National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – September 30th

On Thursday, September 30th, Bonivital Soccer Club will be observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The club, which is situated on Treaty One Territory, will be closing our office and clubhouse to use this day to commemorate and honour the survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, and to honour the memory of the lives lost.

Bonivital Soccer Club staff and board members have made it a priority to listen to the experiences of survivors of residential schools and to further educate ourselves on the abuses inflicted on Indigenous people in this country and on the continued and generational traumas still felt to this day. We encourage all of our members to do the same.

All players and coaches of the 12 Bonivital teams with scheduled matches on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be provided with orange armbands to wear during the match in honour of the survivors of residential schools and to remember the lives lost, as well as an information sheet of resources that will allow families to learn more about residential schools and to continue these important conversations while centering indigenous voices and experiences.

Bonivital Soccer Club has always strived to be about community first and foremost and a place where all players, coaches, and families feel welcome, respected, and heard. Pausing for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to hear the stories of survivors and to educate ourselves is a crucial step towards truly realizing this, and a step the club is committed to continuing on with.

For additional information about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, please see the following links:

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

https://www.orangeshirtday.org/

https://downiewenjack.ca/recommended-resources/