It’s almost Christmas time so it’s that time of the year where you want to read something heart warming. Stories about groups that have changed the world or individuals who have made society a better place. For many, one of the things that drew people to U of T is the fact that it has produced some of the greatest alumni in the world. Everyone from Supreme Court judges and Prime Ministers to celebrities and Olympians have walked the halls of Robarts and sat in Convocation Hall at some point. But we also have our fair share of people who have dedicated themselves to making a difference. People such as Craig Kielburger, this week’s Campus Celebrity and the founder of Free the Children and Me to We.
Craig Kielburger was born in Thornhill, Ontario and subsequently came to U of T where he was a student at Trinity College, graduating with his BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with minors in Psychology and Politics. From there he would go on to graduate from York’s Schulich School of Business as the program’s youngest ever graduate. Since then he has become a regular columnist for the Toronto Star, joined CP24 as a “Special Correspondent”, and hosted his own series, “Shameless Idealists”, on CTV where he’s interviewed people such as K’naan and Jesse Jackson, Sr, while winning pretty much every award out there. Through Free the Children, Kielburger has also partnered with Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network and appeared on her show numerous times.
Yet what makes Kielburger so remarkable is not all of this, it’s what he did prior to coming to university and how he has managed to build on that to become the man he is today. In 1995, a 12 year old Craig saw a Toronto Star article, “Battled Child Labour, Boy, 12, Murdered”, about a Pakistani boy named Iqbal Masih who was murdered after speaking out against child labour. Something that Masih had personally experienced when he was sold to a carpet factory at the age of four. After reading the article, Kielburger did his own research into child labour and convinced his school friends to start a group working to abolish the practice and make the world a better place. This group would grow to become Free the Children. To date, Free the Children has built over 650 schools and rooms as well as numerous other projects in 45 countries throughout the world based on the idea of “children helping children”. This is a maxim that many schools, universities, and youth groups have implemented over time by hosting numerous fundraisers and by going to these countries personally to help build these projects. Free the Children has since branded out into Me to We as well, a company that produces socially conscious products such as books and t-shirts and services with half the money going towards Free the Children.
Kielburger is an example for all students, past and present, that you don’t have to be a world leader or even an adult to make a difference in the world. Sometimes, all it takes is the will to act and that is something we can all learn from. We, here at Her Campus U of T, want to highlight current students as well as past students who have made their mark on the world. And who better to start with than Craig Kielburger? We certainly couldn’t think of a more deserving alumni to start with! Which alumni do you want to see profiled by us? Let us know in the comments below!
For more information about Free the Children and Me to We, check out their website
For information about U of T’s chapter of Free the Children, check out their ULife Profile
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.