Youth On Board: Jackson Pye Rogers’ Internship At A Social Enterprise Making Fish Leather
Meet Jackson Pye Rogers from Vancouver, B.C. He is Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin, whose family lineage comes from Yukon.
He’s just completed an internship as Marketing and Indigenous outreach officer for 7 Leagues, a company that makes leather from fishing industry waste, tanned with waste from the forestry sector.
Jackson first got involved with 7 Leagues when he was still a commerce student, with a focus on marketing, at the University of British Columbia. He was recruited for a summer job through the B.C. Tech Association’s Indigenous internship program.
A year after his first stint, 7 Leagues’ CEO Tasha Nathanson offered him the Marketing and Indigenous outreach role, funded through SOI Foundation’s Blue Futures Pathways program.
At work, Jackson was considered the Bard of the team because of the storytelling and relationship building that he does. His tasks ranged from doing outreach with suppliers, Indigenous nations, individuals and associations, to managing 7 Leagues’ social media pages and the company’s quarterly newsletter.
“I’ve also donned safety glasses and steel-toed shoes to do a fair share of fleshing fish skins in our production space,” he said.
Jackson says his studies have informed his work at 7 Leagues, and vice versa.
“I was searching for jobs related to my studies when I found 7 Leagues, though what drew me in particular was their dedication to sustainability and social enterprise,” he said. “I was interested in joining a company that served a purpose greater than generating profits.”
7 Leagues upcycles fish skin, byproducts from the fisheries industry, and uses natural tannins to make leather. The company is currently prototyping ankle boots made out of fish leather.
“The larger impacts that 7 Leagues strive for is to create natural products that are locally made, that don’t pollute the land and waterways with toxic chemicals, that don’t shed plastic, and that are premium enough to last so folks can buy less,” Jackson explains. “By creating value from the waste stream, we also hope to support the ethical and sustainable businesses that supply our materials and grow towards a greener future together.”
7 Leagues is currently working with Forest Products Innovations, which provides production space for the company. FPI is working on an Indigenous-led development project to create tannins from hemlock bark, which can be used for leather tanning. 7 Leagues also looks to prioritize Indigenous partnerships in future collaborations.
“The experience I’ve gotten at 7 Leagues through Blue Futures Pathways has been excellent for my personal and professional growth. I feel more confident in job searching and feel equipped to explore a wide variety of roles. I feel that there are a number of avenues open for me and the skills I’ve developed through experience make this feel exciting rather than daunting.”
Jackson says he’s learned tasks that may seem unrelated to your interests might prove useful in the future.
“Even if it feels like what you’re doing isn’t building towards anything you’d like to do in the future, whether it’s a position or a certain task within a job, keep absorbing and learning anyway,” he said. “You don’t know what will be relevant to your future jobs. It’s the experiences that may seem useless that are often unique and can set you apart from others.”