Taking Part in WE DAY

On September 20th, I was fortunate enough to go to the Air Canada Center for  WE DAY.  We Day is an annual event organized by the Free The Children organization. With tons of motivational speakers and famous performers, WE DAY is a live performance that motivates young people to work together in making the world a better place. You cannot buy or purchase a ticket to WE DAY, you have to earn it.

   

(http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-create-change/)

This was my second time going to WE DAY.  Although, it was my first time at the ACC, so I was super excited!  The first time I went, was last April in Ottawa-Gatineau. I went with a group of students from my school and 2 teachers. One of the teachers had asked me if I was interested in coming on this Ottawa Trip that included tickets to WE DAY, and I did not hesitate to say yes! After witnessing and learning more about Free The Children and the things they do, myself and the group of students who went decided that we wanted to start a Me 2 We club of our own and earn ourselves tickets to return to WE DAY. With lots of determination we made it back, by participating in the WE CREATE CHANGE initiative of Free the Children “ Collect $20 in coins, and your change can provide a brick for the construction of a new school". As a school, we collected about 450 pennies and earned our tickets to WE DAY. This is just the beginning and we plan to continue helping to make a difference locally and internationally. But more about what inspired this great goal, 

WE DAY...

     

This year WE DAY was short, absolutely nothing! From an amazing stage to the most awesome line up, it was honestly a day to never forget. Performers ranged from Chris Hadfield, Martin Luther King III, the inspiring Spencer West, a man with no legs that climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, to well known performers such as Imagine Dragons, the Jonas Brothers, Austin Mahone and Demi Lovato. Not to forget, the Free The Children co-founders, as well as the two people that started WE DAY in the first place, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger, of which Craig Kielburger first initiated when he was only 12 years old!

Personally, I had many highlights from the show, like seeing Darren Criss the host and a character from my favourite show Glee, a few people from Degrassi and Imagine Dragons performing their hit song Radioactive. The performance had many strengths such as the use of technology. Their were TV’s for each part of the audience to see with many short yet inspiring clips. One of the show’s greatest strengths was that it had a nice flow. In its entirety, there was never a dull moment. Although there were a few technical difficulties towards the end, which in my opinion were the only weaknesses that the show had. Each speaker had a particular ME 2 WE shirt which stood as the show’s costume! I myself purchased two Me 2 We shirts. These shirts have cool designs and there are many of them. The shirts also have an environmentally helpful slogan “BUY A TEE PLANT A TREE”, so for each shirt bought, Me 2 We plants a tree. 

All in all, WE DAY is exceptionally mind-changing and effective. It gives you a new perspective towards helping the world and those less fortunate. Each speaker had their own story that grasped every person in the audience, child or adult, everyone was drawn into the inspiring tales of triumph, struggle, and offering a helping hand. Ultimately, I believe the message being sent to thousands of people through the live performances, motivational speakers, and inspiring clips is BE THE CHANGE. Free the Children stands by that motto and coincidentally so does DSSS. I believe that the students of DSSS would benefit from having motivational speakers come to their school to give them a new outlook on life. The motivational speakers don’t only have to be talking about changing the world but they can start on many topics such as starting with changing yourself, staying on the right track, and keeping out of trouble. Furthermore, I’m beyond glad that I partake in ME 2 WE, and WE DAY. Free The Children is an amazing organization that has inspired myself and many others to BE THE CHANGE.