National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Resources
There is support available to anyone who has been directly or indirectly impacted by residential schools.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society: Toll-Free Line 1 800 721 0066
24-Hour National Crisis Line: 1 866 925 4419
First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness: Help Line 1 855 242 3310
The Calgary Public Library- for resources and information on Truth & Reconciliation on your learning journey.
National Film Board's (NFB) Indigenous Cinema page- check out NFB’s collection of Indigenous-made films.
The Calgary Foundation’s Indigenous Ally Toolkit- information and resources to support your reconciliation journey.
In-person Events- Please check back for 2024 events
Virtual Events- Please check back for 2024 events
Orange Shirt Day
Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.
If you are looking to purchase an orange shirt, you’ll want to ensure that the retailer you chose is sending all profits to the Orange Shirt Society or another Indigenous organization. Unfortunately, some retailers are taking advantage of the opportunity to sell orange shirts and are doing so at their own profit. Moonstone Creations is a great local, Indigenous owned business and they have shirts in stock!