In honour of Canada Day, I thought it would be interesting to focus on a Canadian social enterprise that has gained international attention. You may have first heard about Me to We on the Oprah Winfrey Show or some other American television program, but this social enterprise is 100% Canadian.

From Free the Children to Me to We

In 1995, 12 year old Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc began their mission to provide education to children around the world through their charity Free the Children. Today, Free the Children has built over 650 schools and every day provides 55,000 children access to education. Additionally, Free the Children has been involved in alternative income programs, water and sanitation projects and has increased the accessibility to medical resources for over one million individuals living in the third world.

Noticing that the administrative costs associated with running a charity diminished the funds reaching those in need and that a pure business model did not fit their mission, the brothers decided to enter the realm of social enterprise by blending charitable impact with business practices. In 2008, the Kielburger brothers were able to increase the sustainability of Free the Children by developing the innovative social enterprise Me to We. Me to We is a mechanism for social change that inspires first world citizens into making a difference. These programs are geared towards youth helping youth and over a million youth have been engaged worldwide since its inception.

Start with something you know, is what I keep on telling myself as I work on this week’s blog. Being new to the world of social enterprise, I will admit that I was at a loss when trying to decide what to write about.  That was until I realized that I had been exposed to a number of social enterprises before I joined the Trico Foundation team but lacked the vocabulary to identify them as such. I come from a Sociology background with my academic focus being Aboriginal peoples and it occurred to me that to make this first “deep-dive” a success, it would be best to stick with something I know. So for this blog I have decided to discuss Aboriginal peoples and social enterprise, specifically focusing on the Osoyoos First Nation.

Like many of you, having driven through Osoyoos I am always amazed by the various resorts, vineyards & wineries available to tour. But for me, one vineyard sets itself apart—the Osoyoos First Nation’s Nk’mip Cellars (pronounced in-ka-meep) is North America’s first Aboriginal owned and operated winey. The winery can produce 162,000 liters of both red and white wine, has won numerous awards, and their wines are available for purchase  in Calgary. I was first introduced to the Osoyoos First Nation on the CBC 8^th Fire Series, and then on my second day working with the Trico Foundation I was surprised to learn that their winery is a social enterprise.