Thirteen year-old Bilaal Rajan isn't your average high school student. The globally-recognized motivational speaker is also a child and environmental activist, best-selling published author, tireless fundraiser, and UNICEF Canada Ambassador. Rajan founded Making Change Now (www.bilaalrajan.com), an organization that heightens awareness of youth and environmental issues and helps children worldwide.

"My main goal is to have one million people take action, get involved in their communities and help create a better world," says Rajan, whose accomplishments became the content of his newly-published, best-selling book, Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever (www.makingchangenow.com, Orca Books). In it, Rajan focuses on being creative, thinking big and being bold. He shows people of all ages how possible - and how much fun - it really is to make a difference.

When Rajan was only four years old, he sold clementine oranges door-to-door to raise funds for the victims of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India. It was a small start, but since then he has sold handmade acrylic plates for HIV/AIDS orphans, helped build a Tanzanian school for HIV/AIDS orphans, sold cookie boxes and raised over half a million dollars in donations for the affected people of Hurricane-devastated Haiti, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for the World Partnership Walk over the past decade going directly to poverty relief.

In 2004, Rajan issued a Canada Kids Earthquake Challenge, challenging young people everywhere to get involved and make a difference by raising funds for the children devastated by the Tsunami in south-east Asia, which generated millions. To date, he has raised over $5 million for children's programs worldwide.

As a UNICEF Ambassador, Rajan has traveled to numerous countries to personally see how the funds he raised were making a difference. Two years ago, he volunteered in central Africa, conducting HIV/AIDS workshops with young people, some of whom had lost mothers and fathers from the disease. In August 2008, he traveled to Ecuador help build schools.

Rajan's latest global awareness initiative, The Barefoot Challenge, saw him live life without shoes for seven days during National Volunteer Week, from April 19 to 25, 2009. Thousands of people from more than 25 countries around the world kicked off their shoes to better understand the struggles faced by underprivileged children in developing nations, many of whom cannot afford shoes, let alone other basic necessities. "The Barefoot Challenge was an international call to action," says Rajan. "And when people asked me why I didn't have shoes, I told them because millions of children throughout the world don't either."

In June 2009, Rajan traveled to South Africa to meet personally with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to discuss his projects and new ways in which people can become more active in changing the world. He also spoke at several schools and met with young students throughout the country. In August 2009, Rajan participated in a two-week scientific expedition of the Arctic where he learned how increasing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are affecting the Aboriginal peoples of the far North. He saw first-hand the destructive changes caused by global warming.

Through his very busy speaking schedule, Rajan is challenging corporations to take action on important issues. "Businesses can be at the forefront of social and environmental change," he says. "They have a huge opportunity to increase their public profile by making a difference in the community and reducing environmental waste. It's a win-win situation."

Rajan's motto is "Together We Can Make A Difference." He believes this isn't just a youthful dream, but our destiny.

Making Change in Your Community and Around the World - Bilaal's Way
Children throughout the world face enormous challenges. One third of all kids today will never go to school. Millions cannot read or write. Tens of millions go without basic drinking water, a proper diet, or health care. Many of these children still work for low pay in horrible conditions. Yet this hasn't prevented 13 year-old author, fundraiser and UNICEF Canada Children's Ambassador Bilaal Rajan from making a difference in the lives of children. To date, he has raised over $5 million for programs that help kids in need all over the world. Bilaal shares his ideas and strategies for taking action and making an impact that will last for decades.

State of the World: Child Poverty and Climate Change
Two important global issues everyone seems to be talking about today are child poverty and climate change. What isn't being discussed is the interrelationship between the two. Increasing global temperatures are turning once-fertile agricultural lands into deserts and drying up rivers that would feed entire communities. This has caused increasing rates of malnutrition, and those hit hardest by this, of course, are youth. As a public speaker who has travelled throughout the world, Bilaal Rajan has seen first-hand the devastation brought about by climate change and its impact on children, many of whom are vulnerable to begin with. Using multimedia audio and video, Bilaal shows his audience not only the hard facts, but what they can do to make a difference.

Eight Principles to Maximize Your Success
Taken from Bilaal Rajan's best-selling book, Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever (www.makingchangenow.com), the UNICEF Children's Ambassador shares the eight principles that have led him to success at work, school, fundraising and social activism. Bilaal goes beyond the traditional ones we have all heard from our parents and teachers and instead discusses principles custom made for the fast-paced market of the 21st century, including Importance over Urgency, Strength in Numbers, and Practicing a "No Lose" Policy.

Around the World in an Hour with Bilaal Rajan
As a UNICEF Children's Ambassador and fundraiser, Bilaal Rajan has met thousands of people in dozens of countries on five different continents. He has helped build a school in Ecuador, installed environmentally-friendly lights in a Mexican village, met personally with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa, went to south-east Asia to see personally how the funds he raised were making a difference, traveled through the frozen seas and ice caps of the Arctic on a scientific expedition, provided rapid HIV/AIDS tests to children in Tanzania, and lived life barefoot for an entire week to raise awareness about child poverty in the developing world - and all this by the age of 13. Using multimedia audio and video, let Bilaal take your audience on a journey around the world.

Good Parenting: What Kids Want, What Kids Need
Take it from Bilaal Rajan: he understands what it's like being a kid. A generation ago, the words "stress" and "children" were rarely used in the same sentence. Today, however, young people feel overwhelmed by the challenges of school, work, family, fitting in, and being accepted into university. Bilaal benefitted from parents and teachers who didn't push, but encouraged. Let Bilaal speak to your organization about what kids today need from their family and parents to recognize goals, create a game plan, and start on the road to attaining - and enjoying - personal, scholastic and spiritual success.

Workplaces that Work in the 21st Century
Recent polls show that up to one third of employees in North America feel "out of touch" with their workplace and co-workers. In an era of globalization and increased competition, survival for businesses means creating workplaces where employees feel like participants, not observers. It also means understanding global customs and realizing the strength that comes from diversity. Bilaal Rajan has worked with hundreds of people from dozens of cultures around the world, and as the founder and leader of his own charitable organization, knows what it takes to build teamwork in an open and participatory environment.

Making Your Business a Leader in the Community
In the competitive global economy of the early 21st century, consumers today don't only demand top quality goods and services at fair prices, they expect local businesses to give back to the community by supporting local initiatives that have an impact. They also expect businesses to take action on the environment by utilizing the latest power-saving technologies and reducing waste. Bilaal Rajan has traveled the world and seen the damage caused by climate change first hand. He has also worked with dozens of corporations who have increased their public profile by reaching out to those in need and making a difference.