NEOFACS encourages the community to recognize Orange Shirt Day
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is encouraging the communities they serve in the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day on September 30, an annual event in which people are encouraged to wear orange in an effort to open the door for global conversations on all aspects of Residential Schools.
The theme this year of NEOFACS’ campaign is “Honour the Healing Journey: Commit to Reconciliation.” NEOFACS 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.”
John Raymond, Executive Director of NEOFACS, says acknowledgements like this help with reconciliation. “By wearing orange, people can stand together with Indigenous peoples and honour the journey of resilience they have made.”
“We have long known and accepted that Indigenous families and children, and other marginalized groups were disproportionately represented on child welfare caseloads,” said Raymond. “We now recognize that the very systems that were created to help children, youth and families were often racist and oppressive toward marginalized groups. We have, and will continue to review our data, policies, outcomes, and internal practices to reflect and ensure that we apply an equity lens at all levels of our organization.”
Orange Shirt Day is also an 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 Indigenous communities are still felt today. This is a day for all Canadians to create bridges with each other for reconciliation. September 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.
The Orange Shirt Society was formed in Williams Lake by the founders of Orange Shirt Day to encourage and support communities to recognize Orange Shirt Day and to support reconciliation events and activities. Their goal is to create awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Day activities. To learn more about Orange Shirt Day, visit orangeshirtday.org.
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About NEOFACS:
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is an integrated agency, providing services to children, youth and their families in the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming. Our client-responsive programs and services are innovative, evidence-based, and designed to meet the unique needs of those we serve. For more information, please visit https://www.neofacs.org.
For more information, please contact:
Mélanie Watson, Communications Coordinator
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services
705-360-2121 | melanie.watson@neofacs.org