The "Me to We" social enterprise: Global education as lifestyle brand

Abstract

“Me to We” is a North American-based “social enterprise” established by Craig and Marc Kielburger to provide sustainable funding for the non-profit agency Free the Children (FTC); Me to We donates 50% of its profits towards FTC’s administrative costs (Me to We 2011a). The three primary “products” of the enterprise are: volunteer trips; motivational speakers; and, a line of ethically manufactured organic clothing and accessories, marketed as “Me to We Style.” In addition, each year the organization gathers thousands of youth in sports arenas for “We Day” events, featuring the Kielburgers, motivational speakers, and celebrities. These events are webcast to classrooms and re-presented in a television special. As a “new kind of social enterprise” (Me to We 2011b), “Me to We” “transforms consumers into world changers, one transaction at a time” (Me to We 2011a); it promotes a way of being good in the world as a consumer identity: “Every trip, t-shirt, song, book, speech, thought and choice adds up to a fun, dynamic lifestyle that’s part of the worldwide movement of we,” (Me to We, 2011b). The business model for the enterprise, the consumer is assured, “measures the bottom line, not by dollars earned, but by number [sic] of lives we change and the positive social and environmental impact we make” (Me to We, 2011a). Such a model has significant implications for both humanitarianism and global education. Humanitarian NGOs are increasingly faced with significant competition for government funding and private donations; as a result, organizations need to distinguish themselves in order to receive popular exposure, which is necessary for successful fundraising (Cottle & Nolan, 2007, p. 865). The Kielburgers have set their organisations apart among Canadian NGOs by producing their humanitarian project as a distinctive youth-oriented brand. “Me to We” utilizes a diverse variety of marketing approaches, from the live performances of We Day and motivational talks in schools, to social media and television shows, to curriculum material. Not only has it attracted media attention, it has developed partnerships to provide media content, including the annual We Day special on the CTV television network and regular columns by the Kielburgers in Canadian newspapers. Further, this for-profit enterprise has firmly embedded itself within the education system. The Schools in Action program provides a structure of events that highlight development issues, to some degree, but primarily articulate the “Me to We” lifestyle brand.

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