what is the youth team?

Our youth team is made up of young, talented recent university grads that have many years experience mentoring youth in social justice issues and leadership. Each educator and school engaged in Free The Children programming receives one-on-one support from a member of our team to help with your group's campaigns, provide information and connect you to our projects overseas. They can also help you bring global issues into the classroom with resources that are easy to implement. Contact our general mailbox at youth@freethechildren.com and let us know where you're from so we can connect you with the youth programming coordinator assigned to your area.

books.

We have a range of books for youth, educators, and parents. In addition to Craig's biographical account of the founding of Free The Children, an amazing story for anyone to read, and Craig and Marc's bestseller Me to We, which lays out the philosophy of 'we thinking', there are multiple guides to social action and class curriculum for different age groups. Whether you teach kindergarten, elementary or high school, we are excited to help you relate to your students, in their terms, the importance of global responsibility and volunteerism.

navigation.

Our youth section contains all the tools you'll need to engage your students in Free The Children programming:

Take Action is where you go to engage your students in each of our signature campaigns. There are three annual awareness and fundraising events, as well as three on-going campaigns linked to our Adopt a Village development model. Each campaign is complementary, building integrative skills and values in your students, your school and your community.

Get Educated is a warehouse of information to help your students understand important global issues and develop leadership skills. Check back here often as we are constantly adding new material.

In Craig's Corner your students can get instant updates from Craig Kielburger, founder of Free The Children, through Twitter, videos, blogs, and pictures.

The FAQ page has answers to many important questions regarding Free The Children's youth programming, as well as general information on Adopt a Village, funding, and contacts.

bring a speaker.

Inviting our speakers to talk at your school is a powerful way to motivate students, putting faces and personal stories to all the hard work of awareness and fundraising for our initiatives. Me to We Tour Speakers are our partners in spreading the Free The Children message.
Not only do speakers bring inspiring stories through a multimedia presentation for the entire student body, but every visit also includes a workshop with 20-25 students to build effective leadership skills, create concrete action plans to engage their peers in social involvement, and develop an action network between student leaders and our head office.

Learn more here >

best practices.

For over 15 years, Free The Children has been leading workshops, giving talks and developing strategies for empowering young people to get involved with social issues, locally and internationally. We reflected on our experiences and compiled some food for thought to help educators guide their students to become informed and engaged global citizens.

Whether you’re mentoring students in extracurricular clubs or incorporating social issues into your classroom, consider the potential impact of these topics. Issues involving human suffering and the denial of basic human rights can be confusing and emotionally draining. Without the proper context and the tools to cope with often overwhelming empathy, young people can become desensitized to what’s happening in the world.

If we are to succeed in nurturing critical-thinking, active global citizens, we need to help students make sense of what they see, hear and feel.

Ground yourself. Identify how you think and feel about issues related to education, health, poverty and sustainable development. Do some resonate more or elicit strong emotions? This self-evaluation can prevent you from unknowingly influencing students or leading them to follow your personal agenda. If you are transparent and open about your own beliefs, and recognize them as such, then there is less danger of bias slipping into your teaching.

Be a powerful role model. As an educator, your behaviour and language will set the tone for your group, even when you may think students aren’t listening or watching. Lead by example. Your approaches to solving complex problems, reactions to different viewpoints, and expressions of empathy toward others will all send a message to your students. There are no simple answers to complex issues. The most important thing is a sincere willingness to consider all perspectives.

Create an inclusive classroom environment. Students want to feel included, valued and respected. This is an opportunity to revisit how your teaching practices encourage student participation. Are all voices being heard? Do students feel it’s safe to disagree? Is your classroom set up to encourage dialogue or debates?

Promote a democratic approach to group norms. Students feel confident and respected when they contribute to the creation of their group norm. As such, the specific of norms created will differ from group to group. Suggestions include respecting other viewpoints, creating equal opportunities to be heard and questioning ideas rather than people. When students have generated and agreed upon the norms, they take ownership and responsibility to follow through.

Recognize students’ need for a positive, big-picture thinker—you’re it! Social issues are complex and emotionally-charged. To avoid getting discouraged by the magnitude of global challenges, students must see the connections between what they’re learning and how their efforts can help. They need to see testimonials of how their peers have successfully used small actions to create measureable change.

Help your students own it. To inspire students to take action, they must be actively involved in every step of their learning, from generating research questions to choosing the types of actions they want to take. You are their guide, but the initiative belongs to them.

Make it real! The greatest learning experiences take place in the “real world.” As a group, have your students choose an issue on which they can take action. Role-playing, simulations, discussions and constructive debates bring an issue off the page. Consider taking a class trip to an organization or government office that works with your chosen issue.

Facilitate student responses. Give students the chance to reflect and make sense of powerful learning experiences. They may need both public and semi-private ways to work through their emotions. This is a great opportunity for you to get creative: find engaging yet sensitive ways to let your students share their reflections. Depending on the group dynamics, you might use journaling, visual art or music, performances like the Theatre of the Oppressed, or simply open discussions.

Don’t forget the fun! Once students are engaged and empowered to take action, the possibilities are only limited by their energy and imagination. Celebrate their newfound power! There is nothing like recognizing and celebrating success, especially with photos, school newspaper stories or school assembly announcements.

Before beginning work with student groups, mentors are encouraged to ask themselves:

• What role makes me feel the most comfortable?
• How can I help students understand the different roles I will need to play in the school?
• How can I set goals to support this transition process?
• How can my mentor colleague and I work together to set everyone up for success?

Not finding what you're looking for? No problem - just head over here to check out our most current efforts in projects. Perhaps maybe you'd like to go back to get involved?