Biography
Marc Kielburger co-founded WE Charity to empower youth to make a real difference in the world around them. As a social entrepreneur and human rights activist, Marc thinks on a global scale, and his innovative approach to channeling the power of idealism has motivated young people in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
His passion for activism began when he was still a teenager. At 13 years old, Marc volunteered at a local hospice for teenage mothers and a home for elderly homeless people suffering from leprosy in Jamaica.
The trip made a significant impact on his young consciousness, leading Marc and his brother Craig to start Free the Children, a nonprofit they managed while still living at home with their parents. Later, the brothers co-founded WE Day, an international youth empowerment festival with over 200,000 participants celebrated in large stadiums across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.
Through WE Charity's WE Schools and WE Day events, the organization supported learning programs in 18,000 schools, involving the efforts of 3.5 million young people. The organization has worked in 45 countries and has built more than 650 schools and classrooms in developing countries.
In addition, a holistic development model called WE Villages helped more than one million people escape poverty in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Marc also co-founded ME to WE, a pioneering social enterprise, the profits from which help sustain the work of the charitable organization.
Marc is a recognizable widely-read author and columnist. For many years, Marc and Craig co-wrote a weekly column titled "Global Voices" that was published in many Canadian newspapers and on Huffington Post Canada. The column detailed the topics of social activism around the world.
Marc and Craig also wrote a weekly column called "Living ME to WE," which appeared in the Postmedia newspaper chain and on Canada.com. They have also contributed to The Globe and Mail's "Have Your Say" section, in which they interviewed experts and readers for answers to social problems.
The author of eight books about global change, activism and social entrepreneurship, Marc was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010 and was later chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the world's Young Global Leaders. In 2015, he was named the Most Admired CEO in Canada in the Public Sector.
To date, Marc holds the record for being the youngest person to win the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship. In 2004, he was also the youngest person to ever be named "One of Canada's Top 40 Leaders Under 40," until his younger brother Craig broke the record again two years later.
Marc attended Brebeuf College School in Toronto, Canada, and Neuchâtel Junior College (Neuchâtel, Switzerland) in 1995.
As a college student, he took his studies very seriously, earning a magna cum laude degree in International Relations from Harvard University. He later received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University to study law with a concentration on human rights. Marc also received an honorary doctorate from Nipissing University for his leadership and development work.
He is recognizable from his appearances on shows such as Oprah, 60 Minutes, CNN, BBC, and the Colbert Report.
Through ME to WE, Marc has advanced a new vision of philanthropy that connects business to a social purpose. Today, he remains steadfast in his efforts to champion social efforts by encouraging young people to be proactive participants in global change.
