Making a difference: It's not just a cliche - one person can actually change the world Craig Kielburger is proof of that and most amazing of all, his work - which has now helped thousands of kids worldwide and directly affected international policy and laws - began at the age of 12. If one dedicated pre-teen can work towards building a school in Africa, and then another and another and hundreds more, what could you accomplish? What would happen if you dedicated just a few hours to a common goal, along with millions of others, who pooled their resources and did the same? Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its Head is a new book by Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc which challenges readers, both young and old, to not only discover the power that each global citizen has, but to also experience the joy in helping others. The key to happiness - contrary to what countless magazines and self-help books claim - isn't beauty, vanity or possessions, Craig Kielburger says. Instead, it's amazing how the simplest acts of kindness or doing good can fill you with a sense of true happiness. "The power to change someone's life, return good deeds and make someone smile - they are the best medicine of all," Kielburger says. "The best way to transform your own life is by helping others. It's not only about looking inwards. If you want more happiness in the world and in our own lives, maybe we have to look outwards. Think a little less about me and a little more about we." Kielburger began living that philosophy about 10 years ago. While looking for the comics one morning in the newspaper, he came across an article about children being sold into slavery in Pakistan. One boy dared to speak out about the horrors of child labour. He was murdered. Kielburger did more than just turn the page and find the comics. He made it his crusade to help abused children around the world. He founded an organization, Free the Children, that has been amazingly successful at improving the lives of children around the world. The ultimate goal behind the book, Kielburger says, is to start a movement of activism and eliminate the notion that individuals are powerless in changing the world we live in. "I think the most pressing goal that we face is (changing) a sense of powerlessness that most people have," Kielburger says. "United Nations institutions, think tanks, the International Monetary Fund, world governments - they all fundamentally agree that if we were to pool our resources we could eliminate the absolute forms of poverty in the world," he says. "We could eliminate the 1.3 billion people in the world who live on less than $1 a day. Any issue in the world that is large and overwhelming, our world has the resources to address. It's not a question of having enough, it's a question of do we care enough." He says the idea of starting a "movement" may seem daunting, but insists being idealistic isn't a bad thing. "It's funny in saying it out loud and talking about the idea of starting a movement. With many people, their eyes kind of glaze over and they say, 'This is simply idealism,' and it's true, and we are idealistic. We're shamelessly idealistic," Kielburger says. "Most people said we were incredibly idealistic when we said we'd build one school, never mind 400 schools." Kielburger has now travelled to over 40 countries where Free the Children has made a difference, and has had his efforts applauded by the likes of everyone from the Pope and Mother Teresa to Oprah Winfrey. Getting the support of Winfrey, who contributed to the book, has been huge, Kielburger says. "Oprah for us is extraordinary. Oprah almost never puts her name on a book, besides when it's an Oprah pick. But (more importantly), to write a story contributing to the book and then to put her name on the front cover of the book is absolutely unheard of." All the writers and contributors worked for free and the book's proceeds will go towards helping children around the world. At the back, the book lists ways to have an immediate impact on those around you and around the world, inspired by the examples in the preceding pages. Some are as simple as calling your mom and brightening her day, while other more ambitious ideas suggest taking an alternative vacation and volunteering overseas. REAL-LIFE STORIES PROVIDE INSPIRATION Many contributors tell their stories in Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its Head, including: Oprah Winfrey on the act of kindness that touched her life and influenced her years later. Kim Phuc on surviving the Vietnam War and how being immortalized in a famous photo affected her life. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Jonathan White on helping others and happiness. Richard Gere on meeting the Dalai Lama and embracing the Tibetan community. Jane Goodall on her life's work with chimpanzees and focusing on the possible, not the impossible. Keith Taylor on philanthropy and starting his website, Modest Needs. Tim Lefens on his art, his experience meeting severely disabled children and dealing with his own disability. Kathy Buckley on her near-death experience, dealing with disability and how she found happiness making people laugh. John Gaither and Jordana Weiss on how volunteering affected them in different ways. Lindsay Avner on facing her family's fight with cancer and how she learned to keep going through her sense of hopelessness. Joe Opatowski on his troubled childhood and the realization that as bad as he had it, others still had it worse. FIGHTING FOR KIDS' RIGHTS Craig Kielburger's organization, Free the Children, was set up to create greater awareness of the issue of child labour and children's rights; to pressure world leaders to make the protection and education of children a priority; to create programs to help free children from exploitation and abuse; and to work in co-operation with children in developing countries and around the world. Its successes include: Building 375 schools around the world. Educating more than 30,000 children in 23 developing countries. Buying school supplies and basic health supplies for 175,000 children in nearly 40 developing countries. Working with the United Nations on an awareness project about kids in war zones and armed conflict. HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Organize fundraisers to build a new school overseas through Free the Children. It costs around $5,000 to build a classroom in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean or Latin America. Or $350 buys a wheelchair for a child disabled by war. Even $1 can buy $10 worth of medical supplies after your donation is matched by other organizations. Write a letter to a politician expressing your views about an issue you believe in. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. Live simpler. Instead of buying a CD, donate the money to charity. Give food and clothing to the homeless in your city. Volunteer at a centre for people with disabilities, a crisis-counselling organization or a retirement home. Source: Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its Head |