Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World

by Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger

Overview

The New York Times bestseller from the founders of WE Charity—a human rights organization that has lifted over 1 million people from poverty globally—Me to We is an uplifting and actionable guide for personal and social change and a call to action to helping others, featuring a new introduction by Academy Award­–winning actress and activist Natalie Portman.

Me to We is an approach to life that leads us to recognize what is truly valuable, make different decisions about the way we want to live, and redefine the goals we set for ourselves and the legacy we want to leave. Both a manifesto and a manual, Me to We includes tales to inspire, studies and statistics to persuade, and practical advice to motivate and guide. Weaving together dynamic lessons and stories from the world’s top contributors to human rights and social involvement, the Kielburger brothers show us that the best way to grow and develop as human beings is by helping others.

Their philosophy, along with cutting-edge research on the nature of personal and social change, embraces the idea that we can all build a better life—and an ideal world—through reaching out to others. By redirecting our energies and focusing from “me” to the “we” of our communities, each individual can make an impact on our nation, and our world as a whole. Supporters such as Oprah Winfrey, Richard Gere, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Jane Goodall also share their original stories that inspire us to believe that a better world can exist for all of us. The Kielburgers teach us how to go about living our lives as socially conscious and responsible people, engaging in daily acts of kindness, building meaningful relationships through community, and focusing on the impact of “we” decision making.

Both modern in its fresh way of looking at the world and traditional in its return to the simplest, purest, and most basic impulse of humanity to reach out and help each other, this philosophy represents a dynamic shift in focus, and a new definition of success, happiness, and community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982154578
Publisher:	Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,086,845
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.38(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Craig Kielburger is a New York Times bestselling author who has written twelve books. He cofounded WE Charity, lifting more than one million people from poverty. He is an MBA graduate with fifteen honorary doctorates and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Craig lives in Toronto with his wife, Leysa, and son, Hilson.

Marc Kielburger cofounded ME to WE Social Enterprise, engaging millions of customers to drive social change. He is a Harvard and Oxford graduate, and a Rhodes Scholar. He believes that purpose-driven business will change the world. Marc lives in Toronto with his wife, Roxanne, and daughters, Lily-Rose and Violette.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One: Craig’s Story: “I’m Only One Boy!”



WE is a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world.

Our unique family of organizations empowers people at home, around the world, and within our social enterprise.

WE Charity empowers change with resources that create sustainable impact. We do this through domestic programs like WE Schools and internationally through WE Villages. Our WE Schools program engages over 5.3 million students and 59,700 educators. Our WE Villages program is active in nine developing countries, creating a sustainable model of international development.

Overall, due to WE Charity:

• More than 1,500 classrooms and schools have been built around the world to date, helping 200,000 students access education
• Over $36 million worth of medical supplies has been collected and distributed
• 30,000 women have achieved economic self-sufficiency
• More than one million people have been provided with access to clean water and sanitation programs and facilities
• More than fifteen million nutritious meals have been produced to date by farmers and families with our support

WE Day is a powerful, life-changing experience with world-renowned speakers and performers, mixed with real inspirational stories of change. It is an opportunity for young change-makers to connect across the world and celebrate their year of action. WE Schools provides digital, interactive service-learning and social- and emotional-learning resources to educators and students, providing them with the opportunities and experiences to support their passion to learn through service, and to better the world in the process. In 2019:

• 12.1 million volunteer hours were logged by WE Schools participants
• $14 million+ was raised for local and global causes
• 15 million+ meals were supported through food collected by WE Schools participants
• 84 percent of students felt a stronger connection to their local community
• 81 percent of educators said they are better equipped to teach about social issues through service-based learning
• 86 percent of educators agreed that youth taking part in WE Schools demonstrated better leadership among their peers

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

1 Craig's Story: "I'm Only One Boy!"

2 Marc's Story: "What Kind of Legacy?"

3 A New Look at Home and Happiness

4 Searching for Answers

5 The Me to We Philosophy Takes Shape

6 Benefits for Me

7 Benefits for We

8 Gratitude

9 Empathy

10 Redefining Happiness

11 Creating Community

12 Me to We Decisions

13 Welcome to the Movement

Appendices

The Me to We Organization

The Millennium Development Goals

Notes

About the Contributors

About Free The Children and Leaders Today

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

When we begin to understand that we can make a difference in others' lives, we take our first giant steps in transforming ourselves. Craig and Marc Kielburger's Me to We unfolds a blueprint for enacting goals and dreams in a social context. Bolstering the inspirational message of this book are contributions by Oprah Winfrey, Richard Gere, Dr. Jane Goodall, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kim Phuc, and Her Majesty Queen Noor. Wise words of engagement and spiritual integrity.

The Kielburger brothers have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their human rights work (they founded Free the Children, an international organization that builds schools in developing countries). In their first book a best seller in their native Canada they put forth their longtime message: when we find the courage to take on consistent and small but personally meaningful responsibilities through what we say, do, feel, and think, life becomes more an opportunity than an obligation. The authors suggest that recognizing our true natures and using our energy to foster a real connection between ourselves and the world (their "Me to We" philosophy) are key to maintaining our well-being and spiritual integrity. Each chapter contains three sections intended to motivate readers toward their own spiritual evolution. These sections enumerate personal questions to ask oneself, social issues to consider, and practical ways of taking action. Interesting personal narratives from everyone from ordinary citizens to celebrities (e.g., actor Richard Gere and the late humanitarian Mother Teresa) as well as generalizations of sociological studies and statistics are meant to inspire. Much of this is a reiteration of the age-old idea that compassion plus action makes a difference, but it bears repeating as guidance for a YA audience for whom all of this may be new. Recommended for the self-help collections of all public libraries. Lisa Liquori, MLS, Syracuse, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"At a tender age I discovered that it isn't doing spectacular things that makes you remarkable in the eyes of God, but instead, it is when you light just one candle to dispel a little bit of darkness that you are doing something tremendous. And if, as a global people, we put all the little bits of good together, we will overwhelm the world." — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"I began to see that nothing I can do will bring me happiness unless it includes happiness for others. Whenever I suffer, it's really because I have discounted the other. The flip side of that is being genuinely concerned for the other. When this happens, we have a true spontaneous moment of satisfaction, happiness, and joy." — Richard Gere

"If we think of our life as an effort to fly always just a little bit higher and reach a goal that's just a little bit beyond our reach, we are faced with a question: How high can any of us go by ourselves?" — Dr. Jane Goodall

"I shared a conviction with my husband that, even in a conflict region such as ours, when human needs and aspirations are prioritized in a society, that society is better able to resist and topple tyrants and extremists. That when people have hope and opportunity, they will sacrifice and invest in a stable and peaceful future for their families. And when we invest in young people, miracles can happen." — Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan

From the Publisher