(Ottawa, ON) – May 3, 2023 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is pleased to announce the release of episode 19 with Kimberly Halcrow. Kimberly lives in Gillam, Manitoba and is a mother, a Cree language teacher and Pow Wow Instructor among other important roles. 

Kimberly has been teaching the Cree language in school for over 6 years. She loves the process and finding ways to get the kids feeling excited and engaged with the language. One method of teaching the language to her younger students is by translating English songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider into Cree. Kimberly’s teaching strategy is creative, intuitive and supportive. Kimberly talks about how she uses the Total Physical Response method (TPR) and how it helps to communicate and understand student’s comprehension. As the only Cree speaking teacher at the school, Kimberly shares how important it is to go to conferences because they connect her to other language teachers. Her mindset goes beyond the classroom and into community efforts of making the Cree language more visible. She shares: “I always have new ideas to introduce Cree language, for them to have fun… I always try to speak it first because growing up we weren’t given a book in Cree or sheet to do. It was always spoken to us and it’s a very good teaching.. you just have to listen and look around your environment and surroundings.” Kimberly is the kind of teacher students hope for! 

Voices from the Land is an Indigenous Languages Revitalization Project funded by Canadian Heritage. Over the course of the winter months of 2022, host Gordon Spence spoke with Indigenous language teachers, adult learners and parents and caretakers of children learning their Indigenous language. From Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe); to Nehiyaw (Cree); the Michif language; Kanien’kéha (Mohawk); Onʌyoteˀa·ká (Oneida); and Dȁn k’e (Southern Tutchone), language learners, teachers and parents across Turtle Island share their insights and experiences. The goal of these 21 interviews was to gain a sense of the barriers and successes to learning one’s own language. We invite you to hear their voices and learn from their truth, as the languages have taught them so much and they want to share.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 22 years. LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and impacts on 7 generations of Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) children, their families and communities from attending Residential and Day Schools and the subsequent Sixties Scoop. By fostering empathy and understanding, LHF encourages people to address discrimination and injustice and contributes to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples.

The LHF has more than 25 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history that are free to borrow and is working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curricula for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, and Podcasts all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, etc. in order to offer solutions on how to be an ally. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism against Indigenous Peoples.

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