Oprah´s Angel Network teams up with children´s charity to create change at home and around the world

TORONTO, May. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

TORONTO, May 21 /PRNewswire/ - On Monday, May 26, a one-hour episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will highlight the O Ambassadors program (www.oambassadors.org), a new leadership and education initiative developed to motivate and educate more than one million youth to get socially engaged and create positive change around the world. This unprecedented new program is a collaboration between Oprah's Angel Network and Free The Children.

Inspired by the commitment and passion for social change of young people involved with Free The Children's programming and what they have been able to achieve, the O Ambassadors program models Free The Children's unique approach of educating and connecting youth at home with communities and projects in developing countries. The program encourages young leaders to dream big and accelerate global change through a step-by-step exploration of active learning about important issues in Africa, Asia and Latin America; sharing their message with their friends and families; and working together to take action.

"Youth today aren't willing to wait for change to happen; they want to take action now," says Craig Kielburger. "We are honoured and excited to work with Oprah's Angel Network on this innovative program that motivates youth to get involved, inspires confidence that they can make a difference and encourages leadership opportunities within their school and communities. The O Ambassadors program supports the capacity of youth to change our world."

Through a soft-launch in September 2007, more than 1,000 schools from coast to coast in the United States and Canada have already stepped up to the challenge, establishing O Ambassadors Clubs in their schools and community. This one-hour episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" airing on May 26 will invite and inspire many more to take action now.

Founded in 1995 by Craig Kielburger at age 12, Free The Children has already galvanized hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide to create tangible solutions for their peers in the developing world by building more than 500 schools and hundreds of clean water projects. The organization first caught Winfrey's attention in 1999 when Craig was a guest on her show. Since then, Free The Children has worked with Oprah's Angel Network to build 58 schools in Africa, South and Central America and Asia.

For more information on the O Ambassadors program, visit www.oambassadors.org.

Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children's Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful associations with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. For more information on Free The Children visit www.freethechildren.com.

The O Ambassadors project is a joint initiative of Oprah's Angel Network and Free The Children that inspires young people to become active, compassionate and knowledgeable global citizens to create lasting change in the world. By working toward the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, O Ambassadors encourages young leaders to dream big and accelerate global change through a step-by-step exploration of active learning about important issues in Africa, Asia and Latin America; sharing their message with their friends and families; and working together to take action. O Ambassadors gives young people the tools they need to build bridges of understanding and make all the difference in the world. Visit www.oambassadors.org to learn more.