The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, September 30, is a day to honour and uphold Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors of the Indian Residential School system, and to commemorate those who didn’t return home.
All UBC community members are encouraged to participate in Orange Shirt Day. Consider attending a local event, supporting local initiatives, helping to spread awareness, and taking some time for personal reflection. Activities and events for students, staff and faculty will take place on the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses in September and October.
Intergenerational March

Ways to get involved

You can get involved in a number of ways:

Orange Shirt Day hub

Curated by the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, please take some time to review the Orange Shirt Day hub page for more info about events, educational resources, and wellness support initiatives available at UBC.

To purchase your orange shirt

This year, UBC’s 2023 Orange Shirt Day shirt was designed by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) artist Alec Guerin. These shirts are available for purchase at the UBC Bookstore in Vancouver, along with Orange Shirt Society shirts on both campuses, with proceeds going to the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivor Society.

Healing and wellness resources

Engaging with Indian Residential School histories and legacies can sometimes lead to emotional reactions and difficult thoughts and feelings, which might surface hours, days or even weeks later. This experience is perfectly normal. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, it is important to respect your needs and to be kind to yourself. There are many wellness resources available—for survivors and family members; Indigenous Peoples and community members; and UBC students, staff and faculty.

Additional resources

There are many additional resources you might consider accessing to deepen your knowledge and take further action, including the following stories, courses, tours, websites, podcasts, books, and Indigenous-owned businesses.

More about Orange Shirt Day

The Orange Shirt Day movement was started by Phyllis Webstad, a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation and former residential school student, to honour Survivors and intergenerational Survivors, and to remember those children who never made it home. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultural identities to engage with the legacies of the residential school system.

UBC Beyond stories

Read these stories from UBC Beyond, written in partnership with UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

UBC courses

Consider taking one of these free, self-paced online courses offered by UBC.

Plus, learn more about Indigenous Learning Pathways, an online training program for UBC staff and faculty, which is set to launch in early-2024. Additionally, consider enrolling in Indigenous Canada, a free 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by the University of Alberta.

UBC tours

Take one of the following campus tours to learn more about Indigenous history, language and culture, right here at UBC.

Websites

Books

Find a list of Indigenous books and authors at UBC Bookstore.

Indigenous-owned businesses

Consider donating

Besides deepening your knowledge and participating in activities on or off-campus, you might also consider making a donation. There are many Indigenous organizations to which you might donate, including the Indian Residential School Survivor’s Society or the Orange Shirt Society.

How you choose to donate, and how much you choose to give, is up to you; however, we recommend that you find organizations that directly support Indigenous people and communities and, where possible, are Indigenous-operated, to ensure your donation provides the most direct and effective support.

Submissions

The above resources are only a small portion of those available, and are offered as a starting point. If you have any additional resources or links that we could add to this list, please let us know at shcs.communications@ubc.ca.