Me to We
 |
|
| Social enterprise | |
| Industry | Lifestyle and travel |
| Founded |
Toronto 2008 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
Roxanne Joyal (CEO) |
| Divisions | Trips Leadership training Style Artisans |
| Website | metowe.com |
ME to WE is a for-profit social enterprise founded in 2008 by Canadian brothers Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger that provides socially responsible products and services and donates half of its net profits to non-profit partner WE Charity, formerly known as Free The Children. It is also part of the WE network of organizations.
ME to WE began when brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger of Thornhill, Ontario, travelled to Ecuador in their teens to build a school for a developing community. Inspired by their own volunteer experiences, they founded ME to WE, originally called "Leaders Today," to offer leadership training and volunteer trips to developing communities served by their charity WE Charity, formerly known as Free The Children. They also wrote the book Me to We, with contributions by Oprah Winfrey, Richard Gere, Jane Goodall, Desmond Tutu and others, explaining their philosophy of volunteerism, service to others and social involvement.
ME to WE is a socially conscious lifestyle brand, with half of its annual net profits donated to Free The Children, now known as WE Charity, and the other half reinvested to keep the social enterprise sustainable. The enterprise has been noted in Canadian media for setting new standards of governance in the social enterprise field.
Offerings include:
ME to WE runs volunteer trips for various groups to a number of developing countries around the world, such as China, Ecuador, India, Kenya, and Nicaragua
Notable individuals who have traveled on ME to WE trips include Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Hedley, Kardinal Offishall, Nelly Furtado, and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Participants volunteer in communities where ME to WE's charity partner WE Charity (formerly known as Free The Children) has longstanding relationships, and they contribute to the advancement of those projects – by helping with construction of schools or water wells. They also are immersed in the local culture with home visits and customary celebrations; and they participate in workshop to develop understanding of local history and issues, and as well as gain leadership skills to make a difference on their return home.
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Wikipedia