b'INDSPIRE AWARDShonour the Indigenous community could bestow on its own people, with the NAAA swiftly becoming a Canadian institution.It was time for a change in approach in 2012 when NAAF rebranded as Indspire, complete with a dynamic logo, a new focus on supporting Indigenous learners, and a guiding North Star vision: within a generation, every Indigenous student will graduate. The new namewhich combined the words Indigenous and Inspirewas emblematic of the organiza-tions renewed focus on supporting Indigenous students.RECOGNIZING ACHIEVEMENT Legendary singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie lit up the stage with her closing But even as it embraced this freshperformance at the 2017 Awardsvision, Indspire knew that the historical part of its mandate was more vital than ever: recognizing the outstanding achievements of inspirational Indigenous people from coast to coast to coast. And the newly renamed Indspire Awards did just that. Held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, the 2012 Indspire Awards Gala was a testament to the enduring importance of celebrating Indigenous accomplishment, even after a timely rebranding. TakingA snapshot of Indigenous achievement across the age spectrum: the 2017 Youth Laureates place in a different venue eachwith the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. L-R: Thomas Dymond, Josh Butcher, year, and requiring hundreds ofMaatalii Okalik, Hon. Sen. Murray Sinclair, Chairman of the Indspire Board David Tuccaro2021indspiration13'