Indian Residential School Survivors Society

IRSSS – Who are they?

Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) is a provincial organization that provides services to Indian Residential School Survivors. IRSSS provides essential services to families and survivors of residential schools. More information at IRSSS

The cultural and spiritual activities provided for healing include:

• Smudging
• Language
• Sweat Lodges
• Arts and Crafts
• Long House
• Translating
• Traditional Medicines and Therapies
• Traditions and Protocol
• Healing and Sharing Circles
• Holistic Wellness Plans

Mission and Mandate

Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) strive to provide physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual growth, development, and healing through culturally-based values and guiding principles for Survivors, Families, and Communities.

To assist First Nation Peoples in British Columbia to recognize and be holistically empowered from the primary and generational effect of the Residential Schools through research, education, awareness, partnerships, and advocating for justice and healing.

IRSSS assists Survivors with counselling, court support, information, referrals, workshops, and more.

Why your support MATTERS!

The impacts of Indian Residential Schools are felt Canada wide, and the high number of Indigenous people in jail today are because of IRS.

In Canada Indigenous people face more child removals, have lower education and higher unemployment/underemployment than others. The list of impacts are extremely high but the support services for IRSS are low.

Without the support of non-Indigenous people, survivors and their families have to depend on the systems that created the problems. So ask yourself, how can a person heal in the same place that caused the pain? We must work together to create lasting changes.

Because understanding their pain and trauma will allow us to help in ways that work. It is important to know the real issues they face, not what we think they are.

And so we can learn about their culture, language and traditional way of life, to better understand how to help.

Support is more than a single effort, so start with listening and hearing, instead of first speaking as we are used to.

By supporting Indigenous owned businesses, sharing content on social media and wearing an orange shirt you can make a difference.

What we are doing at hOMe

At hOMe we donate to Indigenous charities that allow Indigenous people to share their crafts, stories, grief and healing. So listen to the stories and hold space for grief from trauma caused because of IRS, and allow the healing to begin.

Because when we know better we must DO better, and because empty promises don’t work, and EVERY CHILD MATTERS.

One person CAN make a difference, and one smile CAN change a life. Because one story can change the future for the next generation we must be willing to listen.

Click HERE to donate to the IRSSS