Brennan Wong • Richmond Hill, ON

Brennan Wong has been working with Free the Children (FTC) since he was eight years old. Now 12 years old, he is one of the organization's most dedicated and energetic volunteers.

Brennan has taken part in numerous FTC programs, including Take Action Academy, Vow of Silence, Halloween for Hunger and the Brick by Brick campaign. Last year he helped Me to We build a school in China, and this year he did the same in India.

"Free the Children is kids helping other kids," says Brennan. "We'd usually be playing video games or buying things, but using our time to help other people is so much better."

As a Me to We Mobilizer, Brennan encourages others to join FTC efforts and champion social issues. He says he wants to "inspire others to make a difference" and get involved in FTC initiatives such as Celebrate for Change, in which kids ask for donations to a cause in lieu of birthday presents.

As well, Brennan has organized his own initiatives for FTC, including jewellery sales, movie nights and coin drives at his school. He has also introduced the cause to many of his peers through his birthday parties, where he asks for donations for FTC's Adopt a Village program.

Glori Meldrum • Edmonton, AB

Glori Meldrum is a little warrior. Between the ages of eight and 10, she was repeatedly sexually abused by a relative. Faced with a family in denial, she was suicidal by age 12. But rather than take her own life, Glori chose to fight.

A self - described "tough kid," Glori is now a married mother of three and successful entrepreneur who runs two companies, G Squared and Trafik Interactive. While these responsibilities would be enough to keep most people more than busy, Glori wanted to do more. So four years ago she founded Little Warriors, a national organization that educates adults about the sexual abuse of children and teaches them how to prevent it. "We talk about what situations to be mindful of, the signs and symptoms to look for and what to do when a child discloses [that he or she has been abused]," says Glori of the three - hour training programs that Little Warriors holds in cities across Canada.

The Little Warriors website has received five-and-a-half million hits in the past 24 months, and in just a few years 150 trainers have educated more than 3,000 people. Glori hopes to train and empower 100,000 more individuals, with a focus on educating teachers. She also wants to build a ranch for survivors of sexual abuse so they have a place to go to heal, and to show more victims that they can speak out, become warriors and survive - like she did.

Melanie Morris • Tofino, BC

Creating a welcoming school environment in a community plagued by poverty and exclusion is this elementary school teacher's mission. Melanie Morris has headed up several community-building activities at Wickaninnish Community School in Tofino. At family dinner nights, her students cook an entire meal for their families and present their latest school accomplishments.

Melanie also established a Big Buddy program that encourages older students to mentor younger ones as they complete weekly assignments. Last year, she oversaw two successful new projects – a leadership program and a student council – that she would like to expand.

Melanie, who grew up in Ottawa and was drawn to Tofino because she loves kayaking, is also a board member of the Raincoast Education Society (RES). This nonprofit organization educates people about sustainable living and environmental stewardship. "I feel there's a real disconnect between a lot of children and their natural environment these days," says Melanie. "One of my goals is to reconnect them." Last year, her students visited the mudflats (a local wetlands area) and went to a sustainability camp as part of a partnership with RES to give kids a more hands-on educational experience.

Julia Thicke • Vancouver, BC

Julia Thicke, 12, has always been passionate about making a difference. That's why, when she learned that many youth in India don't have a place to play, she was outraged, and became determined to deliver her overseas peers the playground they deserve. "I just wanted to help give them something fun," says Julia.

Family friends Jon and Suzi Livingstone put Julia in contact with the Dalit Freedom Network, an organization devoted to raising awareness and funds to aid the Dalit – a group of 250 million people who are considered to be the lowest members of Indian society. The Dalit people live in poverty and are denied access to public education and health care.

Julia began to forgo birthday presents, asking for donations to her cause instead. Last February, she planned a Bollywood-themed school dance, with all proceeds going toward building the playground. Julia raised nearly $900 – enough money for a playground at one of the Dalit Freedom Network's elementary schools in a rural village outside the city of Hyderabad, India.

Today she has provided hundreds of children with a place where they can enjoy swings, a slide, a seesaw and a merry-go-round. Julia continues to speak out about the plight of the Dalit people, highlighting the need for international aid and inspiring many of her peers to get involved.

Zac Andrus • Port Hope, ON

Zac Andrus, 16, has cerebral palsy, but he has never let it stop him from making a difference and motivating others to do the same. When Zac was six years old, he asked his mom why he couldn't play on the swing at his local park. "When she told me why I couldn't, I was so sad," he says. "It wasn't fair that there wasn't an accessible swing for people with disabilities."

In 2007, Zac started fund-raising for a fully accessible playground in his hometown of Port Hope, Ont. He visited local schools to deliver speeches about living with a disability and about his hope to one day be able to play on his neighbourhood playground. Through various initiatives, Zac raised $30,000. Last November, he watched his dream become a reality as he gathered with his family, friends and neighbours for the unveiling of Port Hope's first accessible playground - aptly named Zac's Dream.

Troy Becker • Kelowna, BC

After Troy Becker witnessed the physical and mental health benefits that his sister-in-law, who had Down syndrome, gained from outdoor activity, he was inspired to bring the same experience to other people with disabilities. In 2001 he founded the Community Recreational Initiatives Society (CRIS) Adaptive Adventures to serve people in and around Kelowna, B.C.

"The biggest part of our mandate is inclusion – of the outdoors and of other people," says Troy, who also works as a full-time firefighter with the West Kelowna Fire Rescue. Using special equipment, CRIS Adaptive Adventures provides hiking, kayaking and cycling excursions for people with disabilities. Troy says these outings create a strong sense of community and belonging in both the participants and the able-bodied volunteers. "The volunteer receives a great deal of motivation from the person in a wheelchair," he says. "It's not just about individuals on a hill, for instance, but everyone coming together as a team."

CRIS Adaptive Adventures makes more involved outdoor adventures possible as well, ranging from accompanying a quadriplegic man on a seven-day backpacking trip, to helping a woman with multiple sclerosis climb a mountain.