Free the Children’s Craig Kielburger on how you can find a way to make a difference in your community and in the world.

Transcript

A lot of adults say to young people, wait.  Wait until they finish school, wait until they get a good job, wait until they reach a position of influence and then they can change things.  I don’t believe they should wait.  I don’t believe they can wait.  Because, in our world today, globally 113 million kids between five and 11 have never stepped foot into a classroom.  We look at the environmental degradation taking place, we look right here in Canada, one in five Canadian kids live in poverty.  There are needs from the local to the global and we need young people to stand up now.  We need them to take action now.

In their home communities – simple things.  This Halloween, Halloween for Hunger.  Young people are going to be trick or treating and instead of asking for candy, asking for non-perishable food for the local food bank.  In fact, last year, they collected over a million pounds of food for this Free the Children campaign. 

To the global – helping to fundraise to build schools, clean water, medical supplies to countries or even volunteering.  Volunteering right here at home, peer mentorship, helping to stop bullying or halfway around the world with groups like Free the Children.

What young people can do is amazing. There are organizations out there that make it easy.  We’re looking for your help; we’re looking for you to get engaged.  We’ll give you the facts, the stats, mentorship, support, everything you need to take your action and make it bigger, better, reach it out and change the world.

Head back to YouthConnect’s volunteer page