How To Volunteer
The Survivors’ Secretariat is a Survivor-led organization established in 2021. The Secretariat coordinates protocols and processes associated with the ongoing death investigation and facilitates the gathering of community and Survivor statements. It is also working to collect all historical records to document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute during its 136 years of operation.
About Volunteering With Us
As a volunteer, you are committed to helping the Survivors’ Secretariat fulfill its mandate and supporting Survivors and their families.
Your support will help us uncover and share the truth.
Current Opportunities
GPR Training
At this time, we are seeking volunteers to be trained in how to operate ground-penetrating radar (GPR) machines.
GPR has become a widely used tool for locating unmarked burials at former residential school sites. The GPR machine looks like a wheeled box which is pushed along an organized grid. The box contains a radar system that sends radar pulses into the ground as well as a receiver that collects its data.
Currently, the Secretariat is prioritizing the training for:
- Survivors or their family members that wish to be trained;
- Community members from Six Nations of the Grand River; and
- Individuals from any of the other First Nation communities that were impacted by the Mohawk Institute.
Please check back regularly for updated volunteering opportunities.
* The Survivors’ Secretariat will provide volunteers with an honorarium for their time.
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Support Services
Note: The Survivors’ Secretariat is a unique organization doing Sacred and difficult work. Some of the information and imagery you may hear and see may be upsetting. Support services are available to volunteers.
Please contact us at if you have any questions. You can also scroll to the bottom of the page for support services and resources.