Craig Kielburger is an accomplished child rights advocate and leadership specialist, an award-winning author and a popular speaker. He is the founder of Free The Children, the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, and the co-founder of Leaders Today, the world’s top youth leadership training organization.

Craig has received many awards for his work, including the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award, the World Economic Forum GLT Award, the Roosevelt Freedom Medal, the Governor General’s Medal of Meritorious Service, the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize. He has a degree in peace and conflict studies from the University of Toronto and is the recipient of two honorary doctorates.

When Craig was 12, he was shocked to learn about the murder of a child labourer-turned-child rights activist. Eager to take action, he established Free The Children to help free children from poverty, exploitation and powerlessness. The organization began as a small group of classmates and quickly evolved into an international phenomenon.

Under Craig’s leadership, Free The Children has now changed the lives of more than one million young people around the world. The organization has built more than 450 primary schools, providing daily education to more than 40,000 children.

Free The Children’s many accomplishments in the areas of education, alternative income, health care, water and sanitation provision and peacebuilding have earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominations and facilitated high profile partnerships with organizations such as the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.

Convinced of the importance of leadership development in empowering youth, Craig co-founded Leaders Today in 1999. Leaders Today empowers young people through leadership education, providing them with the inspiration and tools to affect positive social change. The organization delivers one-of-a-kind local and international training experiences, reaching more than 350,000 youth every year.

Now 24, Craig has travelled to more than 50 countries, visiting underprivileged children and speaking out in defence of children's rights. An internationally renowned speaker, Craig frequently addresses business groups, government bodies, educators, unions and students. A sought-after speaker, he has shared the podium a number of times with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, as well as with such world renowned leaders as Nelson Mandela, Queen Noor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

Craig’s first book, Free The Children, won the prestigious Christopher Award and has since been translated into eight languages. He is co-author of the national bestsellers Take Action!—A Guide to Active Citizenship, Take More Action and Me to We: Turning Self-Help on Its Head. Craig’s most recent book, Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World, is co-authored with his brother Marc and published by Simon & Schuster. This inspirational volume empowers people of all ages to live the Me to We philosophy of volunteerism, service to others and social involvement. Together with Marc, Craig also writes a regular column for Canada’s largest newspaper, the Toronto Star, and for Canada’s most read magazine, Canadian Living.

Craig has shown the world that no one is ever too young to make a difference. His work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, CBC, BBC, 60 Minutes and profiled in The Economist, Time and People magazines and numerous newspapers.