(Ottawa, ON) – April 30, 2025 – On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, our host is joined by local grassroots activist and community leader Gabrielle Fayant. Gabrielle is a proud Métis woman from the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement in Alberta. She shares her deep love for her family and her commitment to strengthening community ​and cultural connections for Indigenous youth in Ottawa.

Gabrielle is strong, truthful, and warm. As a child, she arrived in Ottawa on a Greyhound bus with her mother, with the promise of a better future. That journey led her to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, where she learned about the ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma from the Residential School System. She is a co-founder of ​the Assembly of Seven Generations (A7G) and co-manager of Adaawewigamig, a social enterprise in Ottawa’s Byward Market​.

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During her recent visit to LHF’s office studio, ​G​abrielle spoke about the 8th annual Round Dance event hosted by ​the A​7G. For Gabrielle, being of service is truly a labour of love. She emphasizes the importance of building reciprocal relationships with Elders, reminding us that able-bodied young people are meant to be helpers, called to support the community. Gabrielle reflects on how A7G emerged from the Idle No More movement in 2012 out of the urgent need for Indigenous youth voices to be heard. In all she does, Gabrielle honours her family through her fight for justice and cultural reclamation.

Gabrielle continues to dedicate herself to uplifting Indigenous youth and amplifying grassroots efforts that advance the processes of Truth and Reconciliation. ​Gabrielle’s work reminds us that Reconciliation lives in everyday acts of service, ongoing opportunities for cultural resurgence, and youth empowerment. For more information on the Assembly of Seven Generations and their social enterprise, Adaawewigamig, you can check them out at: a7g.ca

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 25 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate Canadians about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to address discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, and to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of all.

The LHF has more than 30 educational exhibitions that educate Canadians about Indigenous history and that are free to borrow. LHF also has curriculums for K -12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, and two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B / J.D.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
tedwards@legacyofhope.ca