Help raise awareness of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and support an Indigenous bursary

Phyllis Webstad, whose orange shirt was taken away when she attended Residential School in the 1970s, started the Orange Shirt movement by sharing her story. Since 2013, the Orange Shirt Society has raised awareness of the impacts of Residential Schools and the work Survivors and their families do to heal Indigenous communities. September 30 has been declared the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and recognized as Orange Shirt Day to honour Residential School Survivors, their communities, and the children who never came home.

In honour of Orange Shirt Day, RRC Polytech has partnered with Dakota artist and RRC Polytech student Dasia Chatkana to create an original Orange Shirt design and with Dreamcatcher Promotions to produce the Orange Shirts. The Orange Shirts will be available through the Campus Store and all proceeds go to the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award when applications open in January 2026.

The design features moonlit footprints through a forest on the back of a turtle, representing the children that ran away from Residential Schools. Chatkana says their bravery through the wild and the hope to see their families again are the foundational inspiration for the peace, and the turtle, which symbolizes Truth among the Seven Grandfather Teachings, represents the slow journey of Truth and Reconciliation on Turtle Island.

This artwork is a tribute to the Survivors of Residential Schools, their descendants, and the children who never made it home. The turtle and its shell represent the long journey toward Truth and Reconciliation that we must all take. The turtle carries the heaviest truth, much like it carries the weight of the world (Turtle Island). Like a turtle, the path to Truth and Reconciliation is slow, and it will take many years for healing and understanding to truly unfold.

Dasia Chatkana

Show your support for Truth and Reconciliation by wearing the RRC Polytech Orange Shirt on Friday, September 26 on campus.

Purchase your 2025 Orange Shirt at the Campus Store at Notre Dame Campus or the Exchange District Campus.

Learn more about Phyllis Webstad and the Orange Shirt Society on their website.