Craig Kielburger
Craig Kielburger is a Canadian social activist born in Thornhill, Ontario, known for his dedication to eradicating child labor and promoting social justice. At the age of twelve, he founded the organization Free the Children after being inspired by the tragic story of Iqbal Masih, a young child slave and activist. Kielburger's efforts began with educating his peers about child labor, which rapidly grew into a larger movement, leading him to gather thousands of signatures for petitions demanding action against child labor practices. His initiatives gained significant media attention, including appearances on prominent shows such as "60 Minutes" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Kielburger pursued higher education in peace and conflict studies and later co-founded Me to We, a social enterprise that funds projects like schools and health centers in developing countries. He is also a published author, with several books addressing social activism and community engagement. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award and induction into the Order of Canada at a young age. With a commitment to inspiring youth and fostering global awareness, Kielburger's influence continues through initiatives aimed at creating sustainable change in various communities worldwide.
Craig Kielburger
Activist and author
- Born: December 17, 1982
- Birthplace: Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Education: Trinity College, University of Toronto; Schulich School of Business, York University; Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Significance: Craig Kielburger is the cofounder, with his brother Marc, of Free the Children, an international youth-empowerment charity. The brothers also founded Me to We, a for-profit social enterprise that provides leadership training, lifestyle branded clothing, and volunteer trips to developing countries.
Background
Craig Kielburger was born in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. Passionate about social-justice issues from a young age, Kielburger organized the Free the Children organization at the age of twelve, getting his friends, classmates at Blessed Scalabrini Catholic School, and family involved in child-slave labor issues. Kielburger first became interested in these issues after reading an article in the Toronto Star entitled "Battled Child Labour, Boy, 12, Murdered." The article detailed the tragic death of Iqbal Masih, a twelve-year-old former Pakistani child slave and bonded-labor activist.
Kielburger began to educate people about the practices of child labor, about which many of his friends and classmates did not know. He started by speaking in front of his seventh grade class and quickly got several other classmates to join him in his mission to eradicate child slave labor. During this time, Kielburger gathered three thousand signatures for a petition to be sent to the prime minister of India, demanding the release of the imprisoned child-labor and bonded-labor activist, Kailash Satyarthi. (Satyarthi went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.)
Media Attention for Free the Children
Craig Kielburger attended the Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in Scarborough, Toronto. During his high school years, he took a trip to India and Southeast Asia with Alam Rahman, a family friend who was born in Bangladesh, to solidify his views on child labor and to see the horrifying practice for himself. While in India, Kielburger got word that Jean Chrétien, then prime minister of Canada, would be in India at the same time. Seeing this as a great opportunity to speak about the practice of child labor, Kielburger asked for a meeting with the prime minister, who initially denied his request.
However, the prime minster relented after repeated requests, granting Kielburger a fifteen-minute meeting. Kielburger implored Chrétien to tackle the issue of child labor directly. Kielburger’s meeting with Chrétien was praised by many in Canada, and Kielburger quickly earned renown both in Canada and internationally. Visiting the United States, Kielburger received a lot of media attention and was featured on both 60 Minutes and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Both programs, and Oprah Winfrey herself, praised his actions.
Education and Growing Influence
After graduating from high school, Kielburger attended the University of Toronto, earning a degree in peace and conflict studies. Kielburger went on to attend the Kellogg-Schulich executive MBA program, a dual program of York University and Northwestern University. During this time, Kielburger also founded Me to We and secured funding for Free the Children. Me to We sells socially conscious goods and services. Half the proceeds are reinvested in Free the Children. Kielburger has dedicated much of his time to developing community projects, such as schools, health centers, and methods for obtaining clean water in areas of rural China, Nicaragua, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Haiti, India, and Ecuador. Kielburger is also an author and columnist, having published numerous books with his brother and Free the Children cofounder, Marc Kielburger. The books include the best-selling Me to We series; such as Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World (2004) and Living Me to We: The Guide for Socially Conscious Canadians (2012). Kielburger also writes columns about social activism and child-labor practices in publications such the Vancouver Sun and the Huffington Post.
In 2008, the brothers officially founded ME to WE, a social enterprise that promotes socially conscious products and provides leadership training in the Me to We philosophy and travel opportunities. The organization donates half or more of its profits to its partner organization, WE Charity. In 2010, Kielburger and his brother served as torchbearers for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. In 2015, he participated in Canada Reads, an annual battle of the books aired by CBC. In 2018, Kielburger and his brother worked with doctor and philanthropist Holly Branson to write and release WEconomy: You Can Find Meaning, Make A Living, and Change the World.
Impact
Craig Kielburger has been instrumental in creating an international dialogue about child-labor and bonded-labor practices. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award and the Community of Christ International Peace Award. In 2008, Kielburger was inducted as a member of the Order of Canada. At the time, Kielburger was twenty-five years old, making him the youngest-ever recipient of this distinction. He was later awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and a Dedication Award from the Muhammad Ali Center in 2013.
Principal Works
- Free the Children: A Young Man’s Personal Crusade against Child Labor (with Kevin Major), 1998
- Take Action! A Guide to Active Citizenship (with Marc Kielburger), 2002
- Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its Head (with Marc Kielburger), 2004
- The World Needs Your Kid (with Marc Kielburger), 2009
- Living Me to We: The Guide for Socially Conscious Canadians (with Marc Kielburger), 2012
- The Power of We Day: Moving the World from Me to We (with Marc Kielburger), 2013
- WEconomy: You Can Find Meaning, Make A Living, and Change the World (with Marc Kielburger and Holly Branson), 2018
Bibliography
"Craig Kielburger." We.org. WE Charity, 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Mudhar, Raju. "Winfrey, Kielburger Launch Youth Initiative." TheStar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
"Promise to Help Children Kept 17 Years Later." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Rysavy, Tracy. "Free the Children: The Story of Craig Kielburger." Yes! Yes Magazine, 30 Sept. 1999. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Trueheart, Charles. "Canadian, 13, Wages War on Child Labor." Washington Post. Washington Post, 23 Feb. 1996. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Wingrove, Josh. "Marc and Craig Kielburger’s Do-Gooding Social Enterprise." Globe and Mail. Globe and Mail, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.