Marc Kielburger is an accomplished social advocate and leadership
specialist, a bestselling author and a speaker with a powerful message. He is
the co-founder and chief executive director of Leaders Today, a world renowned
youth leadership organization. He is also the chief executive director of Free
The Children, the world's largest network of children helping children through
education.
Marc has been recognized for his vision and leadership with Canada's Top 40
Under 40 award and has received an Ashoka Fellowship for his innovation and
commitment to social change. He is the youngest person ever to be awarded the
Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship and is the recipient of an honorary
doctorate of education from Nipissing University for his work in leadership
development. Marc has been honoured as a 2007 Young Global Leader by the World
Economic Forum.
With the determination to protect the environment, Marc first became
socially involved when he was 13 years old. He went on to serve as a
parliamentary page in the Canadian House of Commons, work with AIDS patients in
the slums of Bangkok, and volunteer in Kenya, where he helped local women
establish a fair trade cooperative.
Marc is a Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar. He graduated magna cum laude
from Harvard University, having completed a degree in international relations.
After winning a coveted Rhodes scholarship, he went on to complete a law degree
at Oxford University with an emphasis on human rights law.
Convinced of the importance of leadership development in empowering youth,
Marc co-founded Leaders Today in 1999. Leaders Today empowers young people
through leadership education, providing them with the inspiration and tools to
affect positive social change. The organization delivers one-of-a-kind local
and international training experiences, reaching more than 350,000 youth every
year.
As chief executive director of Free The Children, Marc oversees a unique,
youth-driven charity that has changed the lives of more than one million young
people around the world. The organization has built more than 500 schools in
Asia, Africa and Latin America; providing education to more than 50,000
children every day.
Free The Children's many accomplishments in the areas of education,
alternative income, health care, water and sanitation provision and
peace-building have earned four Nobel Peace Prize nominations and facilitated
high profile partnerships with organizations such as the United Nations and
Oprah's Angel Network.
Marc has now traveled to more than 50 countries, visiting the world's most
underprivileged people and speaking out on a variety of social issues. He
frequently addresses business groups, government bodies, educators, unions and
students. A sought-after speaker, he has shared the podium a number of times
with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, as well as with such world renowned
leaders as Queen Noor and the Dalai Lama.
Marc is the co-author of the bestsellers Take Action!-A Guide to Active
Citizenship, Take More Action and Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its
Head. His most recent book, Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material
World, is co-authored with his brother Craig and is a New York Times
best-seller. This inspirational volume empowers people of all ages to live the
Me to We philosophy of volunteerism, service to others and social involvement.
Together with Craig Kielburger, Marc is also a syndicated columnist carried by
the Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Huffinton Post as well as
for Canada's most widely read women's magazine, Canadian Living.
Marc has shown the world that young people can become the leaders of today
as well as tomorrow. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN,
CBC, BBC, 60 Minutes and profiled in numerous newspapers and magazines.
