There has been a lot of coverage (spring and summer 2020) regarding the federal government’s relationship to We Charity (and various other branches of the Me to We organization.) While I do not have access to the background data etc, so can not confirm anything here definitively, I have tried to gather what I can in order to help make sense of what is going on. I have included some resources here, for you.

Based on my research, the fundamentals here seem to be that the founders were young and uneducated when they started this organization. Motivated, presumably, by a desire to do something good, but also widely misguided about how to do that, they started their own organization, instead of finding ways to support and existing, reputable organization. They had the option, like countless others 16 year old students, to volunteer in entry level positions with existing organizations, then spend 6 years in post-secondary education to get a Master’s degree in International Development, and then build a career from there. It is a much less flashy option than what they did, but it is a career path that is solid, reputable and based on excellent work being done by solid organizations – a much better outcome than what appears to have come out of WE.

We Really Need To Talk About WE’s White-Saviour Problem: HF

The danger of breaking development down into a simplistic model is that it can perpetuate stereotypes about developing countries as rural, agrarian and poor, and give the impression that with simple solutions, such as building a school, a community can sustainably lift itself out of poverty. It fails to delve into the nuances and barriers caused by colonialism, governance structures, conflict, climate change and a complex global economic system, or acknowledge constantly evolving urban development, innovation and social change.

………

I get it because I’ve done it — it’s easier to go on an exotic trip where you do a bit of work, tour around, and then get to upload your pictures to social media. It’s easier to view the problems of others as simpler than our own. But easy isn’t intentional, or impactful, or ethical, or right. Let’s do the harder work to untangle the deeper, systemic issues at play. And unless there are some major organizational changes, we will be doing it without WE. (Bold mine).

HP
  • Toronto Star: Voluntourism by charities like WE is based on faulty ideals of feel-good white saviourism.
  • Ontario government cuts ties with WE Charity: CBC
  • Global News: Canadian charities worry about loss of trust, donation amid WE scandal.
  • Toronto Star: WE says millions of kids participate in its Schools program. Here’s why two former employees say it’s misleading.
  • BBC News: WE charity scandal – A simple guide to the new crisis for Trudeau.
  • Global News: Charities don’t usually sponsor rich donors’ travel like WE Charity, experts say.
  • Ottawa Citizen: Saul: Let’s ask the right questions about WE Charity – and others.
  • Toronto Sun: LILLEY: Real estate is central to the WE/Kielburger story.
  • Toronto Star: From me, to we, to what next? How the Kielburgers went from charity rock stars to embroiled in a political scandal.
  • The Globe and Mail: Opinion: The Kielburgers need to grow up.

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NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS SATIRE AND IS NOT FACTUALLY ACCURATE! ENJOY!

Trudeau Hires Mennonites to Administer New $900 Million Roll Kuchen Grant Program: The Daily Bonnet

Eager to keep things on the up and up, the Trudeau family will also no longer be providing entertainment at WE Day events.

“The organization is trying to do everything they can to distance themselves from the Trudeau family,” said an event organizer, “including hiring the cheapest, least flashy, least Trudeau-like entertainment they could find: a Mennonite choir.”

The Daily Bonnet