Salmon come into this world, they’re born, then they leave wherever they’re born, and go thousands and thousands of miles away.
And in those thousands and thousands of miles, they avoid fishermen, they avoid whales, seals, all kinds of people or creatures trying to hunt them. But the salmon always returns home. Swimming upstream, overcoming obstacles in their efforts to return to where they were born.
The salmon embodies the spirit of resilience. The ability to overcome adversity as you journey through life.
The Resilience Kit was designed by Coast Salish Artist, Maynard Johnny Jr; marking the second collaboration between Pacific FC & Johnny, following up on the global success of the 2022 Pacific FC Secondary Kit. “The salmon represents resilience and that reminds me of Indigenous people surviving oppression in Canada,” said Johnny. “This jersey will create awareness and raise questions among Canadians about how we can make a positive change in the future and inspire our youth.”
The Resilience Kit is made with Macron’s ECO Fabric – a thread that is 100% PET recycled polyester and is certified by Global Recycle Standard. Producing this fabric requires less water and less energy, and above all, it gives a second life to waste PET materials that would otherwise be thrown away. For every ECO Fabric shirt produced, around 13 half-litre plastic bottles are recycled.
For each jersey sold, Pacific FC and Johnny, whose traditional name is Thii Hayqwtun, will donate $20 to Indigenous-based organizations Hope and Health and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
“Our mandate as a club is to empower young people to create their own thriving futures,” said Paul Beirne, Managing Director, Pacific FC. “This jersey represents our commitment to using our platform to work towards a better future for Indigenous youth in our community.”
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ABOUT HOPE AND HEALTH
The primary target audience of the Hope and Health Initiative is our Indigenous children and youth (up to age 29), inclusive of those whom are living away from home and/or out of their home community involved in the foster care system. We exist to bring access to sport for development and social impact opportunities to our youth and to develop in community coaches so all may benefit from our “champions for life” holistic development model.
ABOUT INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVORS SOCIETY (IRSSS)
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is a provincial and non-profit organization that provides essential services to residential school survivors and families experiencing intergenerational trauma. The IRSSS has been serving First Nations people in B.C. since 1994, just ten years after the last Indian Residential School closed in the province. Recently, the IRSSS has supported survivors and intergenerational survivors with triggering and distressing situations, including the uncovering of unmarked graves at Indian Residential Schools across the country, by providing emotional and cultural support as needed.