Minneapolis—September 17, 2012—Craig and Marc Kielburger, brothers, social entrepreneurs and co-founders of the international charity Free The Children, will speak to more than 1,200 students at Walden University’s academic residency on Sept. 22 at the Hilton Atlanta. Together, the Kielburgers deliver a practical and inspirational social responsibility message to empower people to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.
Marc and Craig Kielburger
Free The Children was founded in 1995 and has grown to be the world’s largest international network of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people engaged in its innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. It has built more than 650 schools and schoolrooms in developing regions to provide education to more than 55,000 children every day and remains the world’s leading youth-driven charity—one that has inspired an entire generation of children to stand up and make their voices heard.
To support these efforts, the brothers also founded Me to We, an innovative social enterprise that provides people with better choices for a better world, including socially conscious and environmentally friendly products, life-changing volunteer opportunities and programs that inspire positive social change. In addition, half of Me to We’s net profit is donated to Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested to grow the enterprise and its social mission.
The Kielburgers have received three Nobel Peace Prize nominations and are New York Times best-selling authors who have written nine books. Through partnerships with public, private and humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network, the Kielburgers are committed to enhancing the impact of their organizations’ work around the world.
Academic residencies at Walden, an accredited online university, support students’ academic and professional goals by connecting them with faculty mentors and diverse groups of peers to encourage the vibrant exchange of ideas and perspectives. During residencies, students from select doctoral and master’s programs have the opportunity to conceptualize and develop research initiatives that contribute to positive social change.
Walden’s plenary sessions are an integral part of the residency experience and feature speakers from around the world who share their stories and viewpoints with the hope of inspiring debate and lively conversation. These sessions are intended to provide Walden students, faculty and staff members with the opportunity to hear perspectives on a variety of topics that are meaningful and relevant to their lives as scholars and practitioners.
Visit www.WaldenU.edu/perspectives for an archive of past Walden speakers.
About Walden University
For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 48,500 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 60 campus-based and online universities in 29 countries.
Walden offers more than 65 degree programs with more than 330 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org.