Back in high school, I was quite involved with my school’s Global Awareness Initiative Network (GAIN). This club worked very closely with Me to We, a social enterprise founded by the Kielburger brothers. A social enterprise is an organization that makes profits by supporting a social cause. In this case, Me to We sells clothes and accessories, while donating half of the profits to the charity Free the Children. Both of these organizations aim to provide basic necessities to various third world countries. They have worked together on various global campaigns, with an emphasis on inspiring youth to lead the way.
I participated in various sponsored fundraisers such as trivia nights, We Scare Hunger, and toiletries donations. With the help of the school, our club was able to fundraise enough money to build a well in Sierra Leone. I was also an active volunteer at We Day 2012, and the experience was absolutely incredible. There was an astounding amount of guest speakers and celebrities who explained their story of change. This event inspires youth every year to make a difference and be a leader for change.
I truly believe that social enterprises are fantastic organizations and it is exciting to see this idea continue to grow in popularity. I am very passionate about the work that is being done by the Kielburgers, and I will definitely look for more opportunities to get involved.
Check out this video explaining what WE Day is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gDvDs5hxzg
References:
http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/
http://www.metowe.com/about-us/our-organization/
Pictures:
http://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2009/04/15/kielburgers_to_help_schools_in_toronto.html
http://www.pangcouver.com/2012/10/20/we-day-vancouver-2012-free-the-children-rogers-arena/