Free The Children - Youth Empowerment Work

Youth Empowerment Work

Free The Children has partnered with schools and families in developed countries "to educate, engage and empower young people as agents of change". It does so through a team of Youth Programming Coordinators providing mentorship and resources to school and community youth groups; through the production of Weekly Curriculum Resources for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms; and by providing training to educators on engaging students in social justice. Free the Children has also teamed up with Me to We, their partner organization, to offer international volunteer trips for youth. Through school or youth groups they can travel overseas to take part first-hand in development projects, for which they have fund-raised. Participants build leadership skills and learn about global development and social issues. These experiences can take place in rural communities of Arizona-Mexico, Kenya, Ecuador, China and India. Youth "return with new perspectives and more energy than ever before to get their family and friends involved in raising awareness and funds for overseas development projects through Free The Children."

Local initiatives include: motivational speaking tours and workshops on topics such as volunteerism, active lifestyles and healthy eating and bullying; summer leadership camps; the GO Local program, which works with underserved middle and high schools to engage students in local issues; the Local Spotlight on Aboriginal education in partnership with the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative; and the We Schools in Action program, launched annually by We Day.