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American Express Canada teams up with Free the Children's Craig & Marc Kielburger, Metric's Emily Haines and 'Survivorman' Les Stroud to help realize Canada's potential

MARKHAM, ON, Aug. 2, 2011 /CNW/ - Today American Express Canada is launching Room for Thought, a contest designed to help realize the potential of Canadians. Room for Thought will seek out big ideas from members of the public, and will then help turn three ideas into reality by giving three winners direct access to the expertise, insight and experience of high profile mentors - Free the Children co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, Metric lead singer Emily Haines and TV's Survivorman, Les Stroud.

Room for Thought will culminate with the winning visions being brought to life in a physical space in downtown Toronto this November, where each idea will be transformed into an inspirational, interactive free event open to the public.

From today until August 23^rd, entrants can submit their ideas at www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada in one of three categories: Community, Music or Travel & Adventure. The winning submissions will not only fit into one of the three categories, but also include an element of giving back, such as creating community gardens, or finding ways to open up travel or music to people who might currently not have access.

"I love the prospect of not just finding a great idea - but of bringing that idea to life in the middle of a city and inspiring others in the process," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free the Children and one of Room for Thought's Community mentors. "I can't wait to see what Canadians imagine."

The mentors, along with American Express Canada, will choose three finalists in each category. After that, the Facebook community will vote on one winning idea each for Community, Music and Travel & Adventure.

"Room for Thought is a great chance for people to bring their ideas forward and see them transformed into action," said Emily Haines, lead singer of Metric. "It's not always easy to get your ideas out to the public and receive support to develop them, so I hope people will use the opportunity to be bold. I'm curious and excited to see what happens."

The three winning entrants will gain personal support from the panel of mentors. As well as receiving mentoring sessions tailored to their specific needs, the mentor's role will also be to nurture the winner and help develop their existing idea. The winners will also be offered guidance in areas such as finance, marketing and networking as relevant, with the mentors support extending beyond the physical Room for Thought activity to help each winner truly realize their potential. 

"I love that the Room for Thought program focuses on mentorship. An idea is just an idea until it's fostered and nurtured and turned into action, and mentorship is a big part of making that happen," said Les Stroud, best known for his Survivorman television series. "Great things can happen when people work together."

For those interested in following these ideas as they grow and develop into the Room for Thought installations, the American Express Canada Facebook page will be updated regularly with inspirational content from each of the mentors, behind-the-scenes video of the mentoring process and will offer a unique insight into how a simple idea can grow into something amazing.

Anyone entering the contest  regardless of whether their idea is selected as a winner - will receive an exclusive 'How to Realize your Potential' workbook created especially for American Express by The School of Life, an organization which specializes in programs and services concerned with how to live wisely and well.

"We're really excited to be launching American Express Canada presents Room for Thought and to offer members of the public the opportunity to work so closely with such inspirational leaders in their fields," said David Barnes, VP Communications, American Express Canada. "The American Express 'Realize the Potential' campaign is all about helping people achieve more in life, and we're looking forward to following our winners as they embark on a once in a lifetime journey which we hope will see them realize their dreams."

For more information on the program - including how to enter, the selection process and the role the mentors will be playing - visit www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada

About the Mentors
Craig and Marc Kielburger co-founded Free the Children, an international children's charity and youth empowerment organization, and Me to We, an innovative social enterprise that provides consumers with socially conscious and environmentally friendly products and life-changing experiences

Emily Haines is a Canadian singer and songwriter, best known as the front woman in Toronto's indie dance-rock band, Metric. She also performs as a member of Broken Social Scene.

Les Stroud is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker and musician. He is most well-known for creating, writing, directing, producing and hosting the television series Survivorman.

About American Express Canada
American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express charge and credit cards, with outstanding products like the American Express® Gold Rewards Card, and the American Express® AeroplanPlus® Gold Card. Amex Canada Inc. operates the Corporate Travel and Travellers Cheques divisions in Canada. American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs 3,700 Canadians coast-to-coast. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada.

About Room for Thought and Realize the Potential
Room for Thought is part of the American Express Realize the Potential campaign, seeking to communicate not only the services that American Express offers but also the broader potential of both individuals and people as a whole. The foundations of the idea lie in the philosophy that the world would be a better place if more of the untapped potential within it were set free. For more information please visit American Express Canada - Realize the Potential or www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada.