History

In 1999, brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger—the leaders of Free The Children—founded Leaders Today out of a grassroots plea from Free The children youth members for the tools, training, and empowerment to become effective social change-makers.

As Free The Children entered its fourth year of operation, and youth membership topped 100,000, Marc and Craig began hearing a plea from young people that they needed the practical tools to make a change. People wanted more skills and training.

Motivation was the key, yes, but it wasn’t enough. Calls and letters poured in from discouraged youth who wanted to make a difference, but didn’t know where to start. Others came from disheartened youth who had tried to start campaigns only to be told to wait until they were older and more experienced. Older and more experienced. Four very frustrating words when you know you are capable of so much more.

Marc and Craig, frustrated themselves that youth are too often considered the leaders of tomorrow and not the leaders of today, set out to provide a response. The group they gathered in Free The Children’s small office—the Kielburger’s home—in Thornhill, Ontario was a collection of senior Free The Children members and interested mentors committed to sharing their skills and experience with others.

Through long days and many sleepless nights they consulted with young people, organized a team dedicated to youth leadership, and developed curriculum and programs to provide youth with the skills and tools for which they had asked. The goal was to inspire and empower youth with the truth they already understood, that youth can achieve great things—today, not tomorrow.

The energetic team devoted itself wholeheartedly to developing exciting seminars on public speaking, negotiation strategies, and fundraising, and began planning international volunteer trips to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Though the leadership training programs were small at first, within less than a year Leaders Today facilitators were giving seminars throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe.

And every year since then the number and quality of Leaders Today programs has grown. We are now established as the top youth leadership organization in the world, reaching out annually to more than 350,000 youth, through seminars, speeches, and international volunteer trips.

Yet, despite our organization’s growth and success, we continue to respect our core values and strengths: a dedication to inspiring and empowering young people to create positive sustainable change in the world.

Looking to the future, our belief in the power of youth continues unabated. We are the generation that we have been waiting for!

Leaders Today Timeline

1999
  • Leaders Today founded
  • The first international volunteer and leadership trip takes off for a two-week excursion to Kenya
2000
  • The first international volunteer and leadership takes off for India.
2001
  • Global Leadership Seminars offered to youth across Canada
  • Trips and volunteer opportunities offered to India, Nicaragua, Thailand and Ecuador
2002
  • Take Action! A Guide to Active Citizenship, by Marc and Craig Kielburger, published
  • The Embracing Cultures Tour reaches more than 100,000 youth across North America
2002/ 2003
  • The Volunteer Now! program launched in partnership with the Toronto District School Board
  • Take More Action published and used by tens of thousands of youth across North America.
2003
  • The first Take Action! Academy hosted at the Arizona Wind-Song: Peace and Leadership Center
  • The Kenya School of the Savannah: Peace and Leadership Center opened
  • The Take Action! Tour motivates 100,000 youth to change the world
2004
  • Largest ever Take Action! Academy hosted
  • Me to We Tour launched; and Me to We book published by Marc and Craig Kielburger
2005
  • A record number of 16 international volunteer and leadership trips hosted!
  • Partnership developed to promote healthy living to elementary students