Dollmakers sew persona dolls to teach children about bias and discrimination

Sandra Thorkelson and 14 other dollmakers have been meeting at the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre sewing what are called persona dolls.

The dolls are part of the Unlearning Bias Using Persona Dolls Project.

“Everything has a learning curve,” said Thorkelson, referring to sewing the doll.

“I’ve done clothing when sewing. But this was a bit new.”

17 dolls were sewn. The dolls represent diverse cultures, ethnicities, and identifies present in the city.The 15 dollmakers were at at the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre on Oct. 13/22 to show the 17 persona dolls they created. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)Each doll comes with a special story through creating a like-like persona for the doll. It’s meant to become a friend to children with real life experiences of facing exclusion or prejudice.

Sandra spent time sewing, Megis. She is a doll that represents Indigenous heritage. Megis wears an orange shirt, a traditional ribbon skirt, moccasins and a megis shell necklace.Sandra Thorkelson dress her doll, Megis, to reflect Indigenous heritage. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)“Part of our migration story about how the Anishinaabe people came to this area. It was through the megis shell showing itself that told the Anishinaabe people where to stop each time in their migration,” she told CTV News.

“As an Indigenous person, Indigenous dolls aren’t something you see a lot of.”

The multicultural centre plans on selling these dolls to educators, school boards and child daycare centres. Teachers and other education workers can use them to kick-start conversations about discriminatory behaviour and help young children unlearn bias and introduce new cultures.

“Persons dolls have been used for around 20 years. There is an organization in the U.K. that uses them,” explained Julie Van Berkel, the multicultural centre’s welcoming communities coordinator.

“Our program supervisor Vindra thought that this would be a great way to involve the community.”

Thorkelson hopes Megis will be used to help First Nation children learn more about their own culture and act as a friend that they can relate to. The dolls can also be used to help children with their problem-solving skills.

Van Berkel says the multicultural centre’s clients and minority groups in the area have expressed their concern with discrimination and a lack of understanding of various cultures.

“Racism, discrimination and bias is very much present within our community,” said Van Berkel. “So we want to address the root causes and start young with children. These persona dolls are great to use between the ages one to seven years old.”

The project was funded through the North Bay and Area Community Foundation.

The dollmakers are excited to see their finished dolls and hope they have an opportunity to sew again next year.

More information on the multicultural centre’s activities and upcoming events can be found on their Facebook page.