By Craig and Marc Kielburger

If you really want to rile up a Canadian, threaten to take away their library.

Craig got his first taste of activism speaking out to save our local library. We've noticed ever since then that when provinces and cities experience a budget crunch, libraries...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

A twenty-something slacker lounges in his parents' basement, beer in one hand and TV remote in the other. We've lost track of how many times we've seen this cliché character in television shows and movies.

The media loves to heap scorn on prodigal youth...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

Silicon Valley has an unofficial motto: "Fail."

Whenever we visit the California tech hub, we see evidence of pro-failure leanings. Facebook's office features posters that read "Fail Fast." Failing "often" and "early" are also encouraged. There's even a global conference for tech entrepreneurs, called...

Julie was a drug addict living on the streets of Toronto. Then a pottery wheel changed her life.

Seven years ago, Julie (her name has been changed) joined Inspirations Studio. The pottery social enterprise is run by the Toronto non-profit, Sistering, which helps low-income women who have experienced...

Every day presents us with so many choices, we often take them for granted.

Hit the gym for hot yoga, or a spin class? Have a nutritious and responsible kale smoothie, or indulge in a whip cream frappuccino? The choices we make -- even the little ones -- shape...

As a young theatre student, Lorne Cardinal dreamed of performing Shakespearean plays at Ontario's internationally-renowned Stratford Festival. An older actor chuckled at his ambition. Didn't Cardinal know indigenous actors like himself never got roles for non-aboriginal characters?

"He was right. For years I was only ever asked to do parts...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

When the people of Aleppo, Syria, turned on their taps in early March, they saw clean, running water for the first time in months.

In January, the Islamic State seized the sole water plant that serves the entire city of Aleppo and...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

Merna Forster was stunned as she watched Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce on International Women's Day that women will be represented on one of Canada's banknotes again.

"After fighting for this for years, it was hard to believe the victory," the

On any given day in Los Angeles there are more youth behind bars than in all of Canada. Lucas was one of them.

At 17, drinking and doing drugs, even hotwiring a car for a joyride, was nothing for Lucas. Last year, police caught him and some friends in...

When the Grade 8 class of North Ward Public School in Paris, Ont. graduated last summer, they made their teacher promise to continue educating students about the terrible plight of people in war-ravaged Yemen.

"Don't give up on them, Ms. Connors," they said to her.

North Ward had a pen...

The city of Ouarzazate, Morocco, is no stranger to Hollywood. With scenic desert vistas, Ouarzazate has provided backdrops for Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Now Ouarzazate is rolling out the red carpet for the biggest star of all: the sun.

Morocco is building the world's...

Rachel faces a gut-wrenching decision: put her own life and her step-daughter's safety at risk, or live on the streets.

Rachel, 55, took her step-daughter, Jessica, 15, with her when she escaped her abusive husband and left her home in rural Ontario. Rachel and Jessica (whose names have been changed...

Trigger warning: This article contains graphic detail about sexual assault or domestic violence, depending on the topic.

The catcall came as Brynn Chleirich walked alone through an Ottawa grocery store parking lot. A stranger in his late 30s was leaning against a car, smoking and staring at her. "Hey sweetie,...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

When Lance Bucknor stepped hesitantly through the front door of Toronto's Sketch art studio he hadn't finished high school and was living in a shelter.

At 22, he was hoping the arts program for homeless youth would offer a creative outlet to...

Laura Pudas was amazed to hear her hosts describe how, in Finland and Sweden, indigenous Sami people have their own parliaments. "They are so far ahead of Canada on aboriginal issues," she exclaimed.

Pudas, 21, is a student in aboriginal studies at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. In 2014,...

Wisps of white smoke from smoldering sweet grass and sage curl above a small group sitting in a circle. The soothing scent seeps into the cedar planks of this traditional First Nations sweat lodge nestled inside the sweeping modern glass and brick curves of an urban building in downtown Ottawa....

Don't ask Syed Adam Ahmed about the airport. Normally shy but amiable, the six-year-old growls in frustration while his face clouds over like an oncoming hurricane.

The little hockey fan from Markham, Ont. is still extremely upset that he almost missed out on attending an NHL game in the U.S....

Frederic Sune looked around his kitchen at all the expensive tools strewn on the floor. The web developer bought them for a tiling job, but would never use them again. What a waste, he thought.

At Hub Ottawa, a community space where entrepreneurs, professionals and activists gather to work and...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

Our world doesn't look much like the ones envisioned in sci-fi flicks like Star Trek or Back to the Future, let alone the latest installment of Star Wars. Kids aren't buzzing around on flying skateboards, and we aren't...

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

Row after row of mothers wait patiently, babies fussing in their laps. A nurse in this small clinic in rural Arusha, Tanzania, calls them forward, one by one, and gives the squirming infants a shot that will protect them from killer diseases, like measles...