FOR RANDY FREESE, reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage has been a lifelong journey marked by persistence, rediscovery, and creativity.

Born in Edmonton, Randy was adopted as a child and moved to Ontario, where he grew up in the Greater Toronto Area. It wasn’t until he was sixteen that he learned he was Indigenous. The discovery became a turning point. Determined to understand where he came from, he began searching for his birth family with nothing more than a last name and a few scattered clues.

Randy combed through directories, wrote letters to families across British Columbia, and followed every lead. Eventually, an unmarked letter arrived, one that set off a chain of connections that led him to a phone call with his great uncle. That call brought more names, more stories, and finally, a long-awaited reunion. Randy travelled to the Yukon and Alberta to meet his mother, grandmother, aunts, and cousins.

But even after connecting to his family and roots, life continued to its ups and downs. He published 2 books on his life, one in 2017 and one is 2023. In between this in 2019, Randy sustained a serious injury that took him out of the workforce. He retrained as a bus driver, and until 2023 had been working as a school bus driver. “I had never gone through something like that before,” he shares. “I started walking with a cane and finding work after that was hard.”

Determined to keep moving forward, Randy retrained through a digital skills program in early 2024, where he rediscovered a passion for technology. “It sparked something in me”. A friend soon told him about the Indigenous Friends Association, and that connection opened a new chapter. He joined IndigiTECH and eventually took part in IndigiTAL, where he explored digital art and storytelling.

“IFA really lifted my spirits,” Randy says. “It gave me a sense of direction again. I was keeping busy, learning, creating, and connecting with other Indigenous people from all over.” Through the programs, Randy built websites, strengthened his digital literacy, rediscovered some of his creative side, and even revisited his business, FreezeFlame Productions, which he originally founded years earlier as an artist management and music production company. “We’ve made hundreds of music videos, dozens of albums,” he says, “Coming back to it with new skills and knowledge has been exciting. I understand so much more now about what goes into building and sustaining something creative.”

The programs also encouraged Randy to bring his lived experience into his projects. One of his most meaningful initiatives was designing a re-integration program for youth transitioning out of incarceration, something deeply personal to him. “I’ve been there,” he explains. “I know what it’s like to feel disconnected and not sure where to go next. I wanted to design something that helps people build themselves back up, gives them skills, and connects them to community.”

Randy also shared advice with others entering IFA’s programs: “Take it seriously,” he says. “You get something for free, but what you put in is what you get out. IFA gives you the tools and support, but it’s up to you to use them. When you put your heart into it, you can accomplish anything.”

Today, Randy is walking again, no longer using crutches, and focused on expanding his skills in technology and design. He continues to merge creativity, entrepreneurship, and community-building through his ongoing work with FreezeFlame and the Guelph Indigenous Community Council, a non-profit he helped establish to support Indigenous people seeking to reconnect with culture and community.

“It’s about bringing people together,” Randy says. “We’re stronger together than we are apart. And when you bring technology into that conversation, it creates connection, even when we’re miles away.”