Aboriginal Residential Schools

Residential schools were created in 1990 by the government to assimilate aboriginal children into Canadian culture. However, these residential schools has hurt the aboriginal children in many negative ways. Unfortunately children were ripped away from their family and forced into unfamiliar situation which was very hard. The negative affects of residential schools are trauma, mental health, and self-medication.

One of the main consequence of Residential schools is trauma and the cycle continued for many generations. The intergenerational affect of Aboriginal children being separated from their families was very negative. Many Aboriginal Children were forced to live with white families and denied contact with their birth families. Entire communities were forcibly relocated from lands of spiritual and cultural significance. Children that were forcibly sent to residential schools, were far more likely to develop behavioral issues or mental health problems. These issues with Aboriginal children went unaddressed for decades, causing generations of the Aboriginal people to be negatively affected.
Additionally to alcohol abuse, Student of residential schools had a higher suicide rate. They often became depressed because they're being separated from their families they also lost their own cultural identities. Residential schools were very stressful for children. Lastly, suicide rate, being separate from there family and then being apart and far away from their family had lost their own culture identity had cause mental health which was not