Craig Kielburger TOPICS: Children/Youth Leadership Social Issues Civil/Human Rights FEE CATEGORY:* 10.0k to 15.0k TRAVELS FROM: Toronto Video Profile Program Outlines Request This Speaker

Craig Kielburger: Profile

Craig Kielburger is an accomplished child rights advocate and leadership specialist, an award-winning author and a popular speaker. He is the founder of Free The Children, the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, and the co-founder of Leaders Today, the world’s top youth leadership training organization.

Craig has received the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award, the World Economic Forum GLT Award, the honorary Top 20 Under 20 Award, the Roosevelt Freedom Medal, the Governor General’s Medal of Meritorious Service, the State of the World Forum Award and the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize.

Craig is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate of education from Nipissing University for his work in leadership development and is the youngest person ever to be selected as one of Canada’s “40 Top Leaders Under Forty”.

When Craig was 12 years old he was shocked to learn about the murder of a child-labourer-turned-child-rights-activist. Eager to take action he established Free The Children, determined to help free children from poverty, exploitation and powerlessness. The organization began as a small group of classmates and quickly evolved into an international phenomenon.

Under Craig’s leadership, Free The Children has now changed the lives of more than one million young people around the world. The organization has built more than 400 primary schools, providing daily education to over 35,000 children.

Free The Children’s many accomplishments in the areas of education, alternative income, health care, water and sanitation provision and peacebuilding have earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominations, and facilitated high profile partnerships with organizations such as the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network. Convinced of the importance of leadership development in empowering youth, Craig co-founded Leaders Today in 1999. Leaders Today empowers young people through leadership education, providing them with the inspiration and tools to affect positive social change. The organization delivers one-of-a-kind local and international training experiences, reaching over 350,000 youth every year. Craig, now 23 years old, has traveled to more than 40 countries, visiting underprivileged children and speaking out in defence of children's rights. An internationally renowned speaker, Craig frequently addresses business groups, government bodies, educators, unions and students’ groups. During past engagements he has shared the podium with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Queen Noor, Archbishop Tutu, the Dalai Lama and others.

Craig’s first book, Free The Children, won the prestigious Christopher Award and has since been translated into eight languages. He is co-author of the national bestsellers Take Action!—A Guide to Active Citizenship and Take More Action. Together with his brother Marc he now writes a regular column for Canada’s largest newspaper, the Toronto Star. Craig’s most recent book, co-authored with Marc, is entitled Me to We. This inspirational volume empowers people of all ages to live the Me to We philosophy of volunteerism, service to others and social involvement and has already spent more than 25 weeks on numerous national bestseller lists.

Craig has shown the world that no one is ever too young to make a difference. His work has been featured on Oprah, CNN, 60 Minutes, and profiled in The Economist, TIME and People magazine and numerous newspapers.

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