Perhaps this new project is one reason Oprah decided not to renew The Big Give TV show…
Yesterday “The Oprah Winfrey Show” presented the O Ambassadors program, a joint project of Oprah’s Angel Network and Free The Children. It aims to connect young people in North America with people around the world to create lasting change. This school based program provides a curriculum for local educators who lead their student club in activities that raise funds for development projects and increase awareness of global issues.
- Clubs will run for the duration of the 2008/2009 school year
- Clubs will explore four UN Millennium Development Goals themes: poverty, education, health and sustainable development
- Specific fundraising and awareness activities will be assigned to clubs to adapt for their school audience.
- Clubs will receive instructional resources and programming support for each of these activities.
I heard about this on Friday and looked up the websites, but then yesterday I totally forgot to watch or Tivo the broadcast. There are clips from the show, summaries and photos now online. Free the Children’s Craig Kielburger was on the show. I heard him speak at the AFP national conference last year and couldn’t help but be impressed with his drive and inspirational outlook on life.
When Craig Kielburger first appeared on The Oprah Show in 1999, he was a 16-year-old social activist on a mission to show young people they have the power to change the world. Since that day, Oprah’s Angel Network has teamed up with Craig’s organization, Free The Children, and built almost 60 schools in underdeveloped countries around the world.
Now, with the help of an audience filled with more than 300 students, Oprah is announcing an even more ambitious project. “I’m proud to unveil one of the best ideas we’ve ever had—it’s called O Ambassadors,” Oprah says. “[Our ambition is] to give young people a direct, hands-on way to transform the lives of children who are half a world away.”
“We’ve set up groups in schools across North America. They apply and receive a curriculum about different issues facing the world—from environment to health to sustainability. Then, the students take actions from fundraisers to awareness raisers, and some of them even go overseas and volunteer,” Craig says. “We’re launching a challenge to a generation of kids to change the world.”
