Six ways to bring character education to your schools and into the classroom

In the 21st century, a well-rounded citizen is one whose learning includes character education, both at home and school. At Free The Children, character education comes in the form of empathy, active global citizenship, leadership and informed and responsible choices.

With a track record of success, school boards across Canada—including Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Peel, Hamilton-Wentworth, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic, Upper Canada, York Catholic, Vancouver and Coquitlam—have partnered with Free The Children to implement programs that enhance character education within the classroom. Here are six ways you can do the same!

Create "We" Schools. Written by Craig and Marc Kielburger, Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World and the accompanying educator resource guide are invaluable classroom tools for teaching and nurturing empathy and gratitude among youth. The book and teacher’s guide makes character education “real” at an elementary and secondary level. Make this resource available to your teachers and student leaders.
Email: info@metowe.org

Adopt a Village. Encourage active global citizenship among your students by supporting development in the rural areas of Kenya, Sierra Leone, China and Sri Lanka. As a school, 'adopt a village' and build a school or provide alternative income sources, health care, clean water and sanitation to marginalized children and their families.
Email: youth@freethechildren.com

Explore the world. As a group, school or school board, organize international volunteer trips to Kenya, China, Ecuador, Arizona/Mexico or India. Your students will learn about new cultures, develop leadership skills, volunteer in local communities and build life-long friendships. Build character education by experiencing the world in a whole new way.
Email: trips@leaderstoday.com

Volunteer Now! A training program developed for secondary schools, Volunteer Now! empowers Grade 10 students to become active local and global citizens while developing lifelong leadership skills. Since 2002, Volunteer Now! has met the need for a student-driven approach to the 40 hour community service requirement in Ontario schools. First put into practice in Toronto school boards.
Email: erinblanding@leaderstoday.com

Make a real fashion statement. Me to We: Responsible Style can equip your school events, teams and clubs with ethical, flexible and stylish school spirit wear that is sweatshop-free, organic and fair trade. Begin character education in your school with the clothes your students wear and show them that ethical trade is important.
Email: info@metowestyle.com

Engage with Global Voices. A weekly column written by Craig and Marc Kielburger, Global Voices appears in print and online to tackle social and global issues that affect youth around the world. Pre-prepared lesson plans and a youth citizen journalism component bring social justice into schools every week. Receive the Global Voices package by visiting www.thestar.com/globalvoices to sign up.
**Directors of education: Sign up your school board!
Email: journalists@freethechildren.com

Free The Children is the largest international network of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people involved in its programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, the organization has an established track-record of success, with four nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network. To date, Free The Children has built more than 500 schools - serving 50,000 children every day, shipped more than 207,500 school and health kits, helped more than 512,500 families receive critical health care services, and assisted 23,500 women with alternative income projects so their children don’t have to work.

Leaders Today is the top youth leadership training organization in the world, delivering innovative local and international training experiences to more than 350,000 young leaders. With inspirational peer facilitators and speakers, and the bestselling Take Action! curriculum, Leaders Today brings hands-on training programs to schools and communities, providing opportunities for young people to learn and to travel through international volunteer trips. Founded in 1999 by international spokespeople for change, brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger, Leaders Today empowers youth with leadership education, inspiration, and action tools.

Free The Children and Leaders Today are part of the Kiel Network. Founded by Craig and Marc Kielburger, the Kiel Network is a trio of worldwide organizations including Free The Children, Me to We and Leaders Today. The organizations of the Kiel Network act together to empower and engage young people and adults to affect positive social change in the world through education, leadership and action.
233 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 2L2 | Phone: 416.925.5894 | info@freethechildren.com
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