Twenty thousand students and educators packed Rogers Arena on Wednesday for We Day, an annual event focused on engaging youth to start and ultimately lead local and global change.
We Day was founded by Canadian brothers Mark and Craig Keilburger after Craig learned about child labor in third world countries. Today the philanthropic brothers host We Days in 14 cities across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. They are also behind the Me To We organization, which provides socially conscious and environmentally friendly products and opportunities to benefit those in need.
This year’s event was hosted by Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and singer/actress Selena Gomez and featured inspiring speeches about youth empowerment. American hip hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, English actor Orlando Bloom and Olympic rower Silken Lauman were among the many to speak. Other big names popular with teens and pre-teens included Nick Jonas, Shawn Mendes and Marianas Trench. A surprise performance by singer Jennifer Lopez closed the annual event.
Mark and Craig Keilburger spoke a number of times throughout the day, touching on bullying, hunger, education, technology and the power of “we” to positively affect change. A key theme was the power of a single person performing a small act to ignite a spark, bringing others along, ultimately to generate action and big changes in the wellbeing of others. An uplifting energy radiated on the crowd as everyone chanted in union “Who is willing to stand up? We are! Who is willing to be the change? We are!”
Students from more than 700 schools took part the event, coming from as far away as Whitehorse and Prince George. “We left at 3 p.m. yesterday and stayed in a hotel last night,” said Paige, a student from Kelowna.
We Day is a free event, but you can’t buy a ticket, instead every student must show that they have participated in local or global action.
The day was modelled on a school day with periods, alarm bells, and a humorous principal who made morning announcements. It was punctuated by a We Day dance move that got the attendees out of their seats and bouncing up and down.
“It really makes you think about how lucky we are in Canada. Access to education and running water is something that a lot of kids around the world don’t have,” said a Grade 6 student from Millard Elementary.
“We want to be able to help them,” her classmate chimed in.
Toronto author and social activist Spencer West spoke of the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education being the foundation for technological advancements that can bring change to disadvantaged populations.
When asked about what she took from the day, Isisdorosa from Okanagan Mission Secondary said, “if you believe in yourself, people can’t take you down. No matter who you are, you can make change”
The event closed with a heartfelt message from an emotional Selena Gomez who spoke to the issues today’s youth face all too often: “You are not defined by an Instagram photo,” she said, adding, “Nobody remembers the haters.”
You can find out more about We Day at WeDay.com. For every download of the We365 app, Telus will donate $5 in support of We Day and educational programs.
Teagan Cain is a Grade 11 student at Killarney secondary school.
