(Ottawa, ON) November 25, 2021 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) would like to acknowledge Sovereign Seeds for their assistance with our Local Food by Local Youth pilot project. Initially conceived pre-COVID-19, this project faced many changes and challenges brought on by the pandemic. Despite revolving lockdowns and restrictions, Sovereign Seeds and their network were steadfast in helping ground the work and focus the project. Their investment of time and care, helped ensure the success of the Local Food by Local Youth pilot project for the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation youth and for the LHF.

The Local Food by Local Youth pilot project was in large part facilitated by Sovereign Seeds’ meaningful connections and learning opportunities that engaged the youth and increased their desire to learn more. “The support received from Sovereign Seeds on this project was tremendous.” says Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel for the LHF. “The work they are doing to improve the access that Indigenous Peoples have to ancestral seeds and seed varieties, is such an important act of reclamation.”

In addition to helping the LHF connect with Indigenous seed keepers and Indigenous knowledge keepers, Sovereign Seeds provided vital support and guidance to the LHF, as well as thoughtful resources for the youth group from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. Nicole and the team at Sovereign Seeds were generous with their connections, advice, and encouragement which contributed greatly to the project’s success. Sovereign Seeds’ work focuses on facilitating a network for Indigenous communities and people to cultivate their seed education and seed-sharing opportunities. Through collaborative spaces and the sharing of tools, Sovereign Seeds is working to increase cross-community seed and sustenance collaboration for the years and generations to come.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 21 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Sixties Scoop on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage people to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

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 curriculum for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, podcasts, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, etc. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism against Indigenous Peoples.