Spotlighting Indigenous events and voices to mark Orange Shirt Day
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society is available to survivors and their families at any time. Please call 1-800-721-0066 or 1-866-925-4419 to access the 24-7 crisis line. Additional supports can be found via the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310. First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth can text 686868 for access to Indigenous volunteer crisis responders (via Crisis Text Line powdered by Kids Help Phone) and adults can access this same service by messaging 741741.
On Thursday, May 27, 2021, news broke that the remains of 215 Indigenous children were recovered via ground-penetrating radar on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. What followed was additional recoveries, national grief, shock and reflection. These recoveries continue today and add to intergenerational pain and ongoing mourning. The YMCA of Greater Toronto and the Indigenous Reconciliation Working Group acknowledge that this is not history, but the living legacy of colonialism and cultural genocide in Canada.
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day. It is a day to remember those who did not return from Canada’s system of Indian Residential Schools. As stated on the Remember Me initiative website: “We must ensure that this day remains to be a day of remembrance for Indigenous people and a day of education of Canadians and their children”.
The federal government now also recognizes September 30 a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Following the guidance of Indigenous colleagues at the YMCA of Calgary, the YMCA of Greater Toronto will be marking Orange Shirt Day by amplifying Indigenous voices and events. We encourage you to reflect on the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools, to seek out and acknowledge truth, and to keep the reconciliation process alive through action.
We invite you to take individual action and participate in the events below as one way of honouring the Indian Residential School (IRS) experience, and the healing journey of all survivors, including colleagues and their families this September and beyond.
Resources
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
CBC Kids National day for Truth & Reconciliation Playlist-The CBC Kids YouTube channel has a playlist of Indigenous Culture segments and full episodes of Molly of Denali for you to watch with your children.
Wawahte: Stories of Residential School Survivors-Wawahte is an educational documentary based on the book of the same title by Robert P. Wells, first published in 2012. It tells the story of Indian Residential Schools from the perspective of three of its survivors.
Picking Up the Pieces: the Making of the Witness Blanket-Inspired by a woven blanket, this large-scale art installation is made from hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures across Canada. The process of gathering these objects and their stories took artist Carey Newman from coast to coast. Each object has a story to tell, each survivor has something to say. This 90-minute feature documentary film weaves those stories with Carey Newman’s personal journey, examining how art can open our hearts to the pain of truth and beauty of resilience.
Please note – this film may be triggering to some. Residential school survivors and their relations who need support, can call the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s history and resulting 94 Calls to Action.
YMCA of Greater Toronto’s Indigenous Reconciliation Working Group June 2021 statement about the recovery of the 215 children in Kamloops, BC. See links for learning, underlined in red.
Indigenous-Led Events
| Event | Date | Description | How to Join |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohawk Institute Residential School, virtual programming | September 20 to 30 | Educational programming offered for schools, organizations, or the public. | Learn more. |
| Reckoning: Accountability Frameworks for Responding to Genocide and the Atrocities at Residential Schools | September 22, 12:30 pm | This session will explore both international and national accountabilities models in a combination of panel presentations, Q&A and small group discussion | Eventbrite Registration Link (Free) |
| Truth and Reconciliation Week events via NCTRC & University of Manitoba | September 27–October 1 | This year, Every Child Matters is growing from a single day to a full week of Truth and Reconciliation programming. This free series of events will feature videos, conversations, performances and more. | See programming details. |
| It Starts With Us: Truth Telling | Tuesday September 28 12–1:30 pm PDT (3 pm EST) | Join the University of British Columbia to learn about the Historical and current context of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and the significance of Orange Shirt Day | Click here for more information and here to join the event, live |
| Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre | September 29, 12-1 pm | Join the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) for a virtual narrated 360 degree photo tour of their site via Zoom. Following the session, there will be a 10 minute question period and supports available for any participants. | Register for this free event here |
| Remember Me | September 30 | Livestream from Parliament Hill, Ottawa. Spirit Walk led by Grandmothers, Mothers, Aunties and Daughters, this spirit walk is a public event in the name of truth and reconciliation. | Learn more or join with the YouTube Live Stream Link |
| APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) National Day of Truth and Reconciliation programming | September 30 to October 1 | Starting at 6a on September 30th, tune in to APTN for a Sunrise Ceremony, documentary film screenings, conversations with Survivors, and evening encore showings. | Click here for full programming information |
| Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Panel | September 30, 2021, 9:00 am | We invite you to join us and our host, Bob Goulais, as we welcome a Panel of community leaders who will be speaking on the challenges and opportunities for transforming child welfare services following the first five Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. What might Indigenous child welfare services look like five years from now? | Register now |
| Virtual Storytime: The Orange Shirt Story by Phyllis Webstad | September 30, 9:30 am | This online event is hosted by the Guelph Public Library. Learn more here. | Registration required via this link. |
| Honouring Truth and Reconciliation Day | September 30 from 12–5:30 pm | Join the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in honouring Truth and Reconciliation Day. From 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., join the virtual presentation by Professor Liat Margolis to learn more about the plans for the garden on McCaul Street and the significance of the plants in Indigenous culture. From 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., join the in-person honoring ceremony. Speaker Elder Clayton Shirt will highlight the importance of the day before participants walk through the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit where the U of T campus resides. The first 250 participants will receive an orange shirt to commemorate the day. | For more information and to register click here. |
| Healing Gathering at Allan Gardens | Sept 30th, 2pm | Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction is facilitating a healing gathering for all the children that attended the Indian Residential School/Day School & intergenerational survivors. Join for opening prayer by Elder Vivian Recollet and feast by Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (All are welcome. This is not a rally, this is a healing space) | Link for info |
| Drum for the Children | September 30, 2:15 pm PDT (5 pm EST) | Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc wishes to involve the world in recognizing the very first Canadian National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Visit this link to learn more about their global drumming project. #DrumForTheChildren | Click here to learn more |
| Vigil for Children of Residential Schools | September 30, 6 pm | Vigil hosted by The Indigenous Network (TIN). | See the September calendar. |
| Defining Meaningful Allyship in the Quest for Reconciliation | October 12, 5–6:30 pm PDT (8 pm EST) | Join the University of British Columbia to discuss how settlers must confront their complicity, question their assumptions, create space and ultimately become allies instead of roadblocks in the journey towards real truth and reconciliation. (Registration and joining details are TBA at time of publishing) | Click here for complete information |
