As Founding Member of Orange Shirt Day and Founding Member & CEO for Orange Shirt Society, Phyllis Webstad facilitates dialogue around the Indian Residential School system and creates space for education, awareness and healing. Orange Shirt Day – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, recognized annually on September 30, is a day to honour residential school survivors and their families and to remember those that never made it home.  It is a day for people to reflect, educate themselves and commit to Truth and Reconciliation.

When Phyllis was just six years old, she attended St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, British Columbia. Her grandmother bought her an orange shirt to wear on her first day of school, but upon arrival, her shirt was removed.  No matter how much Phyllis cried or protested, her special new shirt was never returned. That cruel action resulted in Phyllis feeling unimportant and as if she did not matter.  The colour orange became a symbol of the effects of Indian Residential Schools and a physical symbol for ‘Every Child Matters’.

The Orange Shirt Society was created as a legacy to Phyllis’ Orange Shirt Day. The non-profit organization is located in Williams Lake, British Columbia, and the board of directors consists of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members. Phyllis works full-time with the society.

Over Phyllis’s career she has acquired diplomas in both Business Administration from Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and Accounting from Thompson Rivers University (TRU). She received the TRU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017 for her unprecedented impact on local, provincial, national and international communities through the sharing of her orange shirt story. As well, Phyllis is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division), three honorary doctor of laws, an honorary doctor of education degree and the BC Reconciliation award.

A published author, Phyllis has six books that share her story in her own words – The Orange Shirt Story; Phyllis’s Orange Shirt; Beyond the Orange Shirt Story; With Our Orange Hearts; Every Child Matters and Today is Orange Shirt Day.  Due to Phyllis’ work, a simple orange shirt has become a conversation starter for all aspects of Indian Residential Schools across the country and beyond.

Phyllis is Northern Secwépemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band), and she currently resides in Williams Lake, British Columbia with her husband.

Finding comfort in the outdoors, Phyllis can often be found in nature or going for walks outside as it allows her to feel grounded and connected to the land.

Read Phyllis’s Story

My name is Christina Kitchekesik and I am a First Nation Cree Woman. I was born in The Pas, MB and have 3 children, Richard, Candace, and David. I have a beautiful grandson and his name is Tyler who is 18 years old, and I have 2 brothers.

I was taken to IRS at a noticeably young age of 5 years old and was sent away for 14 years into this dark period of my life. Both my parents were former students who had faced many challenges in their lives.

I have had my struggles over the years through my healing journey I have reconnected with my culture and identity. By learning the traditional ways and practicing them has given me strength, courage and knowledge to continue living a positive life. My healing journey continues by learning the traditional ways and practicing them, as this is where I get my strength, courage, and knowledge to continue living a positive life.

These teachings of the traditional ways help me to recognize and leave harmful relationships and gives me the courage & ability to pursue anything I want to do. I am now in control of my life and am proud to say that I was a single parent who raised my 3 children the best way I could.

I was involved with Woman’s Warrior Circle for 7 years, who is made up of a group of strong, beautiful women, Grandmothers, Mothers, Sisters and Daughters who are dedicated to making our communities, our homes, and ourselves a safer place to live.

Another group I was proud to be involved with for 6 years is Mama Bear Clan. This group is led by our Women and supported by our Men. Mama Bear Clan patrols our streets and the community of North Point Douglas to check up on our families and make sure everyone is safe.

At present I am employed full time as a Resolution Health Support Worker at Anish Corporation helping other IRS thrivers like myself find new paths to healing and stay active in the indigenous community. Through the accomplishment of these achievements I am proud to help give back to my community and use my experiences to inspire others to follow their dreams.

Tansi! 

I am a psychiatric nurse, a member of George Gordon First Nation, and an intergenerational Indian Residential School survivor. Being an intergenerational survivor means that I am among the first in my family not to be sent to residential school, as both of my biological parents attended Gordon’s Indian Residential School. At just 30 years old, this often surprises people, as it’s a powerful, tangible display of how recent this cultural genocide was. For me, Indian Residential Schools are not just a closed chapter in our country’s history, they are a source of persistent trauma and loss that my family and I are still learning to cope with today. 

I currently work as a psychiatric nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital, located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This role has given me a front-line view of how trauma, particularly intergenerational trauma, has impacted not only my own life, but also our communities. We see a disproportionate representation of Indigenous peoples across healthcare systems, in homelessness, the Canadian foster care system, and in prisons. It wasn’t until my education that I began to fully understand that all of this stems from historical trauma, because it embeds itself in the mind, body, and spirit, and is inherently passed down from one generation to the next. My education brought me the awareness I needed to learn to heal from all of this and gave me the tools to help others. 

Recently becoming a mother has added another layer to my healing journey. I am more focused on breaking harmful cycles and creating a more stable, supportive future for my daughter, where every child matters. A future built on awareness, reconciliation, and healing.

I would love to share my story with you, along with my professional insights, particularly around Indigenous mental health, trauma-informed care, and how I’ve managed to navigate these systems as a care provider, a survivor, and a mother.

We had two Indian residential schools located in our community one being on the west side, which was old sun and was run by the Anglican diocese and on the east side we had Crowfoot, which was run by Catholic diocese. I am a third generation that attended the in residential school from 1964 to it’s closing which was 1968. 

I am a mother of six beautiful children and six grandchildren and my husband‘s name is Jonathan Sleigh. In 2008 I took on a role under Siksika health services to work as a Frontline worker that provided support the former students that attended in residential schools in Canada. I was hired and worked under the direction of the Indian residential school settlement agreement. My work took me from coast to coast under the TRC national engagement to assist our IRS survivors. My work continues in this field under Siksika health services as a program coordinator for the Traditional Wellness Program. I am also a member of the holy Buffalo women’s Society here in Siksika and this role has taught me about my identity as a Blackfoot woman and my culture. Healing through my culture and learning about our traditional ways from our knowledge keepers was a blessing in disguise which I hold true value. 

I continue to help my people and other former IRS survivors including the Alberta regional IRS team, which is now titled trauma support workers. We are all unique and our relationship to our specific culture and geographical location holds the key to our healing. Our language is a must to keep these values continued for the sake of our future generations. I am one small vessel that links to many other knowledge keepers. Many have gone home to our happy hunting grounds and the work must continue.

Rita Kinequon is a member of Day Star First Nation and is a survivor of Gordon’s Indian Residential School. In 2017, Rita began speaking at her grandchildren’s high school about her experience and the history of the Indian Residential Schools. Rita talks about how intergenerational trauma impacts survivors and their descendants and how survivors are thriving, along with explaining how society can engage in reconciliation with survivors, their families and the children that didn’t make it home.

Ending her 35 year career as the Director of Child and Family Services, Rita worked with the federal and provincial governments on policy and programs for First Nation people. Rita’s focus was to reduce and prevent the number of First Nation children in care. After retiring at the end of 2023, Rita now works directly with First Nations helping in anyway she can.

Ekosi (That is all for now).

I am Hillary Adam I go by Hank I am from Stswecem’c/Xget’tem (Canoe Creek/Dog Creek) here in the Cariboo Region of British Columbia, I live in Williams Lake. I was born on Stswecem’c Indian Reserve number 6 a place called Toby Lake. My parents are Lila (Billy) and Willie Adams, my grand parents on my mothers side is Mary Bill and Willie Billy on my fathers side Tillie Louie and Pascal Adams.

Both my father and my mother attended St. Josephs Mission Residential School in Williams Lake around 1937. Both of my parents ran away from the Residential School but were caught and brought back to the school, the last time my father ran away from the Residential School he didn’t go back as his parents hid him at Toby Lake where I was born.

I went to the St. Josephs Mission as well in 1977 I was 15 at the time I only went for about two months and was then moved to a boarding home. I consider myself an intergenerational survivor as I was on my own since I was 13.

I grew up in Stswecem’c (Canoe Creek) in the 60’s in those days there was a lot of drinking and violence in the community as a result of this we moved to a small community of 70 Mile House. The move didn’t change the course of our lives as the drinking and violence followed us to 70 Mile House, where around 1974 I left my parents and siblings and this is where my journey began.

I have a lot gratitude for my older brother and sister-in-law who took me in and instilled in me the need to get an education, the only place at that time for me to go to school and stay was the residential school so that where I agreed to go. It took me several tries to get a grade 10 to get into professional cook training and that’s where I started. Later on I got into the business training which led me to moving back to my Home community of Xget’tem (Dog Creek) in 1996 to conduct a Traditional Use Study and from there I applied for the Self-Government Coordinator position as my community is in the BC Treaty Process. I stayed in that position for a few years and I was a

I am a 63-year-old survivor of Indian Day School and Residential School, and a proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Since April 3, 2007, I have lived a clean and sober life, a journey that began with attending a treatment center on Vancouver Island. My healing journey was further enriched by participating in Choices Seminars in July 2005 and Givers 1 & Givers 2. These experiences marked the start of my personal growth, leading me to coach at Choices and now Break Free Seminars. Through Super Choices and Super Givers seminars, I have embraced my identity as a proud Two-Spirit man.

Returning to college, I focused my studies on Child & Youth Care. For eight years, I worked with SN Ayas Menmen, delivering cultural and language lessons to the youngest members of the Squamish Nation, teaching them Squamish language and sign language. Currently, I am honoured to serve as one of the eight councillors on the Squamish Nation Council, passionately advocating for my community.

For 45 years, I have been a member of the Syewen Winter Spirit dancing community and have participated in Sundance ceremonies in Sioux Valley and South Dakota, where I received my Sundance name, Eagleday, from my Sundance grandfather, John Eagleday Sr. Since June 1979, I have been a member of the Shaker Indian Church. As a Men’s Traditional Dancer, I traveled throughout Turtle Island (North America) with my family, sharing our culture and traditions.

Chen Kwenmantumi – I am grateful.

A Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, Eugene Arcand spent nine years at the St. Michael Indian Residential School in Duck Lake and two years at the St. Paul’s Lebret Students Residence, both in Saskatchewan. First Nation Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Arcand has dedicated much of his time to organizing regional and national events – First Nations sports events, cultural events, tourism events, and events geared to the advancement of First Nations youth.

Over the past few years, through the Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee at the TRC and the NCTR Governing Circle, Eugene has worked to ensure that both the public and Survivor communities are kept informed of the developments and processes associated with the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. Eugene was successful because of the support and love of his family and wife Lorna Arcand, who he has been married to for 48 years. Together, they raised three children, seven grandchildren and three chapan.

Arnold Murphy, known as Ron by his family and friends, is from the Anaham or Tletinqox Government, but did not grow up there. He grew up in a logging sawmill camp on the East Arm of Quesnel Lake. He was given freedom to explore at a very young age and did a lot of fishing and his mother taught him to snare rabbits and how to get grouse.

When he reached six years old, his mother took him to the Saint Joseph Mission Residential School, just outside Williams Lake. He went to the residential school from 1968 – 1975. This had a tremendous impact on his life.

When he was 19 years old he met his wife Elsie and they had a daughter, Dawn, in 1984. He now has 5 grandchildren, 3 boys and 2 girls. He also has two younger sisters.

Arnold worked at carpentry most of his life and always like Cabinet Making and received his journeyman in that trade in 1991. It was during this time that he started learning the songs and singing with Coyote Rock which was a drum group from Alkali Lake. They taught him how to respect the drum and he learned all the protocols involved with being a part of the drum group.

He was friends with a man that shared his cultural knowledge and helped him start going to ceremonies. From then on he started his vision quests and learned who he really was as a man. He gained his personal identity through ceremonies, dancing and singing and still attends sweats and ceremonies to this day which helped him heal from his residential school experiences.