Shannen Koostachin (1994 – 2010)

At the age of 13, Shannen Koostachin took a stand for Indigenous youth and started an education rights movement. She travelled to Ottawa to demand a new school for Attawapiskat, her isolated community in Northern Ontario. Although her request was denied, Koostachin's activism drew worldwide attention and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize. The outspoken Cree girl's life ended tragically at age 15 when she was killed in a motor vehicle accident, but her work lives on in Shannen's Dream, a youth movement that advocates for equitable funding for First Nations education. In 2014, thanks largely to Koostachin's efforts, Kattawapiskak Elementary School opened in Attawapiskat. A monument in her honour has been erected in New Liskeard, where she had moved to attend high school.

“I would tell the children not to be afraid. I would tell them to think about the future and follow their dreams. I would tell them to never give up hope. Get up, pick up your books, and go to school (just not in portables).”