FGNHA is encouraging all teams to participate in the Orange Jersey Project.
What is The Orange Jersey Project?
The Orange Jersey Project, a collaboration between the Orange Shirt Society and Keener Jerseys with support from Canadian Tire, is designed to encourage action for Truth & Reconciliation while helping educate young athletes about the history of the Residential School system in Canada. The Orange Shirt Society works to create awareness of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and the concept of ‘Every Child Matters’. The Orange Jersey Project will send orange practice jerseys free of charge to hockey teams across Canada to spark dialogue about residential schools and their harmful impact on Indigenous children and families. Along with the jerseys, learning tools and resources from the Orange Shirt Society and Medicine Wheel will also be provided for player engagement off the ice.
Why Orange Jerseys?
The Orange Shirt Society wants to give youth hockey players across Canada an orange jersey to wear at practice, so that players can ask the question: “Coach, why are we wearing orange jerseys?” This simple question has the power to change how Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities live together.
How To Get Involved?
To participate, visit the Orange Jersey Project website, www.orangejerseyproject.ca to register your youth hockey team and request orange practice jerseys and the curriculum program for your team, at no cost, while supplies last. Once you have received your jerseys, the Orange Shirt Society encourages you to choose several practices throughout your season to dedicate to wearing your jerseys and spend a few minutes acknowledging the Treaty Lands upon which you are playing and the Indigenous Peoples who reside there. We also invite teams to participate in team-building activities off the ice to work through the curriculum together.
