I spent a week volunteering with the New Media team at Free The Children in July and I could not have dreamed up a more exciting week to be there. On July 20th Free The Children announced some big changes that are best explained by co-founder, Craig Kielburger:

You all know the story that twenty-one years ago I was struck by the story of Iqbal Masih — so much so that we started a group dedicated to fighting child labour, then known as the “Twelve 12-year-olds.” Of course, we were quick to outgrow the name when one of our members celebrated their 13^th birthday, and so was born “Free The Children”. And now, once again, we’ve outgrown our name. With millions of passionate change-makers involved in our programs, we have come to the decision that now is the right time to unify all of our work under one name.

Welcome to WE.

For those of us who have been involved with Free The Children, ME to WE and WE Day, this feels really … right. It’s all about giving one name to the things that WE do, it’s what WE believe, it’s how WE come together. You see where I’m going with this. Craig always understood that he couldn’t change the world alone, he needed the support and found that in his family, friends and teachers. That support grew to include international politicians and activists, celebrity ambassadors, boards of education, corporate partners and millions of young people – like me. When people come together with a common goal, everything they do, starts with “WE”.

To honour where it all began, with 12-year-old Craig and his group of 12 12-year-olds, I’m going to share 12 things that come together under WE. Here’s what you need to know.

1. WE.org

You can find everything that you need to know at WE.org – that’s where WE come together now.

2. The WE Movement

WE is a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools and resources they need to take action to change the world. A unique family of organizations, WE is made up of two divisions: WE Charity and ME to WE  The celebration of that change happens at WE Day.

3. WE Charity

WE Charity is the charitable division of WE empowering change with resources that create sustainable impact. This is done through the charity’s domestic programming like WE Schools and internationally through the sustainable development model, Free The Children’s WE Villages.

4. ME to WE

ME to WE Social Enterprise creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. These products and services include handmade ME to WE artisans accessories, ME to WE trips, the ME to WE Speakers Bureau, Take Action Camp and ME to We Leadership programming. Since 2009, ME to WE has donated more than $8.5 million in cash and in-kind donations to support the work of Free The Children (WE Charity).

5. WE Day

WE Day celebrates what WE do – as individuals, as schools, as families and as corporations. WE Day brings our community together in stadiums in 3 countries to celebrate the change that WE have made and to inspire the change that WE will make.

Born out of a dream, 2 brothers fueled by the desire for change, by the hope that the world can be a better place. They called it WE Day.

6. WE at School

As students, we spend more time than anywhere else at school (at least from September to June), making it the perfect time and place to live WE. Students and Teachers, it’s all here for you – information, tools and resources for clubs, curriculum, classroom resources, campaign tools, speakers, youth summits and Aboriginal programming. Our schools are our communities and where WE can connect, collaborate and be inspired.

7. WE at Home

Craig and Marc have always said that living WE, starts at home. Home is the first place that we know that we are part of something beyond ourselves and that our actions impact those around us. I can tell you from experience that living WE is something that I do together with my family and that WE are closer to each other because it. Also, WE young changemakers need the support from our family and there are tools and resources at WE.org to help you live WE at home.

8. WE at Work

Living WE at work is a lot like living WE at School and getting involved with your team of coworkers in actions that give back to your community is something that can become part of your company culture. There are so many ways that you can get involved locally and globally and it make you feel really good about what you do.

9. WE for Me

To Live WE for Me is to believe that one person can change the world. Living WE for Me is giving the world all you’ve got – your voice, your actions, your kindness. We all have unique gifts to give, and when bonded together we build a movement that’s diverse and exciting.

10. WE Villages

WE Villages is how WE create change and how WE do international development. It’s sustainable because it works with the community to address the 5 primary causes of poverty that WE call the 5 Pillars: Education, Water, Health, Food and Opportunity. WE Villages is working in 8 countries: Kenya, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Haiti, China, India, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. When I was in Kenya I saw WE Villages in action and I can tell you the people and community are thriving.

11. WE 365

WE365 is an app that connects our community online  – living WE every day of the year. On WE365 you can meet and connect with other young changemakers who share your issues and where you can discover more ways that you can take action. Anyone on WE365 can make a challenge that goes out to the WE365 community to create a ripple effect of change. WE365 is available on all mobile devices.

12. Pledge to Live WE

Take the pledge to live WE everyday. By the way we act. By the way we help others. By the way we live. We will be examples of kindness to and service to all those around us.

When he was 12-years-old Craig Kielburger was inspired to make a difference in the world. His group of 12 12-year-olds became Free The Children and it grew and grew and grew. Today we call it WE.