TARA SCHOOL TEACHER RECEIVES "WE" PROGRAM RECOGNITION

Tara Elementary School Teacher Paul Bolton on the WE Day stage.

The following is the kind of story, inspired by a remarkable young man, that gives me genuine hope for the future of the next generation.

I was drawn to the story by a Saugeen Times report from the little community of Tara (Arron Elderslie) in Bruce County, 12 miles north-east of Southampton. It seems that the Tara Elementary School was a "WE" participant after filling out a year’s-end survey and a teacher was singled out for special recognition at the organization's convention in Toronto, September 20, at the Scotiabank Arena. All of which warrants further explanation.

The WE School Program is an un-paralleled comprehensive collection of curricular, co-curricular and extra curricular programs that are implemented in schools, school districts and communities that creates positive change and transforms lives.

WE Charity, formerly known as ‘Free The Children’, is a worldwide development charity and youth empowerment movement founded in 1995 by human rights advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger. ‘Free The Children’ was initiated in 1995 by Craig Kielburger of Thornhill, when he was 12 years of age. In 1999, at the age of 16, he wrote "Free the Children", a book detailing his trip to South Asia four years earlier and the founding of his charity -- and he immediately became a media celebrity.

I was instantly impressed with the boyish Craig when I first saw him on a TV newscast a good 20 years ago. "Wow, that youngster could be prime minister some day," I remember thinking.

The organization currently runs programs in approximately 10,000 schools in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, with the aim of empowering youth to become socially engaged.

Paul Bolton with Canadian football great
Pinball Clemons at WE convention.

Now enter Tara teacher, Paul Bolton, who has become renowned for his unusual approach to education, including his unique dress in ‘beach attire shorts’ until the snow flies. He has also initiated a pancake day and flag football tournaments and, when the school office manager asked if she could share his story with the WE team, Bolton agreed.

As a result of the office manager's submission to WE, Bolton received notice in August asking if he would be the featured educator at the WE Day convention in Toronto. “I was thrilled to get asked and they wrote my script for me to practice. I did not get a rehearsal just a description of where to stand and which teleprompter to look at. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. My speech went quite well and I have received lots of compliments on it.”

Every seat in the arena was filled by someone who had earned their way there by volunteering—it’s no secret that service is the key to WE Day! When you take a hometown crowd of passionate young change-makers and add in a world-renowned roster of speakers and performers, you’ve got a recipe for inspiration and excitement. This year’s star-studded lineup included world leaders, reality stars, YouTubers, Olympians and other sports celebrities.

Similar WE Days are scheduled this Fall for New York, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Vancouver.

ALL ABOUT WHIZ KID CARL KIELBURGER

Twelve-year-old Craig and Mother Teresa.

Whether it is helping free children, providing families with clean water, or empowering youth to change the world, Craig Kielburger is always trying to make a difference. His organization, Free the Children, went from 12 kids to over one million young people in more than 45 countries, who believe in changing the world. Craig was born December 17, 1982, to school teacher parents and only 30 years later, he is one of the most well known activists for children's rights. He has traveled all over the world to help children, and most of his work was done as a child.

Craig doing what he does best.

He got his first taste of activism through older brother Marc, who fought for many environmental causes as a teenager. At age 7, Craig would help Marc to get petitions signed: "They always would (sign) because I was so cute," Craig said. As a small child, he suffered chronic ear infections that caused him to develop a speech impediment. Eventually, at age 10, the ear infections stopped, and he lost the speech impediment. Around that time, he also developed an interest in public speaking, and entered a local competition with his speech "What it means to be a winner." He won first place, for speaking from the heart. 

Craig was involved in public speaking even before he created Free the Children: When the municipal council decided to close down the local library, Craig and some friends went to a meeting and spoke up about why it should stay. He was asked to speak about it in front of the council a few days later. He lost the debate, but came away feeling like kids could really make a difference.

INSPIRED BY A CHILD FACTORY WORKER

Craig was searching through the Toronto Star for the comics one morning, when he came across an article about Iqbal Masih, an Pakistani boy who had worked in a carpet factory since age four, in horrible conditions. He escaped to tell his story to the world, but was murdered at age 12.

Then 12, Craig was shocked that another boy his age could live in a completely different world. He took the article with him to school and asked his Grade 7 teacher if he could speak to the class about it. Eleven of his classmates agreed to join him in the fight for child rights. They named their organization "Free the Children", for obvious reasons. The 12-year-olds wrote many letters to political leaders, fund raised through car washes and garage sales, and spoke to schools about child labour. They even sent a letter and a petition with 20,000 names on it to the government of India to get a child rights activist out of jail! 

Craig traveled to Asia to meet child labourers at age 13, and helped police in a raid to free the kids from a carpet factory and return them to their families. He co-founded Me to We and Leaders Today with his brother, both of which empower young people around the world to make a difference. He also created We Day, the aforementioned day-long educational event which inspires youth to create a change, where musicians, Nobel Prize winners, and others speak about changing this world. He has won 10 honourary degrees for his work, including the Reebok Human rights award, the top 20 under 20 award, and the 2006 World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child, also called the children's Nobel Prize. He became the second youngest recipient of the Order of Canada at age 25 and is a best-selling author who has written nine books, including Free The Children and Living Me to We: a guide for socially conscious Canadians. Craig Kielburger Secondary School was named after him and opened recently in Milton, Ontario.

A brilliant student, Craig graduated with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, a double minor in Psychology and Politics from the University of Toronto. In 2009, he completed his Executive MBA at Schulich School of Business at York University and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as the program's youngest-ever graduate.

Marc Kielburger

Older brother Marc Kielburger, himself a New York Times best selling author and inspirational speaker, took on a larger role with the organization after completing his law degree at the University of Oxford, and the group focused more on attracting smaller donations from youth. As well, they redoubled their efforts towards training and education, focusing especially on building new schools in developing nations. The organization also received a substantial boost from Craig’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1999, which included a significant donation from Oprah herself.

Craig still runs the WE Charity (as a volunteer), continues to give speeches (about 70 per year) and to travel around the world. He is married, lives in Toronto and organizes We Day each year, all the while co-writing "Global Voices", a weekly coloum about the issues of our time, and "Ask the Kielburgers", an advice column in the Globe and Mail. 

When he first started as an activist, many people thought he was too young and should not speak of such controversial topics, but he perservered and has raised millions of dollars for kids around the world. He continues to inspire countless young people and is a true role model. "The change starts within each one of us. And ends only when children are free to be children," Craig has stated many times.

...And just think, the Kielburger brothers are Canadians!  How much better could this story get?

We could not be any more proud or awe inspired.