'They’re on land that is Indigenous and they probably don’t even know': Company brings teen on board to mount education campaign

TORONTO -

In his mask and suit, he may look like any other businessman in the downtown core, but Isaiah Shafqat is just 16-years-old. Nonetheless, the Grade 11 student’s hard work can be seen inside the elevators of hundreds of office towers, in six major Canadian cities.

“I’m glad to see that it is come to fruition,” Shafqat told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.

Last summer, Shafqat teamed up with digital display company, “Captivate,” to create a series of messages that would start running in elevators in November — Indigenous Education Month.

“We want them to bring out some educational points so that we can make people aware of the culture and the history. They’re on land that is Indigenous and they probably don’t even know it,” said Barb Hugget, Captivate’s general manager.

Shafqat is two-spirit of the Mi'kmaq and Loon clan, and serves as the Toronto District School Board’s Indigenous student trustee. Given his role at the TDSB is to raise awareness about Indigenous culture, the teen says he saw this campaign as an exciting opportunity.

“To educate people about Indigenous world views, perspectives and histories, in light of the recent discoveries at residential schools, and November being Indigenous History Month.”

The campaign consists of two main elements, land acknowledgement ads, as well as educational content, which is updated weekly. The messages are appearing on close to 1,900 screens, with just under a million people viewing them every week.

“I thought it was a perfect place for people to take a moment and think about the history of these buildings and the fact that the reason why they can prosper in Canada is because they’re standing on Indigenous lands,” said Captivate’s Allie Maltz, who originated the idea.

While this is his first project with Corporate Canada, Shafqat says he wishes more employers would embark on educational efforts like this.

“It’s important because Indigenous history and world views and language is a new subject in schools, and corporate canada is with people who have been outside of the school world of classroom for many years, and these are people who make big decisions.”