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Craig Kielburger

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Craig Kielburger
CM MSM OMC
Craig Kielburger speaking in 2011
Kielburger in 2011
Born
Craig Kielburger

(1982-12-17) December 17, 1982 (age 42)
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Education
OccupationSocial entrepreneur
Known forCo-founder of WE Charity and Me to We
SpouseLeysa Cerswell Kielburger
RelativesMarc Kielburger (brother)
Websitewww.craigkielburger.com

Craig Kielburger CM MSM OMC (born December 17, 1982) is a Canadian human rights activist and social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, with his brother Marc Kielburger, of the WE Charity, as well as We Day and the independent, social enterprise Me to We.[1] On April 11, 2008, Kielburger was named a member of the Order of Canada.[2]

Early life and education

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Craig Kielburger was born on December 17, 1982, in Thornhill, Ontario[3][1] to Fred and Theresa Kielburger, two teachers and real estate investors.[4]

He attended Blessed Scalabrini Catholic School, in Thornhill, and Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in Scarborough, Toronto. In 2002, he entered the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of Toronto. In 2009, he completed the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program at York University.

Activism

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WE Charity

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Main article: WE Charity

In 1995, when Kielburger was 12 years old, he saw a headline in the Toronto Star about a Pakistani child labourer named Iqbal Masih who was killed for speaking out against the carpet industry.[5] In December 1995, Kielburger travelled to Asia with Alam Rahman, a family friend from Bangladesh to see the condition of child labourers. While there, he met with then-prime minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien. Kielburger advocated for Canadian action on the issue of child labour, making headlines across Canada and internationally.[6]

Upon his return, Kielburger was featured on 60 Minutes and the Oprah Winfrey Show.[7][8] His trip was documented in the Judy Jackson documentary It Takes a Child.[9] In 1999, Kielburger collaborated with novelist Kevin Major to write Free the Children, a book detailing his trip and the founding of Free The Children.[10]

Kielburger's parents supported the early stages of the organization,[11] which was initially headquartered in the Kielburger family home. The group collected 3,000 signatures for a petition to the prime minister of India calling for the release of imprisoned child labour activist Kailash Satyarthi. Satyarthi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.[12] On his eventual release, Satyarthi said, "It was one of the most powerful actions taken on my behalf, and for me, definitely the most memorable".[11]

Kielburger's charity fundraised for organizations that raided factories and freed children from forced labour situations. When it became clear that the rescued children were being resold by their impoverished families, Free The Children began to fund school building projects in Nicaragua, Kenya, Ecuador and India.[13] It later focused on education, water, health care, food security and income generation.[14]

In 2016, Free The Children changed its name to WE Charity.[15] The organization implements domestic programs for young people in Canada, the US and the UK, and international development programs in communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.[16] In July 2019, Kielburger opened an educational facility WE College in Narok County, Kenya with former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell, Margaret Trudeau and Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta attending the event.[17] In August 2019, Bill Morneau, the Canadian finance minister and Craig Kielburger announced that the federal government would be donating $3 million to the WE Social Entrepreneurs initiative.[18]

On 9 September 2020, Craig and his brother Marc announced that they were winding down We Charity’s operations in Canada and establishing an endowment that will sustain ongoing We Charity projects around the world.[19][20][21] The brothers attributed the decision to the financial condition of We Charity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political controversy over the awarding of contracts from the Canadian government.[22] Craig said that the decision to close We Charity would preserve life-saving projects, including hospitals, boarding schools, colleges for women, and food security programs.[22]

Me to We

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Main article: Me to We

In 2004, Craig and Marc Kielburger published Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World. The book included contributions from Oprah Winfrey, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dr. Jane Goodall, and outlined the tenets of the “ME to WE” philosophy, including the importance of community and the idea of service as a path to happiness.[23]

In 2008, Kielburger co-founded ME to WE,[24] a social enterprise that offers socially conscious products, leadership training and travel experiences. ME to WE donates a minimum half of its profits to its partner organization WE Charity, to support its operating costs and international development work and invests the other half back into growing the enterprise.[25][26]

Realizing the Dream

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On January 15, 2024, Martin Luther King's 95th birthday, the National Football League announced a five-year commitment to Realizing the Dream, a partnership between the Martin Luther King III Foundation and a charity founded by the Kielburgers called Legacy+, in which the NFL said that all of its teams would be participating. The initiative calls youth, teachers and communities across the United States and the world to perform 100 million hours of community service by Martin Luther King's 100th birthday in 2029.[27]

That night, King's oldest son and former Southern Christian Leadership Conference president Martin Luther King III appeared at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium for the NFC Wild Card Game, where he and his family stood at midfield for the pregame coin toss. Before the coin toss, King III was interviewed about the project, with Tampa mayor Jane Castor and former mayor Pam Iorio in attendance, where he said, "Certainly (the elder King) wanted to eradicate what he defined were the triple evils: poverty, racism and violence. But he also believed in civility and being together, and we could disagree without being disagreeable. Unfortunately, our nation is at a divided point. That’s sort of why football games and championships are so important, because they bring people together, from every walk of life."[27]

Several weeks later, on February 5, the Cincinnati Reds announced that it, too, had joined the Realizing the Dream initiative, with Martin Luther King III appearing at the Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park for the occasion.[28]

Kielburger and his brother Marc wrote a book with Martin Luther King III and his wife Andrea Waters King titled What Is My Legacy?: Realizing a New Dream of Connection, Love and Fulfillment. Contributors to the book include the Dalai Lama, Julia Roberts, Yara Shahidi, Jay Shetty, Al Sharpton and Sanjay Gupta. The book is scheduled for release on January 14, 2025, the day before what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 96th birthday. Excerpts from the book were republished in People magazine.[29]

Canada Student Service Grant program

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See also: WE Charity controversy and What WE Lost

Craig Kielburger and fellow WE Charity co-founder Marc Kielburger announced they were pulling out of the $912 million Canada Student Service Grant program because of the controversy the awarding of the contract raised. The contract with the We Charity had raised accusations of favoritism, since the government was outsourcing a massive federal aid program to a private organization with close ties to the prime minister. Following this, Opposition members of Parliament (MPs) asked the auditor general and the procurement ombudsman to investigate the contract, and other contracts awarded to We Charity over the years.[30]

Public life

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Craig Kielburger addressing candidates at the 2013 York University Convocation

Kielburger contributes a regular column called "Global Voices" for the Vancouver Sun,[31] Halifax Chronicle Herald, Edmonton Journal, Victoria Times Colonist, Waterloo Region Record, Winnipeg Free Press, Huffington Post and Huffington Post Canada online.

He is the author of 12 books, several co-written with his brother Marc Kielburger[32] Their latest publication (2018) is WEconomy: You Can Find Meaning, Make a Living, and Change the World, co-authored with Holly Branson, daughter of business magnate Richard Branson[33]

In 2000, Kielburger was awarded $319,000 in damages as settlement for a libel suit launched against the now-defunct Saturday Night magazine.[34] The settlement covered Kielburger's legal costs and the remainder was used to set up a trust fund for Free The Children.[34]

In 2007, Kielburger was inducted into the Order of Canada.[35]

In 2012, Craig Kielburger Secondary School opened in Milton, Ontario. The school was named Kielburger after a campaign by students.[36]

In 2013, Kielburger was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, alongside his brother Marc Kielburger.[1]

He participated in the 2015 edition of Canada Reads, advocating for Thomas King's book The Inconvenient Indian.[37]

Honours

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Awards

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  • Reebok Human Rights Award[38]
  • World Economic Forum Global Leaders of Tomorrow Award, 1998[39]
  • Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award, 2003[40]
  • Action Canada Fellowship (2005-2006)[41]
  • EY & Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2008)[42]

Orders, decorations and medals

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Commonwealth honours

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Commonwealth honours
Country Date Appointment Post-nominal letters
 Canada 2007 – Present Member of the Order of Canada CM
 Canada 1997 – Present Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) MSM
 Canada 1998 – Present Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship OMC
 Canada February 6, 2012 – Present Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (Canadian Version)

Scholastic

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Honorary degrees
Location Date School Degree Gave Commencement Address
 Ontario June 9, 2005 Nipissing University Doctor of Education (D.Ed.)[46][47]
 Ontario June 2007 University of Guelph Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[48]
 Ontario Fall 2009 University of Windsor Doctor of Humanities (DHL)[49]
 Ontario June 3, 2011 Trent University Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[50][51]
 Ontario June 8, 2011 University of Toronto Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[52]
 Ontario June 14, 2011 University of Western Ontario Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[53]
 Ontario June 2011 Wilfrid Laurier University Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)[54]
 Ontario 2012 Carleton University Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[55]
 British Columbia May 31, 2012 Kwantlen Polytechnic University Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[56]
 Quebec June 2012 Concordia University Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[57]
 Ontario Spring 2013 York University Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[58] Yes
 British Columbia 2014 Thompson Rivers University Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)[59][60]
 Ontario 2018 University of Ontario Institute of Technology Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[61]

Bibliography

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  • Free the Children (1998)[14]
  • Me to We (with Marc Kielburger, 2004)[62]
  • Take Action (with Marc Kielburger, 2002) [citation needed]
  • Take More Action (with Marc Kielburger, 2008) [citation needed]
  • Making of an Activist (with Marc Kielburger, 2007)[citation needed]
  • Global Voices: Volume 1 (with Marc Kielburger, 2010)[63]
  • Lessons From A Street Kid (2011)[citation needed]
  • My Grandma Follows Me on Twitter (with Marc Kielburger, 2012)[64]
  • WEconomy (with Marc Kielburger and Holly Branson, 2018)[65]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Craig Kielburger". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. October 10, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "Order of Canada recipients | The Star". thestar.com. February 21, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Freedom Fighter". Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  4. ^ Spiering, Brenda (March 22, 2019). "Two teachers who helped their kids start a movement". Canadian Living. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "Boy leader of child labour protest is shot dead". The Independent. April 19, 1995. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "CANADIAN, 13, WAGES WAR ON CHILD LABOR". February 23, 1996 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  7. ^ "Promise to help children kept 17 years later". www.cbsnews.com. November 21, 2012.
  8. ^ "Winfrey, Kielburger launch youth initiative | The Star". thestar.com. May 26, 2008.
  9. ^ "It Takes A Child". www.cultureunplugged.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Free the Children". Quill and Quire. March 1, 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Rysavy, Tracy. "Free the Children: the Story of Craig Kielburger". Yes!.
  12. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2014". NobelPrize.org.
  13. ^ Duffy, Andrew (April 25, 2015). "Free The Children at 20: An unlikely Canadian success story". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Significant developments in Free The Children's history". Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  15. ^ Thomson, Greg (October 18, 2016). "Free the Children Becomes WE Charity". charityintelligence.ca. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "WE Charity". Charity Navigator. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  17. ^ Trudeau, Margaret; Campbell, Kim (July 19, 2019). "When barriers are lifted, women flourish. The growth in Kenya's communities prove it". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Federal Government Gives WE Charity $3 Million To Create 'Youth-Led Enterprises'". HuffPost Canada. August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  19. ^ "WE Charity winding down operations in Canada". CTVNews. September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "WE Charity closing operations in Canada". Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  21. ^ Charity, W. E. "WE Charity Canada to wind down operations and set up endowment fund to support education and humanitarian programs". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Kielburgers 'devastated' by We Charity closure but say 'there's no one to blame'". CTVNews. September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  23. ^ "CM Magazine: Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World". umanitoba.ca. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  24. ^ "Marc and Craig Kielburger's do-gooding social enterprise". Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  25. ^ "Yorkdale Me to We pop-up offers one-stop Christmas shopping | The Star". thestar.com. November 19, 2014.
  26. ^ "Craig and Marc Kielburger believe changing the world is possible". Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  27. ^ a b Knight, Joey (January 15, 2024). "Family of Martin Luther King Jr. aligns with NFL to carry on 'dream'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Martin, Alexis (February 5, 2024). "Reds announce 'Realizing the Dream' initiative with Martin Luther King family". WXIX-TV. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Schumer, Lizz (November 12, 2024). "What Is My Legacy? Martin Luther King III's New Book Offers a Path to Fulfillment". People.
  30. ^ "We Charity cuts ties with Canada grant programme". BBC News. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  31. ^ "Vancouver articles - Craig Kielburger".
  32. ^ "Craig Kielburger | Humanitarian, Activist & Co-Founder of the WE Movement". National Speakers Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  33. ^ Chierotti, Logan (February 15, 2018). "Holly Branson, Daughter of Virgin's Founder, Merges Profit and Purpose in Book 'WEconomy'". Inc.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  34. ^ a b "Child Rights Activist Wins Libel Award". CBC News. November 11, 2000. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  35. ^ a b "Order of Canada recipients | The Star". thestar.com. February 21, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  36. ^ "High school named after founder of Free the Children". InsideHalton.com. November 22, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  37. ^ "CBC announces Canada Reads finalists". Toronto Star, January 20, 2015.
  38. ^ "Craig Kielburger (Profile)". Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  39. ^ "Reach and Teach - It Takes a Child". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  40. ^ The Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award [1] Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ "2005/2006 Fellows - Action Canada". Action Canada. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  42. ^ "Social Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 Winner Canada".
  43. ^ "Meritorious Service Medal".
  44. ^ "Toronto Catholic District School Board". www.tcdsb.org. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  45. ^ "Diamond Jubilee Gala toasts exceptional Canadians - Arts & Entertainment - CBC News". June 19, 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  46. ^ "Activist brothers to receive honorary doctorates from Nip U". BayToday.ca. June 9, 2005.
  47. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Nipissing University.
  48. ^ "University of Guelph - Document Center". uoguelph.civicweb.net.
  49. ^ HONORARY DEGREES CONFERRED - University of Windsor
  50. ^ "Trent University Announces Five Honorary Degree Recipients to be Recognized at 2011 Convocation Ceremonies". Trent University News. March 9, 2011.
  51. ^ "Trent University Honorary Graduates" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  52. ^ Honorary Degree Recipients - University of Toronto
  53. ^ HONORARY DEGREES AWARDED - Western University
  54. ^ "Honorary Degrees | Wilfrid Laurier University".
  55. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded Since 1954 - Senate". carleton.ca.
  56. ^ "Photo: Honorary doctorates for Marc and Craig Kielburger". Langley Advance Times. June 4, 2012.
  57. ^ "Honorary degree citation - Craig Kielburger". www.concordia.ca.
  58. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients | University Secretariat". secretariat.info.yorku.ca.
  59. ^ Thompson Rivers University. "Honorary Degree Recipients, Thompson Rivers University". Thompson Rivers University.
  60. ^ Thompson Rivers University. "2014 Honorary Degree Recipients, Thompson Rivers University". Thompson Rivers University.
  61. ^ Mr. Craig Kielburger and Mr. Marc Kielburger - Ontario Tech University
  62. ^ Kielburger, Marc. Take action! : a guide to active citizenship.
  63. ^ Kielburger, Craig. Global voices. Volume 1, The compilation.
  64. ^ "My Grandma Follows Me on Twitter: And Other First World Problems We're Lucky to Have | Portland Book Review". Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  65. ^ Kielburger, Craig. WEconomy : you can find meaning, make a living, and change the world.
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