Truth and Reconciliation Week 2023
September 25 to 30 is Truth and Reconciliation Week.
LRSD schools will be recognizing Orange Shirt Day and Truth and Reconciliation Week in acknowledgement of the residential school system and its impact on the children who attended and their families.
Orange Shirt Day was inspired by the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s experiences while attending St. Joseph Mission Residential School, in B.C.
Phyllis lived with her grandmother, who gave her a new orange shirt to wear to the mission in 1973-74. When she arrived at the school, she was forced to strip, and her clothes were taken away, including the orange shirt she cherished. The story has become symbolic of the loss of identity, culture and familial ties in the residential school system.
Orange Shirt Day is officially held on Sept. 30, but communities are encouraged to mark the day on a date that is suitable.
For information and resources: http://www.orangeshirtday.org
Resources:
- Get informed about the origin of Orange Shirt Day here and/or in this kid-friendly CBC article;
- Explore the resources available on the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's website;
- Use LRSD’s second annual Indigenous Film Festival Guide to encourage dialogue;
- Learn about Indigenous Education in LRSD;
- Watch the selected videos linked to Orange Shirt Day from the NFB;
- Learn about residential schools through Canadian Geographic’s Pathways to Reconciliation Project. Download the teachers guide to help you navigate this hard history;
- Review the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action or be inspired by the work of a UNESCO School, École Laura Secord School in Winnipeg, where Grade 4,5 and 6 students reviewed and interpreted the 94 calls to action in child-friendly language. You can also download a youth-friendly guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) 94 Calls to Action from the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society;
- Be inspired by what other teachers and classrooms are doing across the country through the website Project of Hearts.
