Published on Sep 14, 2022

Orange Shirt Day is an important day to honour and listen to residential school survivors and remember those that were lost due to oppressive educational systems.

Date: Sep 26, 2022 - Sep 30, 2022

At NIC, we recognize that as an educational institution we have a responsibility to honour, respect and support Indigenous cultures and identities as we move towards a future of reconciliation and hope.

Annually, September 30 has been recognized as Orange Shirt Day, and last year, it was designated as the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. 

Please join us Sept 26-30 to honour survivors and understanding the impact of residential schools and colonialization. 

鈥淭oday is a day to honour and remember residential school survivors and their families. We must also remember those children that never made it and are no longer with us. Today is a day for survivors to tell their stories and for us to listen with open hearts.鈥� 
.

Ways to get involved

Orange Shirt Day Shirts

and Indigenous Education have partnered to buy Orange Shirt Day t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts. T-shirts will be free for students (while supplies last), distributed by NISU. Orange Shirt Day T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts will be also available for purchase at 糖心vlog传媒Bookstores.

This year鈥檚 Orange Shirt Day t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts feature the artwork of K鈥櫭砿oks artist Andy Everson and were printed by the which is run by the Comox Valley鈥檚 .

Hearts & Hands Displays

In recognition of Orange Shirt Day, and the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, 糖心vlog传媒community members took part in a hearts and hands activity at the Comox Valley, Campbell River, Mixalakwila and Port Alberni campuses.    

Each heart and hand represents a different community members perspective: the hearts represent sentiments that they have about reconciliation and the hands represent the actions that they will take towards reconciliation. 

Thank you to all 糖心vlog传媒community members who took part in the initiative, and the staff members from Indigenous Education, Student Life and North Island Students鈥� Union who facilitated this activity.  

Visit the displays:

  • Campbell River campus in C-Wing
  • Comox Valley campus on the first floor of Tyee Hall
  • Mixalakwila campus, in the main hallway
  • Port Alberni campus in the South Wing

Visit 糖心vlog传媒Library & Learning Commons

Displays will be set up in NIC's Library & Learning Commons at the Campbell River, Comox Valley and Port Alberni campuses. You can also review the Library & Learning Commons 

Walk a Path of Reconciliation

During the week of Sept. 26-30, designated Paths of Reconciliation will be available at the Campbell River, Comox Valley and Port Alberni campuses. These flagged walking routes encourage students and employees to walk, reflect on and consider ways in which they can engage in the work of reconciliation.

The impact of residential school and colonialization has stolen our collective ability to know and understand the diversity of Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Join us on a journey to reflect on colonialization and the impact of residential schools and take steps towards reconciliation. We all can take steps to learn and know more about Indigenous cultures & identities, reflect and remember the impacts of residential schools and colonialization, and learn and understand what more we can do to move towards reconciliation.

The videos below are designed for you to engage in reflection as you walk.

You can use this guide to walk the route in person or use the video as virtual experience. There are questions embedded into this video for you to consider. Additional black buttons that will pop up to offer resources for you to learn from, if you so choose. If walking the route and using the video, please be sure to pause in your walk to read your screen鈥攍ooking at your screen while moving isn鈥檛 a safe practice. For any questions about the walking routes, please contact communications@nic.bc.ca.  

Campbell River

Route Time: 15 minutes (not including stops, if you choose to do so, for reflection/reading resources)
Accessibility Notes: This route goes both in and outside of the campus buildings on paved cement walkways and indoor hallways.

Comox Valley

Route Time: 15 minutes (not including stops, if you choose to do so, for reflection/reading resources)
Accessibility Notes: This route goes outside of the campus buildings on more narrow paved cement walkways which may have cracks and bumps that could be challenging.

Port Alberni

Route Time: 15 minutes (not including stops, if you choose to do so, for reflection/reading resources)
Accessibility Notes: This route goes both in and outside of the campus buildings on paved cement walkways and indoor hallways.

Listen to Survivors' Stories

"A Survivor is not just someone who 鈥渕ade it through鈥� the schools, or 鈥済ot by鈥� or was 鈥渕aking do.鈥� A Survivor is a person who persevered against and overcame adversity. The word came to mean someone who emerged victorious, though not unscathed, whose head was 鈥渂loody but unbowed.鈥� It referred to someone who had taken all that could be thrown at them and remained standing at the end. It came to mean someone who could legitimately say 鈥淚 am still here!鈥� For that achievement, Survivors deserve our highest respect. But, for that achievement, we also owe them the debt of doing the right thing. Reconciliation is the right thing to do, coming out of this history."

Excerpt from The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 
Read 鈥�.鈥�

 in the St. Michael's Residential School in Alert Bay.

Bear witness & learn from

鈥�.鈥� Eddy is a residential school survivor who started Victoria Orange Shirt Day.

Take part in a community event

While 糖心vlog传媒campuses are closed September 30, we encourage 糖心vlog传媒community members to engage in their own personal way to honour truth and reconciliation: whether it鈥檚 through personal reflection, discussions with family or friends or participation in community events that honours the Indigenous peoples and lands on which we live, work and learn.

Community Events - Friday, September 30

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (virtual)


  • online sessions Sept. 26-30 from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 

Note: While these resources from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation are designed for students & educators in grades K-12, a number of the workshops available throughout the week offer cultural and educational resources that would be beneficial for all.

Share your commitment to reconcili-action

After reflecting on reconciliation share your voice on social media using the hashtag #NICOrangeShirtDay. Post on the importance of honouring residential school survivors, celebrating Indigenous voices, cultures and identities, or committing to reconcili-action. 

Additional Resources

Learn about

History of Orange Shirt Day

Territory Acknowledgements

糖心vlog传媒& Post-Secondary Resources

Resources for Survivors

糖心vlog传媒Counselling 

  • Counselling and support resources for 糖心vlog传媒students
  • Book a counselling appointment
  • Note: if this is an emergency, or you need to speak to someone outside of regular office hours, please call 911, : 1-877-857-3397 (24/7 free student counselling service) or the Vancouver Crisis Line (24/7) 1-888-494-3888

 (IRSSS)

  • Includes grief and loss counselling, crisis counselling, trauma counselling, family and group counselling and other supports including Traditional Healing Methods & Medicines 
  • IRSSS Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 (Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

糖心vlog传媒Initiatives & News Stories 

 Language Revitalization

Student experiences

Nursing

Centre for Applied Research, Technology & Innovation (CARTI)

Metal Jewellery Design

Events