Get -mails for a change
Craig Kielburger tells us what the Me to We movement is all about.

Me to We...

...Is an exciting new model. Me to We is not only a way of life but also a social enterprise designed to help support the work of Free The Children. Half of its annual profits on an annual basis are given to our charitable partner Free The Children with the other half reinvested to sustain the growth of the enterprise. Through Me to We, our dream is to bring Free The Children’s already low administrative rate down to zero in the next five years, meaning 100% of all donations to Free The Children will go directly to projects. This is unprecedented in the charitable sector for an organization of Free The Children’s scope and scale.
...Does what Free The Children cannot. Because Free The Children is a global organization, it faces varying restrictions on how it can operate as a registered charity in Canada, the United States and other developed countries. As a result, in some countries, Free The Children is limited in its scope and scale to sell products, provide advocacy or empowerment programs, or offer services like international volunteer travel. Me to We, as a separate and distinct social enterprise, is able to do all of this and more.
...Is transparent. Me to We is annually audited by Kestenberg Rabinowicz Partners LLP to ensure annual donation amounts are met. Me to We has a legal agreement regarding the relationship to Free The Children and ongoing donation agreements prepared by Torys LLP and agreed to by respective boards of directors. Both boards of directors ensure that Me to We is living up to its mission to help Free The Children achieve its goals.
...Is efficient. Me to We keeps its costs as low as possible. All salaries in of Me to We employees in North America are in line with Imagine Canada results of the Canadian charitable sector compensation study as well as that of Charity Navigator in the United States.
...Cares about its team. All team members in both North America and in all offices in India, Kenya and Ecuador, including local staff, have enhanced medical benefits and insurance. We also provide scholarships, travel opportunities and support services for emotional and physical health.
...Walks the talk. We carbon offset all international volunteer travel programs through the planning of trees through tree nurseries, planting programs and local environmental initiatives.
...Creates change. Me to We has already lowered Free The Children’s overall administrative rate by 18%; has planted tens of thousands of trees; has saved over 135,000 pounds of pesticides from the environment by only purchasing organic cotton; has touched the lives of over 550,000 young people. Me to We staff have collectively volunteered over 22,000 hours for Free The Children.
...Redefines the bottom line. Me to We measures the bottom line, not by dollars earned, but by number of lives we change, our contributions to support our charitable partner, and the positive social and environmental impact we make.

Me to We is about embracing our shared humanity and thinking globally.

We invite you to join us.

So who are we? To answer this, we have to look back at where we came from.

In 1995, 12-year-old Craig Kielburger had his eyes opened to the harsh realities of child labour. He started a school-based club to raise funds and awareness. Today, together with his brother, Marc, Free The Children has grown into an international phenomenon with more than one million youth in North America taking action for a better world.

Along the way the brothers learned two important lessons.

The first lesson is a simple truth: anyone can change the world. People often told the brothers to ‘wait’ until they were older – at least until they finished elementary school! There was a subtle message that only certain people can influence change: politicians, CEOs, wealthy individuals or movie stars.

But Craig and Marc didn’t want to wait. They didn’t believe that the problems of our world could wait. Free The Children broke the stereotypes of a typical non-profit. The organization was led by children and young people. Through youth-led initiatives, Free The Children empowered North American young people to become global and active citizens. Since it’s founding, the organization has built more than 500 primary schools in developing countries, putting 50,000 kids in classrooms every day, established 23,000 alternative income programs, and provided clean water and medical programs to hundreds of thousands of families.

This journey taught the brothers a second lesson: we need a revolution in ‘charity.’

Many kind-hearted people give donations or volunteer their time. But the average person has so much more potential to do social good. Ask yourself: how does my daily lifestyle truly affect others?

Imagine if your t-shirt planted a tree, reduced the use of pesticides and provided a fair wage.

Imagine if your book was printed on recycled and sustainable paper as well as giving you different perspectives from stories from around the world.

Imagine if your summer vacation decreased the carbon in the atmosphere and left a legacy of a new school in a developing country.

Often our daily choices have a negative influence on our world; increasing pollution and waste, and exploiting poverty through sweatshops in developing countries. The tag on your T-shirt only tells you where it comes from. That’s just one part of the story. What about the person who made it, the conditions in which he or she had to work, the environmental impact?

We believe that another way is possible.

It’s a new challenge we’re excited to embrace. And we’re calling it Me to We.

Me to We is pushing forward the boundaries of charity, social justice and creating change. It’s a worldwide movement proving yet again that anyone can change the world – and revolutionizing how we make that change.

Me to We is a family of social enterprises that is challenging notions of consumption, and redefining the relationship between business and charity. Me to We itself is neither a traditional charity nor an ordinary corporation. Our goal is to change the world. We’re helping Free The Children become sustainable in their work, supporting them in their goal to end poverty and thus put themselves out of a job.

Each enterprise – Me to We Trips, Speakers, Style, Leadership, Music and Books – represents something Craig and Marc wished they had as kids. These are the opportunities, experiences and products that help improve the world and fit within a young person’s daily life.

Our promise is to put forth the highest quality, purest of intentions, ethically produced products and experiences—all of which minimize the negative while also building up the positive impact, especially on people in developing communities.

We believe that we are the first generation that can truly end the worst forms of poverty and halt the rampant ecological devastation. Every day we have the opportunity to make this world a slightly better place.

As our adventures continue, we invite you to join the Me to We movement and get ready to change the world.