Marc Kielburger

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Marc Kielburger is a social entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and gifted orator.

He is the co-founder of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that empowers youth to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. With his brother Craig Kielburger, he also co-founded Me to We, a pioneering social enterprise, as well as the youth empowerment event, We Day.

Free The Children delivers innovative programming to more than 4,000 youth groups and hundreds of thousands of young people in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. As the world’s largest youth-driven charity, the organization works in eight developing countries and has built more than 650 schools and school rooms, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day.

Every year, Marc and Craig organize We Day, Free The Children’s signature domestic event that engages 100,000 students from 3,000 schools in person and reaches more than 5.4 million viewers through televised broadcasts. We Day has more than two million followers on Facebook, making it one of the largest charitable causes in the world.
Free The Children has a proven track record of success, having formed successful partnerships with top school boards and leading corporations—including Oprah’s Angel Network, KPMG and Research In Motion.

Marc is also the co-founder and co-CEO of Me to We. An innovative social enterprise, Me to We provides people with better choices for a better world, including socially conscious and environmentally friendly clothes and accessories, as well as life-changing international volunteer trips, leadership training programs and materials, a speakers bureau and books that address issues of positive social change. In addition, half of Me to We’s net profit is donated to Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested to grow the enterprise and its social mission.

He has shared the stage, and his voice, with Nobel Peace laureates, heads of state, celebrities, rock bands, actors and pop icons, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Former President Bill Clinton, Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson and many more.

With Craig, Marc writes “Global Voices,” a weekly column about the pressing issues of our time, syndicated in the Vancouver Sun, Halifax Chronicle Herald, Calgary Herald, Winnipeg Free Press, The Huffington Post and Huffington Post Canada online. The Kielburgers also write a weekly advice column in the Globe and Mail called “Brain Storm.” Marc is a New York Times bestselling author who has written nine books. His latest is a humorous look at life in the developed world, and our daily opportunities to make a positive contribution, entitled, My Grandma Follows Me on Twitter: and Other First World Problems We’re Lucky to Have.

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

Marc is the recipient of many honours, including the Order of Canada, and was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of 250 Young Global Leaders. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, as well as in National Geographic, TIME, and The Economist.