Presenting the World Blanket Exercise at WIPCE 2025 – “A powerful healing ceremony”
“A powerful healing ceremony.” That’s how Indigenous peoples describe the World Blanket Exercise (WBE) when I and members of the WBE team delivered a 30-minute presentation on it at WIPCE 2025 (World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education), held in Aotearoa (New Zealand).
In his keynote address, Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos professor of Indigenous Health and Social Policy at the Ontario Institute for Studies on Education said: “to heal, we must know the wound.”
The World Blanket Exercise can reopen wounds, no question. It is clear, however, that even just to talk about the Blanket Exercise has an impact on participants. After our presentation during the Q&A, an Indigenous woman from Nova Scotia spoke of her experience as facilitator of the Blanket Exercise. Tears came down her face when she referred to her mother and grandmother as residential school survivors. For her the KAIROS Blanket Exercise is real. She also said: “I highly recommend it. Experience the KBE if you can.” This brought our presentation home. It was clear that many people were interested in doing just that.
When Thelma Parker and Jayde Conway from Australia, fellow members of the WBE team, and I came early to check the presentation venue and equipment, some people were already there. By the time we started, the room was over capacity with more than 100 people. People were standing behind and around the chairs the organizers had assigned to our session. People were seating on the floor and even on the stairs leading to the upper floor.
Attendees came to us immediately after the presentation, saying that they want to explore the possibility of bringing the Blanket Exercise to their territories. At days’ end, several attendees had already reached out to me through email. The wheels are in motion for potential new partnerships in the New Year! It is a good feeling.
People commented on how the World Blanket Exercise is a perfect fit for a conference on Indigenous education like WIPCE. It is a powerful tool for indigenizing and decolonizing education. Participants reflected on the fact that we all want and need to learn. However, Indigenous peoples must decide what, when and how we learn and from whom. They want to see the WBE at the next WIPCE, which will be held in 2028 on the island of Hawai’i. Thelma, Jayde and I certainly hope we will be there!
By Alfredo Barahona, KAIROS Blanket Exercise Global and Newcomer Coordinator
