RESOURCES & IDEAS: information to assist with
understanding & planning Orange Shirt Day

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...

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 want to use the day as a kick off to other activities during the year like ERASE, Me to We, Positive Action, etc.  Go ahead – do that!  The only thing we ask is that Phyllis’ story is part of your day.  Watch the Shaw video on Youtube.  It is worth the three minutes.

Videos

Note: there are more good quality videos on YouTube that delve into the history of residential schools in Canada and in the United States - related videos will show up when you view the clips we have linked above.

Ideas for School Activities

  1. Watch the Shaw video of Phyllis’s story.
  2. Discussion around “Every Child Matters.” 
  3. Watch
  4. Simple activities, eg. Children trace their hand, then write in the hand something they can do to help others feel like they matter.
  5. Make Attachment Hearts to share.
  6. Check out the resources listed here for more ideas!

Links for Printable Resources

​Every Child Matters Logo (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