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Introduction

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE ME TO WE? You might have worn a Me to We T-shirt or bracelet, read a Me to We book or gone on a Me to We trip – but living me to we – is a journey towards leading a positive daily legacy.When you drill down to the hard numbers, Canadians donate less than one percent of their income. But that statistic doesn’t tell the whole story. What about the shovelling of an older neighbour’s driveway, or the chicken soup you delivered for a sick friend? What we do to make the world a better place – without the hint of a tax credit or thanks in return – is living me to we. As the great social historian Howard Zinn wrote, “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” This is our guide to helping you turn these small, everyday acts into universal change.

Through our work with the charity Free The Children, we’ve visited a combined total of 55 countries. And, with over 2,000 Free The Children groups across Canada, we know the passion of young people and mentors here at home. Believe us when we say: we Canadians won the lottery when it comes to nationality. Craig will extol the beauty of St. John’s, Newfoundland (the craggy cliffs, the steely expanse of the sea!) and Marc will do the same for Manitoban women (he married one from St. Boniface!). In short, we love our country. Through our journeys, we’ve come to learn that Canada is much more than hockey and Timbits. What makes this country the greatest place to live in the world is our compassion, friendliness and willingness to roll-up our sleeves to help. With all the gifts our country has, from poutine to politeness, we’re uniquely positioned to make the world a little better, too.We started by seeking out notable Canadians whose examples of living me to we inspired us. We asked Margaret Atwood about how she reduces her carbon footprint with the trusty aide of her LongPen (pg. 34) and asked Rick Hansen about keeping his connection to nature and family (pg. 94). We also spoke with many Canadians whose names you might not know. Meet Meghan, who adopted a cat from the hard streets of Vancouver’s downtown east side (pg. 138) to the Girouard family who take staycations and use public transit to rediscover their hometown (pg. 82). And, slowly but surely, we created a guide of 50 world-changing acts.The tips contained here are far from exhaustive. Instead, this is a starting point as well as a challenge to get out there and change the world using these tips and your own. We need your help to finish the story. Small acts can change the world and it starts with you.Live the Change!

Craig Kielburger

Marc Kielburger

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Living Me To We | Morning

YOUR ROADMAP

Living Me to We will take you through a day in the life of a socially conscious Canadian.

Here’s how!

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!GO TO WWW.METOWE.COM WHERE YOU CAN SHARE YOUR OWN LOCAL RESOURCES AND TIPS.

JOIN WITH OTHER SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CANADIANS.

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Morning | Living Me To We