This Monday (Sept. 30th) join us in the Riddell Centre at the University of Regina at 9:30am to learn about the history of and the harm done by the residential school system in Canada. When you visit you can pick up an orange shirt for free (while supplies last) and we encourage you to wear it to show your recognition of the injustices committed and the lives destroyed.

What is Orange Shirt Day?

Wearing an orange shirt and promoting the slogan, Every Child Matters, is an affirmation of our commitment to raise awareness of the residential school experience and to ensure that every child matters as we focus on our hope for a better future. Orange Shirt Day (September 30) has become a national movement to recognize the experience of survivors of Indian residential schools, honour them, and show a collective commitment to ensure every child matters. Please wear your orange shirt all day in the spirit of healing and reconciliation.

Indian Residential Schools

• Operated across Canada between 1831 and 1996.
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada declares “establishment and operation of residential schools can best be described as “cultural genocide”
• The earliest recognized and longest running residential school was the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario (1831-1962)
• Last federally run residential school to close was Gordon’s School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, which was closed in 1996.

During the residential school era is it estimated that:

• 150,000 children attended these schools
• Over 6,000 died while attending those schools (based on partial federal government records)
• Approximately 80,000 survivors of these schools are alive today

Sadly, Canadians are only just learning the details of this brutal and horrifying part of Canada’s history. Astonishing as that is, what is equally astonishing, and what needs to be recognized and celebrated, is the resilience and bravery of the survivors and their families. This resiliency is what needs to be supported and celebrated because this is the path to reconciliation and a better future for all Canadians.

Other Relevant Links and Resources:

Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. – ebooks and resources