Ten thousand youth hockey players across Canada will soon be wearing orange practice jerseys as part of a campaign to advance truth and reconciliation.
The Orange Jersey Project is an initiative of the Orange Shirt Society, and seeks to use sports as a way to advance education about Canada’s residential schools and the ongoing, intergenerational trauma they have caused for Indigenous families and communities.
Spokesperson Melissa Lundy says the project has three main goals.
“It uses the power of sport to inform, educate, and engage with youth about the history of the residential school system; to promote truth and reconciliation throughout Canada; and to promote the physical and mental wellness of indigenous and non-Indigenous youth through sport,” she told CityNews.
It’s official! The first batch of orange jerseys for the #OrangeJerseyProject are out and the athletes are smiling! Learn more about the #OJP initiative at https://t.co/czRoSuMJoX
rememberrecoverreconcile pic.twitter.com/BhmSLl84Y6— The Orange Jersey Project (@orange_jerseys) February 17, 2022
The jerseys — supplied to teams for free — each have a QR code on them. Lundy says by scanning it with a phone or tablet, youth can be connected to a portal of online resources. She adds, the online learning tool has professional athletes, including Carey Price, encouraging kids to test their knowledge, and even win signed memorabilia.
Beyond that, Lundy says, teams are encouraged to dedicate time throughout the season to come together and talk about why they are wearing the jerseys, and what they are learning.
“A really big component for us was to ensure that we’re sparking the dialogue and the conversation and that it occurs both on and off the ice. So we’re asking coaches to dedicate time throughout the practices to talk about what the students are learning,” she said.
“Of course, not everything they’re going to learn is easy to hear. And so we would encourage them to go to their coaches or parents or an adult to talk about what they’re learning and talk about what they’re feeling.”
Lundy says while they started with hockey, the next phases of the project will include youth football teams and soccer teams.
More information about the project, including how to sign up, is available online.
