Background
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake in the spring of 2013. It grew out of Phyllis’s account of losing her shiny new orange shirt on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually. The date was chosen because children are back in school and teachers have time to plan, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the year. Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and community agencies to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
Click here for more history on the origin of Orange Shirt Day...
Click here for more history on the origin of Orange Shirt Day...
Sample Agenda for Community Ceremony
- Opening prayer and drumming
- Welcome to traditional territory by Chief
- Welcome by Mayor, local government representative
- Greetings from provincial government officials, School Board
- Residential school survivor or family member speaking about residential school
- Entertainment and/or children’s activity.
That’s it, that’s all you have to do! Keep it simple and it will be effective. You may very well have other ideas that you would like to try. Try them. You may also want to use the day as a kick off to other activities during the year. Go ahead – do that! The only thing we ask is that Phyllis’ story is part of your day. For videos, visit our Youtube channel. It is worth the three minutes.
Resources for Learning - Workplaces, Businesses, Educators and more
Videos
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Ideas for School Activities
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Links for Printable Resources
Every Child Matters Logo (jpg)
Every Child Matters Logo- French (jpg) Education + Discussion Guide Orange Shirt Day Origin + History Phyllis' Story translated to French Handout: About Orange Shirt Day Making Attachment Hearts Teacher Resource Guide Grade 5 Teacher Resource Guide Grade 10 Teacher Resource Guide Grade 11/12 Teacher Resource Printable Sticker Sheet (print on Avery 22807 labels) BCTF Orange Shirt Day Activities |