(Ottawa, ON) – December 23, 2025 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the final episode in our 8-part podcast series on the Federal Indian Day School System with Blackfoot scholar Apooyak’ii, Dr. Tiffany Prete. Dr. Prete is a member of the Kainai (Blood) Tribe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge and the Canadian Research Chair in Indigenous Resiliency.

In this final episode of the Day School Series project, Dr. Prete sheds light on Canada’s broader colonial education project, the ways systemic racism in the schooling system continues to impact achievement gaps for Indigenous youth, her ongoing work on Call to Action 78, and the honour she feels in being able to carry out this research and work for her community. From the research she has conducted on the Blood reserve, the Day School Model was the very first school model used by the Federal Government, and it was created to confine the Blood people to the reserve.

To listen to Indigenous Roots and Hoots please visit: https://bit.ly/listentorootsnhoots
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Dr. Prete’s work is a daily act of resilience, resistance and restoration. She felt called to pursue a career in Indigenous Peoples’ education and to be of service to her people. Dr. Prete details how the colonial education system was never created with the intent for Indigenous Peoples to succeed. As an intergenerational Survivor on her path to understanding what happened to her family and tribal members, Dr. Prete has dedicated her life and work to furthering Truth and Reconciliation and she reminds listeners that the path forward is a matter of shared justice and humanity. The Truth of what happened to Indigenous Peoples is still a matter which many communities are coming to terms with and in Canada, this will be hard but necessary generational work.

This special podcast series is made possible with funding from the Indigenous Screen Office. Under the umbrella of the Roots and Hoots Podcast, this series features Indigenous scholars, historians, Survivors, and knowledge keepers from across Canada to hear their first-hand accounts, perspectives, and knowledge of the Federal Indian Day School System.

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, 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 Indigenous Peoples.

The LHF has 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history, which are free to borrow, and we are working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curricula for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops, and Training, 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