photo: 

Video: 

Marc Kielburger is the co-founder of Free The Children, a unique international development and youth empowerment organization. Since 1995, Free The Children has become the world’s leading youth-driven charity, inspiring an entire generation to stand up and have their voices heard.

With the involvement of 3,500 Youth in Action chapters and schools, Free The Children has built more than 650 schools throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing daily education to more than 55,000 children in 16 countries. Through its Adopt a Village development model, it has established more than 30,000 alternative income projects to assist women and their families in achieving sustainable incomes.

One of Free The Children’s most notable projects has been a joint initiative with Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network called O Ambassadors. The project was designed to educate, engage and inspire more than one million young people across North America to take action to help their underprivileged peers overseas.

Marc is also the co-founder of Me to We. This social enterprise encourages ethical living and social responsibility, while also aiming to bring Free The Children’s already low administrate rate to 0%, ensuring every penny goes to charitable programs. Me to We includes carbon-neutral international volunteer travel programs, leadership camps, a publishing house, a music label, and the largest organic made-in-Canada clothing line.

Marc graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, completing a degree International Relations. He won a coveted Rhodes Scholarship and went on to complete a law degree at Oxford University with an emphasis on human rights law. Marc has also received four honorary doctorates for his work in the field of education and human rights.

He is the co-author of three national bestsellers. His latest book, The World Needs Your Kid: Raising Children Who Care and Contribute will be released across North America in the fall of 2010 and features a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Together with his brother Craig, Marc is a syndicated columnist carried by the Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, Huffington Post and Canada’s most widely-read women’s magazine, Canadian Living.

Marc is the recipient of many honors, including the Order of Canada and selection by the World Economic Forum as one of 250 Young Global Leaders. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Colbert Report, CNN, BBC as well as many other news and print media.

Presentations Include:

Me to We: How One Person Can Make a World of Difference
How do you find purpose in today’s world? How can you leave a legacy while balancing the challenges of modern life? A powerful experience for people of all ages, this speech introduces the powerful Me to We philosophy, developed by Craig and Marc Kielburger through more than a decade of humanitarian work and in their New York Times bestseller, Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World.

• Hear the remarkable tale of how Marc and Craig founded the non-profit organization Free The Children 15 years ago and the impact that has had on the brothers in developing the Me to We philosophy.
• Listen to the inspirational stories and impactful lessons from Marc and Craig’s many travels and encounters with quiet heroes like Mother Theresa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Pope, Elie Wiesel and many more.
• Discover how to create change and make tangible actions to improve the local and global community.
• Using the Me to We philosophy, learn how to make a difference, create your own unique path and leave a positive mark on the world.

Me to We: Inspiring Employees to find Meaning in a Material World
How can you find purpose in the workplace? How does a company inspire their employees to find meaning in the mundane? This speech will be an introduction to the powerful Me to We philosophy, developed by Craig and Marc Kielburger through more than a decade of humanitarian work, with a specific emphasis on how to apply this philosophy within the corporate community. A unique experience, this speech is an opportunity to highlight the social work your company is already doing, thank your employees and customers for their contributions to the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and celebrate your incredible achievements.

• Help connect employees with your greater corporate mission and that of the world.
• Learn how consistent corporate social responsibility and employee volunteering can boost team morale and teamwork and results in a happier, more productive and engaged workplace.
• Uncover our “minga” philosophy of team bonding through service.
• The speech is custom-tailored to highlight the social work your company is already doing and an opportunity to bring your employees and their families together in a unique setting.
• A great opportunity to showcase your corporate social responsibility program.

Social Entrepreneurship: What For-Profit Companies can learn from High Performing Non-Profit Organizations
Most non-profit corporations have no product, operate on small budgets, offer no benefits and pay employees low salaries. How then are they attracting and retaining some of the best talent in the marketplace? We’ve all studied the already existing business models, so why are non-profit models, regardless of their success, often overlooked? Craig and Marc Kielburger founded one of the most successful international non-profit organizations in recent history. They will share with you what your company can learn from the best practices in the non-profit field to help retain and inspire your staff, engage your customers and help your company become more profitable.

• Discover why so many recent graduates and seasoned employees are moving into non-profits at the expense of the corporate sector.
• Recognize what it is exactly that for-profits can learn from non-profits in terms of resource allocation, staff retention, strengthening morale and building a motivated workforce.
• Learn how to recruit, inspire and retain engaged employees who wish to leave a mark on the world.
• Get tips on creating an engaging, empathetic and trusting work environment.
• Discuss ethical halo branding as a form of product differentiation and building trust with consumers.