'They’re on land that is Indigenous and they probably don’t even know': Company brings teen on board to mount education campaign
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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.