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'''Me to We''' (stylized as '''ME to WE''') is a for-profit company |
'''Me to We''' (stylized as '''ME to WE''') is a for-profit company selling lifestyle products, leadership training and travel experience.<ref name=":2" /> Me to We was founded in 2008 by brothers [[Craig Kielburger|Craig]] and [[Marc Kielburger]]. The company was widely scrutinized during the [[WE Charity scandal]], in which the related company [[WE Charity]] was initially awarded a [[Government of Canada]] contract to deliver a proposed Canada Student Service Grant program after paying relatives of Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] around $300,000 for speaking engagements. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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In 1999, Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc were running the charity Free the Children (later renamed [[WE Charity|We Charity]]), which they founded together a few years earlier.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=Marc and Craig Kielburger's do-gooding social enterprise|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/marc-and-craig-kielburgers-do-gooding-social-enterprise/article4389008/|access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref> Craig and Marc approached Free the Children's board of directors in order to pitch the idea of giving young people the opportunity to travel abroad to volunteer.<ref name=":2" /> The board said that it did not want to assume the liability of sending teenagers abroad.<ref name=":2" /> The brothers explored other options and decided that establishing a corporation rather than a charity was the path forward.<ref name=":2" /> |
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Following the founding of [[We Charity]] (formerly known as Free the Children) in 1995, Craig and Marc Kielburger launched a program called "Leaders Today", to offer leadership training to young people and volunteer trips to developing communities served by their charity.<ref>Christine Langlois, [http://www.canadianliving.com/life/community/the_accidental_activists_craig_and_marc_kielburger.php "The accidental activists: Craig and Marc Kielburger"], ''Canadian Living'', September 21, 2009.</ref> In 2008, the Kielburgers launched the for-profit company Me to We, which continued the trips program, and added the sale of socially conscious retail items.<ref name="Globe2"/> |
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In 2000, the Kielburgers founded Leaders Today, a private company that offered volunteer trips.<ref name=":2" /> The brothers said they started the company because of their belief in the transformative power of travel.<ref name=":2" /> |
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⚫ | In 2009, half of Me to We's profits were donated to [[We Charity]] to support its operating costs, while the remainder was reinvested |
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In 2003, the Kielburgers founded Kiel Projects, Inc.. a holding company that managed the money that the brothers earned from speaking engagements and book royalties.<ref name=":2" /> The brothers said that their earnings in Kiel would be channeled into their Me to We social enterprise.<ref name=":2" /> |
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In 2006, the Kielburgers published “Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World,” a book about their social enterprise philosophy and their views on how to live a more fulfilling life.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Crippen|first=Carolyn|date=18 April 2008|title=Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World|url=https://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol14/no17/metowe.html|journal=CM: Canadian Review of Materials|edition=|publisher=Manitoba Library Association|volume=XIV|pages=|issn=1201-9364|via=University of Manitoba}}</ref> The book became a New York Times bestseller.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Craig Kielburger|url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Craig-Kielburger/37358990|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Simon & Schuster|language=en}}</ref> It included contributions from Oprah Winfrey, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Jane Goodall.<ref name=":3" /> |
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The company has been criticized for blending corporate promotion with its activist goals.<ref>{{Cite web|title=We Day's blend of activism, corporate messages prompts criticism from teacher | CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/we-day-winnipeg-2015-1.3320693}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=28 October 2010|title=We Day: The corporate selling of progressive ethics and hope to youth|url=https://rabble.ca/news/2010/10/we-day-corporate-selling-progressive-ethics-and-hope-youth}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2013|title=A Teacher's Critique of 'We Day'|url=https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/10/30/A-Teachers-Critique-of-We-Day/}}</ref> Leadership has also been profiled for their "aggressive responses to criticism", with tight control over media presence and a history of lawsuits.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How The Kielburgers Handle The Press|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/how-the-kielburgers-handle-the-press/|access-date=2020-06-15|website=canadalandshow.com}}</ref> |
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In 2007, Leaders Today facilitated 1,300 overseas trips.<ref name=":2" /> |
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In 2018 Canadian news site ''[[Canadaland]]'' reported that Me to We had business connections to several companies known to use child labour.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2018-10-18/editorials/wes-use-of-child-labour-reverses-social-progress/ |title = WE's links to child labour reverse social progress}}</ref> The ''Canadaland'' report noted that the Me to We label partnered with Hershey's, and that the chocolate company has been criticized for its child labour practices; ''Canadaland'' directly noted in its story that the Me to We logo was present the packaging of chocolate partially sourced to child labour in West Africa. Me to We was also criticized for its partnership with [[Unilever]], a major purchaser of palm oil produced with child labour. Me to We denied its products were sourced to child labour, and noted that it vetted its partners.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/craig-kielburger-founded-we-to-fight-child-labour-now-the-we-brand-promotes-products-made-by-children/|title=Craig Kielburger Founded WE To Fight Child Labour. Now The WE Brand Promotes Products Made By Children.|website=canadalandshow.com|access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref> |
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In 2008, the Kielburger brothers established Me to We (replacing Leaders Today).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Gospel of WE, the legend of the Kielburgers and their secularly sacred movement|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/caring-is-cool-craig-and-marc-kielburger-have-always-had-a-knack-for-saying-the-nicest-things|access-date=2020-10-28|website=National Post|language=en-CA}}</ref> The new company continued the trips program and added the sale of socially conscious retail items.<ref name=":2" /> Canadian billionaire and philanthropist [[Jeffrey Skoll|Jeff Skoll]] advised the Kielburgers as they set up the company.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Calabrese|first=Darren|date=26 October 2010|title=Craig and Marc Kielburger believe changing the world is possible|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/craig-and-marc-kielburger-believe-changing-the-world-is-possible/article1216156/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref> Craig Kielburger said that Me to We was established in order to create a model for a company that combines "purpose and profit."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-22|title='WEconomy,' where profits meet purpose|url=https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/03/22/weconomy-where-profits-meet-purpose.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref> The Kielburgers said their goal was to be able to transfer enough money from Me to We to [[WE Charity|We Charity]] so that the charity’s administrative overhead costs would be zero.<ref name=":0" /> Me to We gives half of its profits to We Charity.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Conlin|first=Jennifer|date=2012-08-10|title=Volunteer Trips: Is Your Family Ready? (Published 2012)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/travel/volunteer-trips-is-your-family-ready.html|access-date=2020-10-28|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The other half is reinvested.<ref name=":2" /> |
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⚫ | In 2009, half of Me to We's profits were donated to [[We Charity]] to support its operating costs, while the remainder was reinvested into the company.<ref name="Globe2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/marc-and-craig-kielburgers-do-gooding-social-enterprise/article4389008/|title=Marc and Craig Kielburger's do-gooding social enterprise|access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref> |
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In 2012, the ''New York Times'' reported that family participation in Me to We trips had doubled over the past few years.<ref name=":4" /> |
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==Trips== |
==Trips== |
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Based on the Kielburger brothers' testimony at the House of Commons finance committee, over $500,000 were paid by the WE organization to Justin Trudeau's mother, brother and wife.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ethics commissioner expands probe of Bill Morneau on eve of Trudeau's WE testimony|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/mps-on-ethics-committee-to-meet-amid-parliamentary-probe-of-we-agreement|access-date=2020-07-30|website=Windsor Star|language=en-CA}}</ref> Invited by Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis to address the misconception about the whole story, Craig Kielburger also defended WE Charity and its programs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-28|title=Affaire UNIS: les frères Kielburger se font malmener par l’opposition en comité|url=https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2020-07-28/affaire-unis-les-freres-kielburger-se-font-malmener-par-l-opposition-en-comite.php|access-date=2020-07-30|website=La Presse|language=fr}}</ref> |
Based on the Kielburger brothers' testimony at the House of Commons finance committee, over $500,000 were paid by the WE organization to Justin Trudeau's mother, brother and wife.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ethics commissioner expands probe of Bill Morneau on eve of Trudeau's WE testimony|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/mps-on-ethics-committee-to-meet-amid-parliamentary-probe-of-we-agreement|access-date=2020-07-30|website=Windsor Star|language=en-CA}}</ref> Invited by Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis to address the misconception about the whole story, Craig Kielburger also defended WE Charity and its programs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-28|title=Affaire UNIS: les frères Kielburger se font malmener par l’opposition en comité|url=https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2020-07-28/affaire-unis-les-freres-kielburger-se-font-malmener-par-l-opposition-en-comite.php|access-date=2020-07-30|website=La Presse|language=fr}}</ref> |
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== Financials == |
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Concerns have been raised about the blurred lines between [[We Charity]] and Me to We.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/82-we-charity|title=WE Charity|website=charityintelligence.ca|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref> These blurred lines include both organizations having the same Chief Financial Officer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/whats-the-deal-with-we-charitys-accounting-department/|title=What’s The Deal With WE Charity’s Accounting Department?|website=https://www.canadalandshow.com/whats-the-deal-with-we-charitys-accounting-department/|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref> |
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According to [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence]], a Canadian registered charity, that assesses over 750 Canadian charities, in 2019 [[We Charity]] transferred 8% of its revenue to Me to We, a magnitude of revenue transferred from a charity to a related for-profit company that [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence's]] general manager described as "unique" among charities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2020-1.5647242|title=The Current for July 13, 2020|website=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2020-1.5647242|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/we-charity-was-in-financial-trouble-before-covid-says-charity-watchdog/|title=WE Charity Moved Millions To Private Kielburger Company|website=https://www.canadalandshow.com/we-charity-was-in-financial-trouble-before-covid-says-charity-watchdog/|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref> [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence]] also noted that, as a for profit company privately owned by the Kielburgers, Me to We is not bound by disclosure requirements.<ref name=":1" /> |
According to [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence]], a Canadian registered charity, that assesses over 750 Canadian charities, in 2019 [[We Charity]] transferred 8% of its revenue to Me to We, a magnitude of revenue transferred from a charity to a related for-profit company that [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence's]] general manager described as "unique" among charities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2020-1.5647242|title=The Current for July 13, 2020|website=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2020-1.5647242|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadalandshow.com/we-charity-was-in-financial-trouble-before-covid-says-charity-watchdog/|title=WE Charity Moved Millions To Private Kielburger Company|website=https://www.canadalandshow.com/we-charity-was-in-financial-trouble-before-covid-says-charity-watchdog/|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref> [[Charity Intelligence Canada|Charity Intelligence]] also noted that, as a for profit company privately owned by the Kielburgers, Me to We is not bound by disclosure requirements.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Revision as of 23:31, 28 October 2020
Company type | For-profit B Corporation.[1] |
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Industry | Lifestyle and travel |
Founded | Toronto 2008 |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Roxanne Joyal (CEO) |
Website | www |
Me to We (stylized as ME to WE) is a for-profit company selling lifestyle products, leadership training and travel experience.[2] Me to We was founded in 2008 by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. The company was widely scrutinized during the WE Charity scandal, in which the related company WE Charity was initially awarded a Government of Canada contract to deliver a proposed Canada Student Service Grant program after paying relatives of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau around $300,000 for speaking engagements.
History
In 1999, Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc were running the charity Free the Children (later renamed We Charity), which they founded together a few years earlier.[2] Craig and Marc approached Free the Children's board of directors in order to pitch the idea of giving young people the opportunity to travel abroad to volunteer.[2] The board said that it did not want to assume the liability of sending teenagers abroad.[2] The brothers explored other options and decided that establishing a corporation rather than a charity was the path forward.[2]
In 2000, the Kielburgers founded Leaders Today, a private company that offered volunteer trips.[2] The brothers said they started the company because of their belief in the transformative power of travel.[2]
In 2003, the Kielburgers founded Kiel Projects, Inc.. a holding company that managed the money that the brothers earned from speaking engagements and book royalties.[2] The brothers said that their earnings in Kiel would be channeled into their Me to We social enterprise.[2]
In 2006, the Kielburgers published “Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World,” a book about their social enterprise philosophy and their views on how to live a more fulfilling life.[3] The book became a New York Times bestseller.[4] It included contributions from Oprah Winfrey, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Jane Goodall.[3]
In 2007, Leaders Today facilitated 1,300 overseas trips.[2]
In 2008, the Kielburger brothers established Me to We (replacing Leaders Today).[5] The new company continued the trips program and added the sale of socially conscious retail items.[2] Canadian billionaire and philanthropist Jeff Skoll advised the Kielburgers as they set up the company.[6] Craig Kielburger said that Me to We was established in order to create a model for a company that combines "purpose and profit."[7] The Kielburgers said their goal was to be able to transfer enough money from Me to We to We Charity so that the charity’s administrative overhead costs would be zero.[6] Me to We gives half of its profits to We Charity.[8] The other half is reinvested.[2]
In 2009, half of Me to We's profits were donated to We Charity to support its operating costs, while the remainder was reinvested into the company.[9]
In 2012, the New York Times reported that family participation in Me to We trips had doubled over the past few years.[8]
In 2015, Me to We received certification as a B Corporation.[1]
Trips
Me to We runs volunteer trips to a selection of developing countries where We Charity is active, including: Ecuador, India and Kenya. Trip participants help construct schools or wells.[10][11]
Some of the organization’s celebrity ambassadors have taken trips with Me to We, including Olivia Holt,[12] Drew Scott, Kardinal Offishall, and Jordan Fisher.[13]
Artisans
Me to We Artisans was founded in 2009 by CEO Roxanne Joyal.[14]
Women employed by Me to We Artisans are paid more than they normally make for their products, and are also provided with training on financial literacy.[15] As a result, many are able to invest part of their income in small businesses and the education of their children.[16]
YouTube personality Lilly Singh designed and promoted a line of beaded bracelets called "#GirlLove Rafikis", as part of her campaign to end "girl on girl hate."[17]
WE Charity contract controversy
In 2020, the company was criticized after it was announced that We Charity would be in charge of distributing $900 million in federal student grants provided by the government of Canada. This proposal came under fire after CBC reported that Me to We[18] had paid members of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's family for speaking engagements, raising a potential conflict of interest as Trudeau had pushed for the grant program to go ahead. The program was ended before it began, and Trudeau issued an apology for not recusing himself.[19][20] We Charity's involvement in the grant program was also criticized by several Canadian non-profits and charities.[21]
Based on the Kielburger brothers' testimony at the House of Commons finance committee, over $500,000 were paid by the WE organization to Justin Trudeau's mother, brother and wife.[22] Invited by Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis to address the misconception about the whole story, Craig Kielburger also defended WE Charity and its programs.[23]
Financials
According to Charity Intelligence, a Canadian registered charity, that assesses over 750 Canadian charities, in 2019 We Charity transferred 8% of its revenue to Me to We, a magnitude of revenue transferred from a charity to a related for-profit company that Charity Intelligence's general manager described as "unique" among charities.[24][25] Charity Intelligence also noted that, as a for profit company privately owned by the Kielburgers, Me to We is not bound by disclosure requirements.[25]
According to Buy Social Canada, a certifying organization, Me to We is the only for-profit company that they are aware of, which is connected to a Canadian charity, but where the charity does not own the for-profit company.[26] Consequently, We Charity is not guaranteed to benefit from profits made by Me to We, despite the close ties between these two organizations.
In response, We Charity claimed that over a 5 year period preceding 2020, Me to We contributed a net of $1.3 million more than it received from We Charity.[25]
References
- ^ a b "ME to WE | Certified B Corporation". bcorporation.net. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Marc and Craig Kielburger's do-gooding social enterprise". Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ a b Crippen, Carolyn (18 April 2008). "Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World". CM: Canadian Review of Materials. XIV. Manitoba Library Association. ISSN 1201-9364 – via University of Manitoba.
- ^ "Craig Kielburger". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ "The Gospel of WE, the legend of the Kielburgers and their secularly sacred movement". National Post. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ a b Calabrese, Darren (26 October 2010). "Craig and Marc Kielburger believe changing the world is possible". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "'WEconomy,' where profits meet purpose". CNBC. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ a b Conlin, Jennifer (2012-08-10). "Volunteer Trips: Is Your Family Ready? (Published 2012)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ "Marc and Craig Kielburger's do-gooding social enterprise". Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ Koch, Amy Tara (2018-07-04). "5 Summer Programs for Teens That Teach Empathy Through Community Service". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ Brown, Jesse (2020-08-03). "What Does WE Charity Actually Do?". Canadaland. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ "Olivia Holt on the Week in Kenya That Changed Her Life". InStyle.com. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ "Celebrities humbled by African trips". Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ Fashion (2013-04-20). "Me to We Artisans inspires style and social responsibility | National Post". Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ Nast, Condé. "This New Fossil Collection Helps You Empower Women Around The World". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2019-01-21. [verification needed]
- ^ Davis, Heather Greenwood. "How fair trade jewellery is changing the lives of Kenyan women". Canadian Living. Retrieved 2019-01-21. [verification needed]
- ^ "The Lilly Singh Empire: #GirlLove, 14 Million Subs, & Toothbrushes". Techvibes. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ "Trudeau Family Paid Hundreds Of Thousands By WE Organization". canadalandshow.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ Aiello, Rachel (2020-07-13). "PM says he 'made a mistake' in not recusing himself from We Charity student grant decision". CTVNews. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ "WE Charity tries to 'set record straight' over contract in full-page newspaper ads". Global News. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ Gollom, Mark (July 3, 2020). "Doubt cast over Trudeau's assertion that only WE Charity can run $900M student grant program". CBC News.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Ethics commissioner expands probe of Bill Morneau on eve of Trudeau's WE testimony". Windsor Star. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ "Affaire UNIS: les frères Kielburger se font malmener par l'opposition en comité". La Presse (in French). 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ "The Current for July 13, 2020". https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-july-13-2020-1.5647242. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|website=
- ^ a b c "WE Charity Moved Millions To Private Kielburger Company". https://www.canadalandshow.com/we-charity-was-in-financial-trouble-before-covid-says-charity-watchdog/. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|website=
- ^ "The rise and fall of WE". Retrieved 2020-09-09.