Me to We Leadership Academy: A place to be yourself

Sign up for the 2009 Academy for an incredible summer experience

It was the last night of the Toronto Leadership Academy and the theatre was packed with about 200 young people ready to watch the talent show.

As I introduced the next act, a trumpet player, a young girl walked on stage quietly and put her trumpet to her lips. She began to play a song while everyone sat listening. In the middle of the song she put the trumpet down and apologized. “I messed up,” she said. As she hung her head, ready to leave the stage, all of the people in the audience began to clap. Soon everyone was on their feet cheering this young girl on. The girl gained her confidence, started from the beginning and played the song beautifully.

This one moment sums up what the Me to We Leadership Academy is all about. This summer, youth from all across North America will come together for five different academies over the course of two months. Whether in Toronto, Montreal, the East Coast, Vancouver or California, young people will learn about world issues and how they can become a part of a large social movement for change.

A Me to We Leadership Academy is a place where you’ll be encouraged to be yourself and will be embraced for your differences. It will be one week that you’ll never forget!

Sarah Young
Outreach Coordinator

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.