(Ottawa, ON) – August 24, 2022 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is pleased to announce the release of episode 3 with Sharon Shadow. Sharon is a member of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation in the Yukon as well as being a member of the Wolf Clan. Sharon is an adult learner of the Southern Tutchone language and is the Yukon First Nations Languages Coordinator for the Government of Yukon. She has a Masters in Language Revitalization and teaches us all in this important interview about those who are silent speakers, as she considers herself one.

Sharon speaks about the importance of adult language classes in the community, as there is a low level of fluency. She says there is a lot of work that needs to be done and speaks to how important it is for communities to have a language learning strategy and plan. One of the barriers she sees is how access to more than one teacher is a struggle. She shares how Champagne and Aishihik First Nation is unique in the Yukon with their adult learner program. Sharon says language learning must be rooted in culture and that a lack of funding and time are some of the biggest barriers faced in language revitalization. On the topic of silent speakers, she shares how The BC First Peoples’ Cultural Council is having success with their Silent Speaker Program. Silent speakers are those who have a good understanding of their language and yet are unable to speak it. Sharon says: “To get to the crux of the matter.. I am constantly looking for research in this area.. There’s something that’s happened to us, to me. Something that was said to me that made me stop speaking.” Language reclamation is a healing process. For silent speakers, this is such an important area of research. Sharon hopes to see more methodologies and understanding of this phenomenon come to light.

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.

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 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.