Kim Plewes

Topics

Presentations

Be the Change: Answering the Call to Life-long Activism

Character Building: Empathy, Respect and Responsibility

Peace Building

Summary Profile

An avid human rights activist, Kim Plewes is living proof that being young is powerful.

Passionate about child labour and the plight of children around the world, Plewes started her advocacy work at the age of 12, almost single-handedly collecting over 6,000 signatures on her first petition and presenting it to the Canadian Parliament. Shortly after Plewes began working with Free The Children-then a new organization-and was instrumental in implementing a vast array of new projects and programs. Some of her accomplishments to date are the initiation and facilitation of the Life in Action program, in partnership with the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation. She also assisted with the development of Free The Children's first US-based office in California.

No stranger to personal suffering and loss, Plewes dealt with hardships at an early age, including the loss of her father after a seven-year battle with cancer and the sudden loss of her best friend in a car accident. She demonstrates how to truly live a meaningful life by remaining open and giving of herself to others.

Drawing on her international volunteer experience, Plewes uses her powerful gift of storytelling to honour the many people she has encountered: youth living on the streets in Haiti, children who have never attended school in Kenya and young people who live and work in garbage dumps in Jamaica and Nicaragua.

Some of Plewes' most noted speaking engagements include an event at the Hong Kong International School, the Youth Speak We Listen International Peace Conference hosted by Egypt's First Lady Susan Mubarak, the World Children's Prize country-wide speaking tour and a variety of leading private school engagements across Canada and the United States. Incredibly inspiring as a speaker, Plewes has the unique ability to motivate others to find their own path to greatness.

Though driven and committed to her work with Free The Children and other local and international organizations, Plewes is now working towards completing her degree in international studies at American University in Washington D.C. and still manages to find balance and peace in her life. On her morning jogs through the American capital, Kim loves to listen to audio books and is exploring a newfound love of photography. She tries to live her life by the beautiful words of Julia "Butterfly" Hill, "I wake up in the morning asking myself, 'What can I do today? How can I help the world today?' I believe in what I do beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Career Highlights:

• The initiation and facilitation of the Life in Action program, in partnership with the Dr. Robert C and Veronica Atkins Foundation.
• Assisting with the development of Free the Children's first US-based office in California
• Some of Kim's most noted speaking engagements include an event at the Hong Kong. International School, the Youth Speak We Listen International Peace Conference hosted by Egypt's First Lady Susan Mubarak, the World Children's Prize country-wide speaking tour and a variety of leading private school engagements across Canada and the United States.

Rave Reviews:
"Kim's presentation was well received. The young people on my planning committee said that she was very informative and really got them thinking. Thanks so much for everything."

Youth Development Program Specialist, 4-H National Headquarters

"Kim did an excellent job! She far surpassed our expectations and gave us a wonderful evening."

Director of the Scholars Program, Flathead Valley Community College