From a "Me Generation" to a "We Generation"

William Sinclair, Director, West Toronto School of Excellency and Chairman, Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Contest; Archana Shah, First Place Winner Class "A" Essay Competition; Reverend Keith Byer, Rector St. Dunstans of Canterbury Anglican Church, Scarborough; Ramona Matthews, Teacher, Bloor-Lea Middle School and Faithful Supporter of the Essay Contest; John Hart, Former Senior Supervising Producer, Rogers Television; The Hon. Sinclair Stevens, Chairman, Royal Commonwealth Society Foundation, Chairman, Planet Today and Former Cabinet Minister, Government of Canada; Marc Kielburger, Executive Director, Free The Children and Rhodes Scholar; Dr. Derek Allen, Dean of Arts and Vice-Provost, Trinity College, University of Toronto; Edward P. Badovinac, Member, Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto, Director, The Empire Club of Canada and Chair, The Empire Club of Canada Yearbook; MGen. Bruce J. Legge, Partner, Legge & Legge, Founder, The Royal Commonwealth Society and Past President, The Empire Club of Canada; Ann Curran, Director, Corporate Relations, AIC Limited and Past President, The Empire Club of Canada; Sylvia Hart, Teacher/Librarian, Our Lady of Lourdes School; Attila Lendvai, Vice-President, Strategic Communications, Aithent and Planettoday.com; and Peter K. Large, Acting Chair, Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto, Lawyer and Honorary Consul.

Introduction by Peter Large

As we express our thanks to the Empire Club for this annual joint luncheon with the Royal Commonwealth Society, I would note that this is also the day that we welcome our young people--the student award winners of the Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Contest. In keeping with that theme, we welcome our speaker today who. at age 21, is perhaps the youngest speaker ever in our history.

Craig Kielburger was born in Toronto on December 17, 1982 and is currently a student at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Since the age of 12, he has been known as a spokesman for children's rights and is the founder of "Kids Can Free the Children," an international organization of young people--at last count, active in 35 countries (I haven't asked him how many of those 35 are Commonwealth countries)--whose objective is to free the children from exploitation, namely child labour, and giving youth a voice.

He has been featured in international media, having addressed world leaders, business executives, educators and students around the world, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for children to construct schools in rural areas in developing countries, setting up co-ops for poor families and providing access to clean water, education and medical supplies; seeking to empower youth through leadership training, campaigns and projects.

Mr. Kielburger is the recipient of numerous awards including Man of the Year 2000 (California), Freedom Medal (Holland '98), Global Leader of Tomorrow Award, World Economic Forum (Switzerland '98), Governor General's Award for meritorious service '98, Ontario Medal for Citizenship, Maclean's Honour Roll '96; Ambassador, Children's Embassy of Sarajevo; subject of the documentary "it Takes a Child," UNESCO '99; and he is the author of "Free the Children" (1998) translated into seven languages.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Craig Kielburger.

Craig Kielburger

Thank you Mr. Chairman for that kind introduction.

Mr. Chairman, honoured guests, members of the Empire Club and the Royal Commonwealth Society, and a special hello to the many young people in the audience. I have been told that this is the largest number of youth who have ever attended an event hosted by the Empire Club.

Allow me to begin by welcoming you to the first clay post-election! I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that there is no campaign pitch coming in this talk, and there will be no pollsters hounding you as you leave the room.

Both my brother and I are greatly honoured by the invitation to join you today. We would like to express our thanks to the Empire Club and the Royal Commonwealth Society. A special word of gratitude to Michael Frederiksen and Ed and Jocelyn Badovinac for the kind invitation.

In light of the fact that you've already heard far too many people delivering speeches during the election, my brother and J decided that only one of us, myself, would share some thoughts with you today. Specifically, I want to speak about the federal election from the perspective of children and youth in this country, and also touch on how our society can nurture greater active global citizenship among young people.

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I had reached the age of majority and was able to cast a ballot in the federal election. J joined an estimated 13.5 million people who voted. That constitutes an impressive 60.5 per cent of the eligible population. However, that also means that approximately nine million eligible voters chose not to exercise their democratic right and responsibility to vote. And, although the demographics have yet to be calculated, I'm sad to say that most likely a significant percentage of non-voters are under the age of 25, as this group is the least likely to cast a ballot--with only 25 per cent voting in the last federal election.

There is no excuse for not voting. When we fail to fulfill our democratic responsibility, it is an insult to our fellow citizens and to the millions of people around the world who are still fighting for universal suffrage.

Over the past decade, I have travelled to more than 40 countries working for children's rights and I have met countless people whose greatest dream is to one day cast a ballot. My most recent trip overseas was to Sierra Leone in West Africa, a country devastated by 11 years of civil war over control of the diamond trade. During the 1996 election, the government promoted voting with the slogan "The Future is in Your Hands." The rebels, a group called the Revolutionary United Front, perverted the slogan with their campaign of terror, and began to amputate hands. They would enter villages after the election and mockingly ask, "short sleeve" or "long sleeve," meaning did the person want just their hand cut off or their entire arm?

I have been in developing countries in the midst of elections and witnessed people walking for days to the nearest polling station, enduring political intimidation and violence, sometimes even risking their lives for the right to select their leaders.

Our decision whether or not to cast a ballot, and the party for which we vote, affects not only our lives, but also the lives of citizens across this country, and quite literally millions of people around the world.

Here at home, in Canada, children have no vote, no voice and little economic clout. Is it any wonder why one out of every five children live under the poverty line? That's 1.5 million--and they are children. I hope that as the politicking takes place to form a government, the leaders will remember their unanimous 1989 pledge in the House of Commons to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. We must ask why it is that when a parent fails to take care of children, we call that child abuse, but when a government neglects its children, we call that balancing budgets. Since children do not have a vote, perhaps one party will take a leadership role to advocate the creation of a children's ombudsperson at the federal level. The individual would serve as a nonpartisan voice for the children of the country.

There is an old saying that "All politics is local." Well, its impact is global. Each political party during this federal election advanced a very different vision for the role of Canada on the world stage, especially on matters of foreign aid and the role of the Canadian Armed Forces. And yet, there is also a reciprocal effect, as the matters that are global often have an impact on the local level and as the events of September 11 showed, that impact can be very personal. When we fail to designate foreign aid to provide education for children overseas, in certain countries these kids then end up in Madrases, some of which are breeding grounds for religious extremists. When we choose not to engage peacekeepers to prevent civil war overseas, regional instability spreads and a haven for terrorists is created.

Our vote affects not only our life, but the lives of millions of others.

During this election there has been much discussion by political pundits and commentators as to why some young people don't vote. Most adults chalk it up to apathy. And I believe that's partly true. Often youth don't realize how their vote affects so many issues around the world, and they don't realize how these issues affect their lives on a daily basis. But this ignorance raises a question about our education system and our societal values: is it the young people who are failing the adults? Or is it the adults who are failing the young people? I suspect it's a bit of both.

An extensive study was conducted following the U.S. 2000 presidential elections on how to increase voter turnout, particularly among young people. (I quote an American study not out of a lack of patriotic spirit, but instead because the U.S. has studied this question to a greater extent.) The only point on which there was a unanimous consensus--shared by the candidates, political parties, returning officers and academics--was the need for enhanced voter education and information. And they stressed that this must start at the earliest ages.

Most young people are capable and willing, even searching to play a more active role in political and non-political processes to improve their society. We see this spirit and energy among the young people we work with in Leaders Today, an organization that my brother and I co-founded. Annually, Leaders Today provides 200,000 students in North America with training in leadership, civics, character education, global citizenship and community volunteerism. We host camps and conferences, speaking tours and overseas volunteer trips for students to India, Kenya, Thailand, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Here in Toronto, for example, we have established a partnership with the public and catholic boards to provide an initiative called Volunteer Now for every grade 10 student. As part of the civics curriculum, each student receives a copy of a textbook we authored called "Take Action!-A Guide to Active Citizenship." In addition, recent university graduates act as trainers for a peer-to-peer instruction program to empower a group of students from each school to become ambassadors for volunteerism and active citizenship among their peers. We hope that with the support of the government and private sector, we can spread this initiative coast-to-coast across our country.

Once the students are empowered with a greater knowledge about the political and social issues at home and abroad, we challenge them to put their new-found skills to use through volunteering in their local community, and also by helping their peers in their wider, global community. We founded Free The Children almost a decade ago. Today, it is the world's largest network of children helping children and its activities have improved the lives of more than one million children in 45 developing countries. Young people have raised funds for the construction of more than 375 primary schools, established women's alternative income co-operatives, distributed millions of dollars worth of medicines and provided over 250,000 kits filled with school supplies.

Overseas, we provide children with primary education. At home, we provide students with an education about their rights and responsibilities as citizens of Canada, and of the world.

We believe that declining voting rates--most dramatically seen in youth, but also evident among adults--and other indicators of decreasing civic participation reveal a more fundamental challenge facing our society. We live in an age when many believe that materialism equals happiness, that the world is a jungle, that you should always look for "number 1" and that the only way to succeed is by stepping on the guy below you. In this environment, how do we create a sense of community, collective responsibility, compassion and caring? Simply said, how do we help people to care for one another?

We believe that the answer lies in a fundamental shift in thinking and it starts with how we raise our children. The generation that came of age during the '80s and '90s was labelled the "Me Generation," for their rampant consumerism and self-absorption. Perhaps it is time for the "We Generation," helping young people to realize that they are part of something larger than themselves, and that they can define their self-identity and self-worth by positive contributions as members of our global village, our Canadian society within their community, schools and family. A shift from "Me to We" may seem like a simple notion. But sometimes the simplest truths are the most powerful. Just look at the election. "When you cast your ballot, did you vote in a mindset of what's best for you, individually, or what's best for us, as a country?" If you really search your soul, it's not always an easy question to answer.

We kick off our change in mindset campaign in August with the launch of a new book with "Me to We" as its title, a series of donated promotional TV commercials, and youth speakers who will be presenting in 150 middle and high schools on the subject. Noted individuals partnering with us for the project, who have contributed their personal story to the book, include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Gere, Kim Phuc and others.

We drew our inspiration for the "Me to We" campaign from our travels overseas. In our work with groups such as the Massai tribes of East Africa or the Puruhae Indians of Ecuador, we found a sense of community often lacking in our neighbourhoods.

During a recent trip, we brought a group of students to Ecuador. In one of the indigenous communities, high up in the mountains, we were fortunate to participate in an age-old tradition called a "minga." It occurs when neighbouring villages put aside differences and come together to work as one for the betterment of all. From great distances men, women, children, and elders came together from three villages, from three different tribes to volunteer their labour. They worked all day in the hot sun, to hoist and place the roof on a new "Kids Can Free The Children" school in one of the communities. They did not work for money or for personal gain. They came together because they shared a basic belief that their future lies in that of their children, and that this is a future that they all want to share.

Our translator had explained to us the concept of a "minga." The elder of the village stated that the Quechuan word means "a coming together of community, to work for the betterment of all." The translator asked for the equivalent word in English. We realized that our language had no such word.

Language is an interesting construct. Anthropologists and linguists inform us that language reflects a great deal about a society and its priorities. We have all heard the old saying that the Inuit have dozens of words for snow. But in our North American English-speaking culture, we do not have a word that means "a coming together of community to work for the betterment of all."

The idea of creating a community through helping others, and of shifting our thinking from Me to We, are not simply idealistic notions from a distant land. In our own family, we can live these concepts by reading the newspaper with our children or grandchildren; establishing family volunteer days; discussing positive role models with kids, especially ones their own age; and leading by example in our own business practices.

There is a saying that the "task of every generation is to build a road to the next generation." As young people, we want to work with you to build that road for a more just, peaceful and humanitarian world. This year's Canada Day, let us celebrate our Country by committing ourselves to invest in our children. They are our leaders of tomorrow--and also our leaders of today. Thank you.

The appreciation of the meeting was expressed by John C. Koopman, Vice-President, Spencer Stuart and President, The Empire Club of Canada.