PVNC schools wear orange because #EveryChildMatters

September 30 was Orange Shirt Day.

Many of our Catholic schools participated in school events to acknowledge #EveryChildMatters on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. The event honours the children who survived the Indian Residential Schools and to remember those that didn’t.

Orange Shirt Day began in 2013 as a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School commemoration event held in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

We wear orange shirts in recognition of the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.

Orange Shirt Day grew out of Phyllis’ story (click to read) of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away 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 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.

Below are some of the sights from across the Board as our Catholic schools embraced the day.