Lily Kazemi
Reporter
On Monday, November 29, Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, addressed students, parents and educators from surrounding towns at the New Canaan Outback Teen Center.
Mr. Kielburger created Free the Children when he was just 12, inspired after reading an article in the Toronto Star about a boy his age who was assassinated for protesting child labor. “I read about a young Pakistani child slave speaking out against child labor, and the differences [between our lives]shocked me,” he said. “It angered me that I could have so much, and he could have so little.”
It was from that moment that Mr. Kielburger decided that he didn’t want to just sit back and watch this happen, he wanted to help. Walking into his 7th grade classroom back in Canada, he announced his desire to create a club with the sole purpose of helping these children. While 11 students in his class pledged support, the adults in his life were skeptical. “Most of the adults looked at us and said, ‘You are too young,'” Mr. Kielburger said. ‘Wait, wait, wait’ was what we kept hearing, but we didn’t want to wait; we wanted to do.”‘
Fifteen years later, this school club created by a group of kids has reached national recognition, even landing Mr. Kielburger on major shows such as “Oprah” and “60 Minutes.” Free the Children has over 3,500 chapters in schools across North America, with the first U.S. chapter starting here in Connecticut. There are currently 45 countries involved in the foundation’s work.
According to Mr. Kielburger, over 650 schools have been built in developing countries, and approximately 1 million teens have helped supply clean water and medicine to people in need. “Our goal is to get students to help out other students,” he said. “We’d like students to set up a chapter in their school, maybe even travel and build a school with their own bare hands.”
Free the Children has many ways for teens to help out, whether it be locally or internationally. Kids can sign up for leadership camps sponsored by the organization, participate in Adopt-a-Village, a campaign which provides clean drinking water and alternative income for villages in poverty, or take volunteer trips to developing nations. Students are also encouraged to participate in local projects. “Fifty percent of our work has to do with local causes… and 65% of all money comes from kids,” Mr. Kielburger said.
To rally up more kids, Mr. Kielburger created We Day, an event that kicks off a new year with new opportunities for change. We Day 2010 was held in Toronto, and included appearances by Justin Bieber, the cast of Degrassi, and Nobel peace prize laureate Betty Williams. Though it is currently held only in Canadian cities, Mr. Kielburger expressed his desire to bring it to America. “We’d really like to start one in New York,” he said. “Your support can achieve that.”
When asked if there was one message that teens can take out of his presentation, Mr. Kielburger said, “Free the Children was a network set up by twelve-year-olds. It proves [that]students don’t have to wait to change the world.”
Photos by Elizabeth Kilbride
