ABOUT IRSSS

Supporting Healing, Honouring Survivors.

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is a non-profit organization and registered Canadian charity committed to supporting Survivors and their families on their healing journeys. Since 1994, we have provided culturally sensitive services - including counselling, advocacy, and community outreach - to help individuals and communities reclaim strength and resilience.

As the demand for support continues to grow, donor contributions play a vital role in expanding our reach. With your help, we can ensure impacted individuals receive the care and resources they need to heal.

Ways to Give
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OUR COMMITMENT

Transparency & Accountability.

As a registered Canadian charity, IRSSS is dedicated to financial transparency and responsible stewardship of donor contributions. We are committed to ensuring that funds are used effectively to support Survivors, families, and communities on their healing journey.

View Our Financials

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Values and Beliefs.

VISION STATEMENT

To support people who identify as Indigenous that have been directly or indirectly impacted by Indian residential schools and colonial systems to attain spiritual, emotional, cultural, and physical healing that sustains their wellness and that of future generations. 

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OUR MISSION

IRSSS is a non-profit, charitable, community-driven organization that supports Indian Residential School Survivors and their families to heal through a variety of ways including culturally based practices. 

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IRSSS HISTORY

Honouring the Past, Healing for the Future.

Founded in 1994 as “The Residential School Project,” IRSSS began as a working committee focused on supporting Survivors through the litigation process. In 2002, we formally became the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, expanding our mission to provide broader healing and advocacy services. Guided by a Board of Directors composed of Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors, we remain committed to supporting each individual’s sacred healing journey. 

Indian Residential Schools
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

IRSSS Strategic Plan.

The 2024-2029 Strategic Plan for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) was approved by the Board of Directors on September 19, 2024

Strategic Plan | PDF

OUR FOUNDATION

IRSSS Guiding Principles.

At IRSSS, we are committed to fostering physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth for Survivors, families, and communities. Our work is rooted in culturally based values and principles that guide our approach to healing and support.

    • Honour one and all.

    • Recognizing each person is on their healing journey. Their healing journey is individual and sacred.

    • Let’s value and treat each person with a significance of morals and ethics.

    • The gifts of our ancestors are powerful.

    • Respect the lands and protocols to which we stand. Acknowledge and be led by the cultures, ceremonies and teachings of First Nations elders, knowledge keepers, and those providing guidance.

    • Respect the protocols of the spiritual native.

    • We are a caring and healing organization.

    • A respectful relationship is to understand each person brings different gifts and contributions.

    • We must commit to respectful relationships with ourselves, our partners and more importantly, the people we serve.

    • Every child matters.

    • Appreciating the diversity of all people we serve, and all members of the IRSSS. Working together with teamwork, being fully engaged and involved, as possible.

    • Creating positive experiences through unity and cooperation.

    • Healing is necessary.

    • We acknowledge the resilience of First Nations people, especially the Survivors and students of the Indian Residential School System.

    • With a blend of knowledge and confidence, we will be the best role model we can be.

    • The IRSSS understands transformation is required and change will happen. The continuous growth of the organization will support healing for the people we serve, from the elders to the youth.

    • With change comes learning, and members of the organization must be willing to be both a teacher and the learner.

    • To sustain and maintain a strong foundation for the work we do, there must be a clear and accurate understanding.

    • Development comes from within. Through development comes justice and equal opportunity.

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LAMATHUT CRISIS LINE 24/7 SUPPORT: 1 (800) 721-0066