WELLINGTON COUNTY – Fifty years ago, a six-year-old Secwepemc girl named Phyllis Webstad was excited to wear her bright and shiny orange shirt to school.
The shirt, a gift from her grandmother, has come to symbolize her lost identity and culture, because when Webstad arrived at St. Joseph Mission Residential School, the shirt was taken away.
The school was one of over 130 government-funded boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada.
More than 150,000 children attended residential schools, where they were forced to abandon their cultures, traditions and languages.
Many experienced emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical and sexual abuse.
Shortly after Webstad first shared her story a decade ago, Sept. 30 became nationally recognized as Orange Shirt Day, a day to recognize the devastating history and consequences of residential schools.
Since 2021, the day has become a federal statutory holiday: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It is a day to honour people who attended residential schools, learn about the intergenerational impacts of the schools, and take action towards reconciliation.
Wearing orange is a way to show support for reconciliation and a commitment “to the enduring truth that every child matters,” states the Orange Shirt Society (OSS) website.
“The orange shirt has become a symbol of hope, reconciliation and a commitment to a better future.”
People can also observe the holiday by learning about residential schools, reading and implementing calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and attending events.
Storyteller – Leo Atlookan will share stories that honour his father, a residential school survivor. at Dalton Associates in Fergus on Sept. 30. Submitted photo
Buttons at The Grove
The Grove Youth Hub in Fergus is hosting a button making event on Sept. 29 at from 4:30 to 5pm.
Youth from 12 to 26 years old are welcome to drop in to learn about Truth and Reconciliation and make buttons with orange shirts and messages of reconciliation.
Grove youth ambassador Laioni Boaudoin said she expects there will be “really important and deep conversations around it.”
No registration is required, and all Grove Hub events are free to attend.
The Fergus Grove Hub is located at 900, Tower St. S. For more information visit thegrovehubs.ca/fergus.
Moments of storytelling
On Sept. 30, Dalton Associates (DA) in Fergus will be hosting a gathering featuring presentations from Leo Atlookan from Eabametoong First Nation.
DA provides mental health and wellness services throughout Ontario.
Atlookan is a wellness navigator and community support coordinator with the Indigenous mental wellness division at DA. He will offer personal reflections on the impact of Canada’s residential schools on family, community and Nation.
DA Indigenous mental wellness coordinator Val Monague said Atlookan will share intimate stories “honouring his father, who is a residential school survivor.
“Hopefully through that sharing people become more conscious of the impacts of residential school on individual families and communities, and how this story has never been told in our history books,” Monague said.
Before the storytelling there will be an opening song from a drum group, because “when we host an event within Indigenous environments we always make sure we start the event off with a prayer and give some gratitude and acknowledgement,” Monague said.
Atlookan’s presentations are scheduled for 10am, 12pm and 2pm. Light refreshments and snacks will be served and there will be a craft activity for children.
It will take place in the backyard of the DA office at 240A St. David St. N., Fergus.
Attendees are invited to explore the DA Legacy Space, created in partnership with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund.
The space is a dedicated place for education about Indigenous history and the journey of truth and reconciliation, with educational materials including books, videos and significant Indigenous symbols, artifacts and medicines such as sage and tobacco.
Attendees are encouraged to wear orange. The event is free to attend and registration is optional at daltonassociates.ca/september30.
The Legacy Space is a learning environment with educational resources about Indigenous history. People can book an appointment to visit the space free of charge through Dalton Associates, or check it out during the Truth and Reconciliation event on Sept. 30. Submitted photo
Reconciliation at school
Students in the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) will be recognizing the day on Sept. 29 this year, as Sept. 30 is a Saturday. Staff and students are encouraged to wear orange.
In the UGDSB there will be two virtual professional development sessions leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for educators to explore resources that will support teaching reconciliation in classrooms.
Educators have been provided resources including live and recorded events, opportunities for actions in classrooms, and ways for educators to further their learning.
If schools fundraise, the UGDSB Indigenous Education Team requested funds go to the Woodland Cultural Centre.
Educators with the WCDSB have been provided with classroom resources, opportunities to hear from First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge keepers and Elders, access to books through library learning commons, and lesson plans to enrich students’ understanding of Truth and Reconciliation.
Additional opportunities will continue throughout the school year, with staff working with the WCDSB Indigenous Education Advisory Council to share information and discuss paths towards truth and reconciliation.
‘Phenomenal’
“Sept. 30 is a phenomenal date,” Monague said, “although everyday we should take up that opportunity and challenge to learn more.”
Monague recommends people share what they learn on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to help spread awareness, “so that our kids don’t have to carry this burden of misinformation – burden of not knowing.
“Because this country was built on misinformation and particularly with First Nations history and colonial policies that have been impacting our lives.”
Monague added, “We walk through this world together, and we need to find a way, especially in these times, to amplify the full potential of reconciliation and what it means to us in our communities and families.”
To read the truth and reconcilliation calls to action visit publications.gc.ca
For Phyllis Webstad’s story, visit orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story/#story.
