Over 25 years, WE built a golden brand by inspiring children to rally around their charismatic leader. But behind the scenes, employees experienced a cult-like culture and a troubling blur of charitable and commercial activities. In the aftermath of a national scandal, thousands of donors and volunteers (and dozens of ‘celebrity ambassadors’) are left wondering where the money went, and whether the savior industry creates a constant need for victims.
From CANADALAND, the news company that exposed it all, this is the exclusive story of a charity that did well when it was supposed to be doing good.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over 25 years, WE built a golden brand by inspiring children to rally around their charismatic leader. But behind the scenes, employees experienced a cult-like culture and a troubling blur of charitable and commercial activities. In the aftermath of a national scandal, thousands of donors and volunteers (and dozens of ‘celebrity ambassadors’) are left wondering where the money went, and whether the savior industry creates a constant need for victims.
From CANADALAND, the news company that exposed it all, this is the exclusive story of a charity that did well when it was supposed to be doing good.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kids in 17,000 schools have been encouraged to take the WE Pledge, join the WE movement, and “Live WE.” But what does that really mean? In practice, it has meant fundraising for WE, paying the Kielburgers’ private company for a “voluntourism” trip, going to work for WE, and living in communal WE housing. According to many of those who lived WE, it meant joining an organization very much like a “cult.”
Music by Audio Network
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Official responses from WE:
With regards to child labour, WE Charity has said
“WE Charity’s commitment to ending child labour is evident and beyond reproach based on more than 20 years of dedication to working with the poorest children and families around the world.”
When asked about its partnerships, the WE Organization has said:
“We recognize that no company is ‘perfect,’ but we take a 360-analysis to determine the overall socially responsible practices of the business. We take our vetting process seriously and have frequently declined/halted pursuit of partnerships because they do not align with our values… We are dedicated to adhering to our strict vetting process, even in cases where the opportunity cost has been millions of dollars.”
The WE Charity story, according to WE:
https://www.we.org/en-CA/about-we/we-charity/our-story
WE Charity’s responses to Canadaland’s questions:
2018 investigation: https://www.canadaland.com/all-of-wes-answers-to-canadaland-and-letters-from-their-lawyers/
2019 investigation:
WE.org Transparency page:
https://www.we.org/en-CA/transparency-reporting/we-charity
WE.org Financials page:
https://www.we.org/en-CA/about-we/we-charity/governance/
ME to WE Transparency page:
https://www.we.org/en-CA/transparency-reporting/me-to-we
Further reading:
Canadaland’s reporting on WE Charity: https://www.canadaland.com/?s=we+charity
This episode contains source materials used under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act.
Sources:
Guelph Politicast
https://guelphpolitico.ca/2020/08/19/guelph-politicast-234-we-a-personal-story/
It Takes a Child
Craig Kielburger’s Story – A Journey into Child Labour
Directed by Judy Jackson
Produced by Judy Films
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produced, and narrated by Sherine Mansour
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.