The 10 most important commitments you will make this year

January 19th, 2010

We Day

Free The Children Background

Started in 1995 after then 12-year-old Craig Kielburger saw an article in the Toronto Star that read “Battled Child Labor, Boy, 12, Murdered.” The impact of such simple but defining words made an immediate impact on Kielburger and he knew something had to be done. Kielburger and a small group of his Grade 7 classmates from Thornhill, Ontario joined forces to create Free The Children. The purpose of creating Free The Children was to save children from child labor, but it has done so much more than that.

Today, Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. There are over 1 million young people involved in all types of programs of Free The Children in 45 countries. Other programs include Adopt a Village, We Day and the most important for the most recent tragedy in Haiti, the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. Visit www.freethechildren.com today to see how you can donate and make a difference.

10 by 10 challenge. Small number, big difference.

10; 7+3, how old you were when you still thought girls had cooties and the start of a new decade. Such a simple number but can have a huge effect, which is demonstrated by Free the Children with the introduction of their new challenge, the 10 by 10 challenge. It’s simple. Log on to www.giveyour10.com to sign up and register. Next, register 10 commitments you want to achieve over the year. It could be as simple as buying, and using, a re-usable water bottle or as complex as raising $10 000 for a village affected by natural disasters, poverty or any other issue that interests you. Finally, spread the word. Tell your friends, and your friends friends and your friend’s friend’s friends. So, you ask, what is the point of making these commitments? Why couldn’t I just write them down in my journal or science class notebook? Why do they have to be made on this website? Well, youngin’s, when you register your 10 commitments, $10 will be made on your behalf by Aviva Insurance to a Free The Children community overseas. So far, over 194 000 commitments have been made and 21 000 members have registered to date. So, while you’re sitting around thinking “I have so many important, life-changing new years resolutions this year, where can I register them where they will really make a difference?” now you know. “What started with you, will end up with we.”

You can also donate to the Haiti relief fund through the Free The Children Website here.

Tags: 10 x 10 Challenge, Craig Kielburger, free the children