Leading the leaders of the future Almost 2,000 students packed a youth leadership celebration yesterday at the Congress Centre that was presented by Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa. The aim of the celebration was to encourage youths to take action against poverty. Keynote speaker was Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, the largest international network of children helping children. Now 21, Mr. Kielburger has advocated on behalf of children in meetings with political and religious leaders including prime ministers and presidents, CEOs of major corporations, Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, Queen Elizabeth and the late Mother Teresa. His work has been featured on CNN, the Oprah Winfrey Show and 60 Minutes. The event also featured the launch of a new Global Citizenship Award sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency and a new "Capital-to-Capital" twinning project connecting youth in Ottawa with youth in Accra, Ghana.
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