(Ottawa, ON) Sept. 14, 2020 – On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s (LHF) host, Gordon Spence, is joined by Adam North Peigan, First Nations human rights activist and proud member of the LHF’s Board of Directors, where they discuss his life experiences and the impacts of the Sixties Scoop.

Mr. North Peigan is from the Piikani First Nation in Treaty 7 and currently resides in Edmonton. During his career, Adam has advocated for Indigenous Programs and Services in Health, Child and Family, Employment and Training, Education, Housing, Justice, and Reconciliation. He has numerous years of experience in governance as a member of multiple Boards and Committees in Indigenous communities in British Columbia and in Alberta. Adam showed leadership in his community of Piikani by serving on Chief and Council. He also held Public Office by being appointed by the Minister of Health in British Columbia in 1998 to one of the largest Health Authorities in BC, the South Fraser Health Region.

Adam has held positions of leadership as the Senior Administrator for the Tsawwassen First Nation in BC, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Wesley First Nations in Morley, and the CEO for the Canadian Native Friendship Center in Edmonton. Adam is a Traditional Pow Wow Dancer and he has traveled all across Canada and the United States participating in traditional and spiritual celebrations. Currently, Adam is the President of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta. Under Adam’s leadership, the Society works closely with the Governments to foster Reconciliation efforts for Survivors.

Mr. North Peigan is a Sixties Scoop Survivor and his story is included in the LHF’s exhibition, Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth-Telling from the Sixties Scoop. This exhibition raises awareness and educates Canadians on the Sixties Scoop, where Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and families for placement in foster homes or up for adoption with non-Indigenous families. The exhibition includes Oral Testimonies of 12 Survivors who talk about their experiences. To view the exhibition and listen to the Survivors’ Testimonies, go to: https://legacyofhope.ca/bigiwen/ To listen to this and other episodes of Roots & Hoots, visit: https://legacyofhope.podbean.com/

“The LHF is proud to launch this podcast which highlights the powerful and moving Survivor stories and educates Canadians about the atrocities and devastating impacts of the Sixties Scoop. This provides Canadians with an opportunity to learn about Indigenous history and the Sixties Scoop. Hopefully we can learn from the past and protect future generations,” said LHF Board Member, Adam North Peigan.

The LHF is celebrating their 20-year anniversary as a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System, Sixties Scoop, Day Schools and other colonial acts of oppression on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis). The LHF has 19 exhibitions available for loan and can be shipped across Canada.

Our latest exhibition, Escaping Residential Schools: Running for their Lives, is now available through an animated virtual video, along with the Survivors’ Oral Testimonies. The exhibition examines the experience of Survivors of the Residential School System and raises awareness on the impacts it has on our communities. For more information on the project, please visit: https://legacyofhope.ca/project/escapingrs/

The LHF is working on making its other exhibitions available on line. LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Day Schools. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca