25th of August. “
There are three main goals for the trip.
1.) Raise money for the Orange Shirt Society. Donations help the Orange Shirt Society raise awareness across Canada about the Indian Residential Schools and their continuing impacts on individuals, families, and communities, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.
2.) Celebrate Indigenous Peoples and cultures in Saskatchewan. As I visit Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan, I will have the opportunity to meet and listen to community members from different nations and celebrate their culture, knowledge, and histories. In an effort to build and strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
3.) Deliver moccasins to pay homage to the children who lived and died in residential schools in Saskatchewan and in doing so spread awareness of the atrocities committed on children in the residential school system.
As a non-indigenous Canadian, I feel it is my personal responsibility to provide restitution and strive towards reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada. I believe we all have a role to play and for me my personal platform is cycling.
B’yauling is posting regular updates to his Instagram page here and you can support his Moccasins For Remembrance Charity cycling tour by donating on his website on the link below.
All donations from Moccasins for Remembrance go directly to the Orange Shirt Society. Donations help the Orange Shirt Society raise awareness across Canada about the Indian Residential Schools and their continuing impacts on individuals, families, and communities, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.
