Tikinagan Child & Family Services encouraging people to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30

Tim Brody - Editor

Tikinagan Child & Family Services is encouraging people to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30 to celebrate Indigenous resiliency and to “open the door for global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools.”
“The theme this year of Tikinagan’s campaign is “Honour the Journey: Commit to Reconciliation.” Tikinagan invites the community to use the hashtag #ICommitOSD and show their support by taking pictures of their orange colours on September 30 on social media. By sharing the message, they can help promote healing and reconciliation of survivors and the concept that “Every Child Matters,” the child and family service agency shared.
Thelma Morris, Executive Director of Tikinagan, stated, “By wearing orange, people can stand together with Indigenous peoples and honour the journey of resilience our peoples have made. Without the strength, courage, and hope of our peoples, agencies like ours would not exist. We are a community-based child and family wellbeing agency rooted in and accountable to the First Nations communities we serve because of the visionaries who fought hard against adversity to retain our rights and culture as First Nations.”
She added in a news release, “Orange Shirt Day is also opportunity for schools and adults alike to learn about Indigenous history in Canada, specifically the events that took place from the 1870s to the 1990s in Residential Schools. In 2008, the Canadian government issued an official apology. Orange Shirt Day is a day for survivors to be reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected.”
“The past hurts of our communities are still felt today. Healing and reconciliation is an important part of helping our families and communities. But we are all treaty people. This is a day for all Canadians to create bridges with each other for reconciliation.”
Tikinagan said Sept, 30 was chosen, “Because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. This month, Tikinagan is launching anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying campaigns with local partners, including NAN, SLFNHA, and the police. Contests to create a slogan and logo for the campaigns will take place in First Nation communities.”