As a sector dedicated to supporting and uplifting communities, we all – staff, board, volunteers, and other supporters – have a direct and important role to play in truth and reconciliation. CCVO acknowledges that the very sector in which, and for which, we work has been founded on colonial systems, and that these systems have contributed to the direct discrimination against and harm of Indigenous Peoples and communities.

With National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaching this Thursday, we pause to acknowledge and honour the survivors of and those who did not make it home from Canada's Indian residential schools. CCVO staff will spend the week listening and reflecting with open eyes and hearts, as we continue on our own personal learning journeys. Though we recognize that this journey is just that – and that we must spend every day of the year listening and learning.

As a sector dedicated to supporting and uplifting communities, we all – staff, board, volunteers, and other supporters – have a direct and important role to play in truth and reconciliation. CCVO acknowledges that the very sector in which, and for which, we work has been founded on colonial systems, and that these systems have contributed to the direct discrimination against and harm of Indigenous Peoples and communities.

With National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaching this Thursday, we pause to acknowledge and honour the survivors of and those who did not make it home from Canada's Indian residential schools. CCVO staff will spend the week listening and reflecting with open eyes and hearts, as we continue on our own personal learning journeys. Though we recognize that this journey is just that – and that we must spend every day of the year listening and learning.

The news of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children found at the former residential school in Kamloops, the community of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, is a devastating and heartbreaking discovery and reminder of the trauma inflicted by settlers and colonial systems upon Indigenous children, families, and communities. This trauma doesn’t live in the past; it’s present in daily life. As part of the nonprofit sector and our role in serving communities, it is the responsibility of both nonprofit organizations and individuals to learn and acknowledge the disturbing truths of the Indian Residential School system and take deliberate action toward reconciliation.