New Blackfoot speaking award launched at Lethbridge College
LETHBRIDGE, AB – A new award has been launched at Lethbridge College.
Each year, the $1,000 Aiitsi’poyoip Blackfoot Speaking Award will be given to five Indigenous students of Blackfoot descent who have participated in the preservation of Blackfoot language and culture. Recipients will be able to demonstrate their ability to speak Blackfoot and/or show a commitment to learning the language.
Dr. Samantha Lenci, interim President and CEO at Lethbridge College said the award is funded by the post-secondary institutions itself. She noted, “we are privileged to live and work on the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and we remain committed to demonstrating leadership in truth and reconciliation.”
The award was announced on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 as part of the college’s National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations. It was made possible thanks to the college’s participation in the McConnell Foundation’s Social Innovation Lab on Reconciliation in the Postsecondary Sector.