At NIC, we recognize that as an educational institution we have a responsibility to honour, respect, and support Indigenous peoples, cultures, and identities as we move towards a future of reconciliation and hope.
Annually, September 30th has been recognized as Orange Shirt Day, and in 2021, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-5 to designate this day the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“Today 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.”
Phyllis Webstad, creator of Orange Shirt Day.
Please join us between Sept 25 – 29 as we honour the survivors and commit to better understanding the impact of residential schools and colonialization on Indigenous peoples.
10 Ways to Get Involved
#1 Orange Shirt Day Shirts
NISU have bought Orange Shirt Day T-shirts. T-shirts will be free for students (while supplies last) and distributed by NISU. Orange Shirt Day T-shirts will also be available for members of our community to purchase at cost at NIC Bookstores.
This year’s Orange Shirt Day T-shirts feature the artwork of K’ómoks artist Andy Everson and were printed by the Wachiay Studio which is run by the Comox Valley’s Wachiay Friendship Centre Society.
The sale of the shirts includes a donation to the Wachiay Friendship Centre Society.
#2 Conversation and Engagement
Join Elders and members of Indigenous Education for conversation and support.
- Campbell River, Thursday Sept. 28, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Q̓ə pix ʔidaʔas (Gathering Place)
- Mixalakwila, Thursday Sept. 28, 11.30 am – 12.30 am, Lounge
- Comox Valley, Friday Sept. 29, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Indigenous Student Lounge
- Port Alberni, Friday Sept. 29, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Lounge
#3 Indigenous Education Language Workshops
Join Elders and Indigenous Navigators in Indigenous language workshops.
- Kwak'wala Language Workshop, Monday Sept. 25, 7 – 8 pm (Blue Jeans, email indigenousnavigators@nic.bc.ca for link) with Sara Child
- Nuu-chah-nulth Language Workshop, Tuesday Sept. 26, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Indigenous Lounge, Port Alberni with Luke George and Wilma Gus
- Liq'wala Language Workshop, Wednesday Sept. 27, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Q̓ə pix ʔidaʔas (Gathering Place), Campbell River with Rylee LaTrace and June Johnson
- Kwak'wala Language Workshop, Thursday Sept. 28, 11.30 am – 1 pm, Indigenous Lounge, Comox Valley Campus with Willow Hunt-Scott and Dr. Evelyn Voyageur
#4 Orange Shirt Day Seeded Paper Activity
Student Life have bought seeded paper Orange T-shirts, which will be available for members of the community to share their perspective at tabling events on the days below. These shirts will be suspended at key locations on the campuses after the event to serve as a visual reminder of our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, and as they return to nature, the seeds inside of them will bloom into flowers for future reflection and remembrance.
- Port Alberni, Tuesday Sept. 26, 10 – 11 am at Roger St. and 11.30 – 2 pm at Tebo Centre
- Campbell River, Thursday Sept. 28, 11 am – 1 pm at the front entrance
- Comox Valley, Wednesday Sept. 27, 11 am – 1 pm in the Tyee Building
- Mixalakwila, Thursday Sept. 28, 11.30 am – 12.30 pm, Lounge
#5 Visit the NIC Library & Learning Commons
Displays will be set up in NIC's Library & Learning Commons at the Campbell River, Comox Valley, and Port Alberni campuses. Our libraries have one of the most robust collections of work by Indigenous authors and scholars in our region. We also encourage every member of our community to explore this collection via the Library & Learning Commons Truth and Reconciliation Guide.
#6 Join the Decolonial Book Club
Are you interested in stepping up your game when it comes to learning about decolonization? Are you interested in reading about the history/impact of colonization in Canada, as well as Indigenous ways of doing, knowing and being? Take a moment to fill out this form to join the Decolonial Book Club being coordinated by Jay de Montarnal, Manager, Student Housing, and Danielle Hoogland, Community Engagement Liaison.
#7 Walk a Path of Reconciliation
During the week of Sept. 25 - 29, you are invited to experience the natural beauty of our environment, to centre and place yourselves in nature, and reflect on and consider ways in which you can engage in the work of reconciliation. To support this, we have created videos for each of our campus locations that can guide you on your journey of reflection.
Residential schools, and colonization in general, are just two of the many examples of the significant disrespect that has been traditionally shown to Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing. By joining others on a journey to reflect on colonialization and the impact of residential schools, you can take steps towards reconciliation. We all can take steps to learn and know more about Indigenous cultures and identities, reflect and remember the impacts of residential schools and colonialization, and learn 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 a virtual experience. There are questions embedded into this video for you to consider. Additional black buttons will pop up to offer resources for you to learn from, if you choose.
If you are walking the route and using the video, please be sure to pause in your walk to read your screen. Looking at your screen while moving is not a safe practice. For any questions about the walking routes, please contact studentlife@nic.bc.ca.
Campbell River
Comox Valley
Port Alberni
#8 Listen to Survivors' Voices and Lived Experiences
"A Survivor is not just someone who “made it through” the schools, or “got by” or was “making do.” 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 “bloody but unbowed.” 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 “I am still here!” 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 The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Read about NIC Elder in Residence and Nursing Instructor Evelyn Voyageur's experience in the St. Michael's Residential School in Alert Bay.
Hear Phyllis Webstad share her memories of Residential schools and the meaning of Orange Shirt Day.
Hear Eddy Charlie share his story; Eddy is a residential school survivor who started Victoria Orange Shirt Day.
Bear witness and learn from The Witness Blanket, a large-scale work of art that contains hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada.
#9 Take part in a community event
While NIC campuses are closed September 30, we encourage NIC community members to engage in their own personal way to honour truth and reconciliation: whether it is 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 - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30
- Campbell River Honouring ceremony and light lunch, 11 am, Spirit Square, Shoppers Row, Campbell River, BC V9W 2C8
- Comox Valley Spirit Walk, September 30, 11 am – 5 pm, Simms Millenium Park, Comox Road, Courtenay, BC V9N 3N7. Call 250 871 7353 for more information.
- Please Note: The K'ómoks First Nation will be hosting events for members of the Nation. If you are a KFN member and would like to learn more about these events, please contact the K'ómoks First Nation Administration Office.
- Port Alberni Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Closing the Alberni Indian Residential School, September 30, 10 am, Barclay Hotel, Port Alberni. Call 250 730 3246 for more information.
- Port Hardy Sacred Wolf Friendship Centre Join for a march to raise awareness and honour residential school survivors as well as those who never made it home. It is September 30, 10:30 am; the march starts in Port Hardy Secondary School Parking Lot and goes down Granville Street to Carrot Park. Call 250 902 0552 for more information.
- Virtual: The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Truth and Reconciliation Week 2023, Sept. 25 – 29, 2023
Reconciliation Starts with Education.
Register for Lunch and Learn events, 50 min sessions beginning at 10:30 am PST, available every day.
- Day 1 – Sept. 25: Indigenous peoples and the History of residential schools.
- Day 2 – Sept. 26: Unconscious bias and debunking stereotypes.
- Day 3 – Sept. 27: Intergenerational impacts and ongoing systemic discrimination.
- Day 4 – Sept. 28: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Day 5 – Sept. 29: Taking action towards Reconciliation.
#10 See and share your commitment to reconcili-action with the NIC Community
After reflecting on reconciliation, members of our community may wish to share their reflections with each other. To make it easier to find fellow college community members, we have decided to use #NICOrangeShirtDay. You can post to this hashtag to share how you are honouring residential school survivors and celebrating Indigenous voices, or you can search the hashtag on your preferred platform to see the commitments of other community members.
