On May 27, 2021, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc shared that 215 potential unmarked graves were detected through ground-penetrating radar at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

For many, this announcement became a starting point for learning about the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools. For many Indigenous people, it was a painful reminder of loved ones who never returned home and the intergenerational trauma that continues to be carried by Survivors, families, and communities.

The 215+ Pledge is a call to action to come together to #DoSomething to ensure the children who never returned home are remembered and that Survivors, families, and communities impacted by residential schools are honoured.

Today, the number “215” remains a symbol connected to the ongoing investigations taking place at former residential school sites throughout the country. It represents the children who never returned home from residential schools, a number known to be far greater than 215 — likely in the thousands — and reminds us that the impacts of these institutions continue to be felt across generations.

While the 2021 announcement brought renewed public attention to this history, the existence of graves at residential schools was not new information to many Survivors and Indigenous communities. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada documented the experiences of more than 6,500 residential school Survivors over six years, including accounts relating to children who disappeared or died at residential schools. The abuses and harms of the residential school system are extensively documented in Survivor testimony, government records, and historical research.