Free The Children’s We Day

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we day, me to we, free the children,

Today is We Day. 

What is We Day you ask? The folks over at Free The Children say it best, so here it is:

“We Day is the signature experience: the movement of our time, bringing together a generation of youth to be engaged in changing the world through an inspirational event and yearlong educational program.

We Day is an initiative of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that works with schools to implement the We Act program. Staging each We Day—now in eight cities across Canada, and growing—is a massive undertaking, which is made possible with the help of Free The Children’s partner, Me to We.  The social enterprise offers major logistics support, thousands of hours of volunteers and professional services—all part of its support and partnership with Free The Children. In addition, Me to We donates half of its profit to Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested to grow its social mission.

The We Day movement lives online at weday.com, an online hub dedicated to educating, engaging and empowering a generation of socially-conscious youth.”
Meet Marc & Craig Kielburger:

What is We Day to me?

We Day holds a special place in my heart. I first read about the incredible work of Craig Kielburger when I was just 12 years old. He had an interview in one of the Owl Magazines we were given at school. Fast forward 7 years and I was meeting Craig for the first time. He was speaking at a Leadership Conference at my college and I approached him afterwards. We talked about my desire to travel abroad and volunteer. He told me about the opportunities with his organization, Leaders Today.

That following summer, I spent the month of July in Kenya, teaching English to the children and building them a new school. It was only a few years after my trip that the first We Day was organized. I had been invited down to help out with the behind the scenes preparations for the day, but I had just started a new job and therefore declined. I still regret that decision today.

One of these days I will get around to writing a whole post about my amazing experience in Kenya with Leaders Today and Free The Children. For today I will leave you with this. A photo of a second family. A group of remarkable young people who helped to shape my adult life.

Kenya, July 2004.

And a photo of just some of the beautiful children I met during my time on the Masai Mara.

Ideally speaking, Lilly will inherit my volunteer spirit and will be even more involved in her community and world than I was. Then I can share these experience with her…and live vicariously through her ;)

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