Oprah's Angel Network teams up with children's charity to create change at home and around the world

    TORONTO, May 21 /PRNewswire/ - On Monday, May 26, a one-hour episode of
 "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will highlight the O Ambassadors program
 (www.oambassadors.org), a new leadership and education initiative developed
 to motivate and educate more than one million youth to get socially engaged
 and create positive change around the world. This unprecedented new program
 is a collaboration between Oprah's Angel Network and Free The Children.
 
     Inspired by the commitment and passion for social change of young
 people involved with Free The Children's programming and what they have
 been able to achieve, the O Ambassadors program models Free The Children's
 unique approach of educating and connecting youth at home with communities
 and projects in developing countries. The program encourages young leaders
 to dream big and accelerate global change through a step-by-step
 exploration of active learning about important issues in Africa, Asia and
 Latin America; sharing their message with their friends and families; and
 working together to take action.
 
     "Youth today aren't willing to wait for change to happen; they want to
 take action now," says Craig Kielburger. "We are honoured and excited to
 work with Oprah's Angel Network on this innovative program that motivates
 youth to get involved, inspires confidence that they can make a difference
 and encourages leadership opportunities within their school and
 communities. The O Ambassadors program supports the capacity of youth to
 change our world."
 
     Through a soft-launch in September 2007, more than 1,000 schools from
 coast to coast in the United States and Canada have already stepped up to
 the challenge, establishing O Ambassadors Clubs in their schools and
 community. This one-hour episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" airing on May
 26 will invite and inspire many more to take action now.
 
     Founded in 1995 by Craig Kielburger at age 12, Free The Children has
 already galvanized hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide to
 create tangible solutions for their peers in the developing world by
 building more than 500 schools and hundreds of clean water projects. The
 organization first caught Winfrey's attention in 1999 when Craig was a
 guest on her show. Since then, Free The Children has worked with Oprah's
 Angel Network to build 58 schools in Africa, South and Central America and
 Asia.
 
     For more information on the O Ambassadors program, visit
 www.oambassadors.org.
 
     Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping
 children through education, with more than one million youth involved in
 our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded
 in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The
 Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has
 received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (also
 known as the Children's Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World
 Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful
 associations with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. For more
 information on Free The Children visit www.freethechildren.com.
 
     The O Ambassadors project is a joint initiative of Oprah's Angel
 Network and Free The Children that inspires young people to become active,
 compassionate and knowledgeable global citizens to create lasting change in
 the world. By working toward the United Nations' Millennium Development
 Goals, O Ambassadors encourages young leaders to dream big and accelerate
 global change through a step-by-step exploration of active learning about
 important issues in Africa, Asia and Latin America; sharing their message
 with their friends and families; and working together to take action. O
 Ambassadors gives young people the tools they need to build bridges of
 understanding and make all the difference in the world. Visit
 www.oambassadors.org to learn more.
 
 
 

SOURCE Free the Children