OUR STORY

It all began with a single question: how can we encourage and support youth across Canada to take action to better our communities?

Pledges for Change was inspired by Brennan’s experience in the village of Llullin Totoras, Ecuador with Free The Children in 2012. Due to inclement weather, his volunteer group was falling short of its goal of completing a school-building project during their time in Ecuador. However, his group’s passion and efforts inspired the villagers to come forward and call a “minga”, which is the coming together of a community to collectively work towards a shared goal. All members contribute, even though some may not directly benefit from the effort; the common good is the overriding objective.

This was a philosophy that Brennan was excited to share with his fellow peers back home.

OUR MISSION:

To address barriers to youth volunteerism and support the next generation of volunteers in Canada.

PILOTS

We believe that volunteerism is an effective tool for young people to tackle the most pressing social issues they care most about. As a result, we’ve begun working more closely with the non-profit sector than ever before the explore and introduce new types of volunteer experiences through “pilots” that allow young people to make a meaningful difference.

PROGRAMS

Through our signature events and other community initiatives we play a leading role in, we’re actively encouraging young people across Canada to start making a significant difference in the communities they live in through volunteerism.

WHERE ARE WE NOW:

Since 2013, we have been creating a movement of young Canadians empowered to volunteer. By investing resources to encourage and enable our up-and-coming generation to tackle societal challenges through volunteerism, we’ve demonstrated that the collective efforts of young people can be a powerful force of change.