Public Event
You can participate, learn and show your support at the Wa-Say Healing Centre – 4th Annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors’ Walk & Pow Wow
YMCA Canada's Statement
September 30, 2024, marks the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, which coincides with Orange Shirt Day. This day honours the thousands of Indigenous children who were lost to the residential school system, as well as Survivors and their communities.
On this day, YMCA Canada reaffirms our solidarity with Indigenous communities, reflecting on our ongoing responsibility to participate in Truth and Reconciliation. We know that the journey towards Truth and Reconciliation is a long one and that there will be moments of fatigue. However, we remain committed to doing more to partner with Indigenous communities on activities that work toward reconciliation, including providing more programming and building YMCAs on reserve through collaboration with community members.
As part of our reconciliation efforts in 2024, YMCA Canada raised $24,030 for the Orange Shirt Society through the sale of YMCA orange shirts, bringing our grand total over the past four years to $162,352.80. Additionally, YMCA Canada will be hosting a two-part national webinar series for staff across the country in October, fostering opportunities for learning and reflection.
On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, YMCA Canada calls on all non-Indigenous individuals and organizations to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities, including our own leadership, staff, volunteers, and members. The work of reconciliation requires ongoing reflection and action from settler-led institutions and individuals, not just today but every day.
YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg operates on Treaty 1 and 3 Territories in the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Ojibway, Chippewa and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that Winnipeg’s water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to moving forward in partnership with Indigenous Peoples in a spirit of truth, reconciliation, and collaboration.