Marc Kielburger is a social entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and gifted orator. He is the co-founder of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that empowers youth to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. With his brother Craig, he also co-founded Me to We, a pioneering social enterprise, as well as the youth empowerment event, We Day.
Free The Children delivers innovative programming to more than 4,000 youth groups and hundreds of thousands of young people in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. As the world’s largest youth-driven charity, the organization works in eight developing countries and has built more than 650 schools and school rooms, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day. Every year, Marc and Craig Kielburger organize We Day, Free The Children’s signature domestic event that engages 160,000 students from 4,000 schools in person and reaches more than 5.7 million viewers through televised broadcasts.
Kielburger graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, completing a degree in international relations. He won a coveted Rhodes Scholarship and went on to complete a law degree at Oxford University. Kielburger has also received nine honorary doctorates and degrees for his work in the fields of education and human rights. He is the recipient of many honours, including the Order of Canada, and was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of 250 Young Global Leaders. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, as well as in National Geographic, TIME, and The Economist. In the fall of 2013, Kielburger and his brother Craig were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame for their humanitarian efforts and their work to empower youth to change the world.