It was a sea of orange t-shirts at Northern Chill Volleyball’s competitive season kickoff event, held Sept. 28 at the Lionel E Lalonde Centre in Azilda.
With the event taking place just two days before the Sept. 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the club decided to do its part on educating the next generation about the impacts of abuse suffered at residential schools in Canada.
Nokomis Mary Elliot, an Anishnaabe elder from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation, made presentations to the more than 200 tween and teen athletes.
The volleyball club also commissioned Indigenous artist Rainbow Agawa to design an orange Every Child Matters t-shirt, which was distributed to Northern Chill athletes, coaches and executives.
Elliot said she thinks a sports organization providing education on residential schools is an “awesome idea.”
“I think it's really well organized, and it's really nice to see a lot of our youth out here, participating in this and to learn a lot about the residential schools and Every Child Matters,” said Elliot.
“I think that's really important, because we need to get that awareness out there, and why we're having it, and how we can build that relationship, which is that truth and reconciliation.”
Elliot shared with the youth that her mother was sent to residential school, where children, some of whom never made it home, were forbidden from speaking their Indigenous languages.
“One of the things she said is, ‘You're never going to take my language away from me,’” Elliot said. “And they never did. From this day until she passed, she ended up speaking her language, and she kept telling everybody, ‘Speak your language, because that's what makes you so unique.’”
Elliot also briefly explained the origins of Orange Shirt Day, also held Sept. 30, named in honour of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad.
Phyllis was six years old when she wore her new orange shirt for her first day at residential school. Her shirt was immediately taken from her by school staff.
To honour the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remember those who did not, many Canadians across the country wear an orange shirt, often printed with the words Every Child Matters.
The Northern Chill event also featured a number of other workshops, including on injury prevention, emotions and sport, life as a varsity athlete, volleyball skills and a session for parents on supporting children in competitive sport and life.
Club president Melissa St. Onge, who’s also a teacher with Rainbow District School Board, said it’s her goal to provide holistic education while cultivating athletes.
“It's not just about the sport,” she said. “It's about teaching them to a good teammate, a good community member. When we represent the Northern Chill name, all of these things that we are learning are going to be part of our backpack and we're going to move through the world with those with that knowledge on our backs.”
Ivanna Coluzzi, a member of Northern Chill’s U15 girls’ team, said she was grateful for all of the education provided at the season kickoff day.
In terms of residential schools, she said she learned about them in school, but was glad to learn more about the reasons behind Orange Shirt Day.
Elliot’s presentation “put it in a good way to actually identify and indicate what it means and how important it actually is,” Coluzzi said.
“It's obviously something that doesn't correlate into the sport, but I just feel like it's something important that people need to hear,” she said. “If we get this, we can kind of spread it to others.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor.