A Manitoba-made web series has been created to shine a light on the Sixties Scoop, where thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed into non-Indigenous homes.
Now the stories that are about to be told by a Winnipeg survivor turned director, looks to give people a way to reconnect with their culture and identity.
Colleen Rajotte, a Sixties Scoop survivor and longtime Manitoba journalist, has spent much of her life telling stories about loss and resilience. Now she’s sharing in a new way, through Amanda’s Choice, a six-part web series inspired by her experiences after finding her birth family.
“I had this idea of why not make a web series about the Sixties Scoop, incorporating things I’ve gone through, friends have gone through, so I sketched it out on a napkin and here we are,” explained Rajotte.
The series follows three urban Indigenous women navigating identity, family, and everyday life after reconnection, blending humour and heartbreak through stories drawn from real moments.
“It was difficult at times because it brought up memories and past experiences, but knowing I could share these stories in a different was very healing.”
One episode, titled “The Interview,” was sparked by Rajotte’s own experience in her twenties, fielding painful questions during a documentary taping and feeling those emotions surge back.
“Some of the questions were very deep, involved, and emotional, and I ended up having an anxiety reaction,” said Rajotte.
Rajotte says Amanda’s Choice is about more than entertainment; it’s a reminder that the legacy of the Sixties Scoop continues to shape lives today.
“This is just a different way to entertain people, but remind them that the Sixties Scoop is something very real and needs attention,” she explained.
“The Sixties Scoop in general, has not received the same amount of public attention as residential school survivors had got, and we need to remind people that 30,000 of our children were removed.”
Amanda’s Choice premieres November 12, with one new episode daily on YouTube and Facebook.
