We Day 2014 Talent Announcement

We Day, a global series of inspirational and educational youth empowerment events, announces the first group of names in the star-studded lineup of speakers and performers at We Day Toronto (Air Canada Centre, October 2, 2014) and We Day Vancouver (Rogers Arena, October 22, 2014). In partnership with MTV, and alongside National Co-Title sponsors, RBC and TELUS, We Day Toronto and Vancouver will bring together more than 40,000 students in an inspirational setting, celebrating the commitment they have made to take action on local and global change. The two events will be streamed live at www.mtv.ca/weday and taped for broadcast on MTV premiering Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. ET and on CTV, Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m. ET.

Taking the stage this year is a cast of returning favourites and new faces, including Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Hedley, Katie Couric, Joe Jonas, Shawn Mendes, Orlando Bloom, Big Sean, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Kweku Mandela and Col. Chris Hadfield. Along with others, this star-studded lineup will join international activists and We Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change, international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches. We Day fan favourite actress and multi-platinum recording artist, Selena Gomez, will lead the crowd as the host for We Day Vancouver.

“Speaking at We Day California last spring was a truly life-changing experience,” said actress, multi-platinum recording artist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Selena Gomez. “Sharing that moment with thousands of my peers left me feeling incredibly inspired – I believe that together we can actually make a difference in the world. I am so happy to be back and hosting We Day Vancouver this year.”

“Today’s young people – the Me to We generation – have the power to create and lead real systemic change through We Day, a Canadian national celebration of service,” said We Day co-founder, Craig Kielburger. “Over 200,000 students, coast to coast from 5,000 schools, earn their tickets to We Day by committing to take action on local and global causes they care about. They are truly moving the needle on some of today’s most important issues.”

We Day is the movement of our time – a movement of young people leading local and global change. Taking the philanthropic world by storm with events in the US, Canada and the UK, We Day is one of the world’s largest registered charities on social media, with more than five million followers. This year alone hundreds of thousands of young people will come together in stadium gatherings in 14 cities to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

You can’t buy a ticket to We Day—young people earn them by taking on one local and one global action. We Day provides a platform for youth to learn about some of today’s pressing social issues, helping to inspire them to become leaders and global citizens and to take action on the issues most important to them. We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of sponsors led by National Co-Title sponsors RBC and TELUS.

More than a one-day event, We Day is connected to the year-long We Act program, which provides educational resources and campaigns to help young people turn the day’s inspiration into sustained action. We Day and We Act are cause inclusive, empowering young people to find their passion and create the change they want to see.  By taking action on one local and one global cause, students are equipped with the tools to succeed academically, in the workplace and as active citizens. Together, We Day and We Act are a blueprint for building the next generation of global citizens.

The full list of speakers, performers and presenters announced to date include:

Toronto – Thursday October 2, 2014 at the Air Canada Centre

  • The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdes well – Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
  • Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan (@QueenNoor)
  • Big Sean (@BigSean) Award-winning American hip hop recording artist
  • Joe Jonas (@joejonas) – GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum artist and Free The Children ambassador
  • Hedley (@Hedleyonline) – Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artists and Free The Children ambassadors
  • Col. Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) – Astronaut, author, professor, musician, first Canadian to walk in space/command a spaceship
  • Lights (@lights) – Canadian pop multi-instrumentalist and JUNO Award winner
  • Kweku Mandela Social advocate, filmmaker, and grandson of President Nelson Mandela
  • Kardinal Offishall (@KardinalO)   Award-winning rap artist, music producer and Free The Children Ambassador
  • Katie Couric (@katiecouric) – Yahoo News Global Anchor and New York Times best-selling author
  • Nelly Furtado (@NellyFurtado) – Singer, songwriter, producer and Free The Children ambassador
  • R5 (@officialR5) – American pop rock band
  • Ed Robertson – Canadian musician and lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies
  • Shawn Desman (@DaRealSD) – Platinum-selling and Juno Award-winning recording artist
  • JRDN (@JRDNmusic) – Juno Award-winning artist and Free the Children ambassador
  • Karl Wolf (@KARLWOLFs) – International recording artist, MTV Europe Music Award winner and Free The Children ambassador
  • Neverest (@neverestmusic) Chart-topping, MMVA-nominated Canadian pop-rock band
  • Liz Trinnear (@liztrinnear) – Host of Much Countdown and host of We Day Toronto
  • Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI (@Degrassi)
  • Mustafa the Poet (@MustafaThePoet) – 18-year-old poet, writer, actor and emcee
  • Natalie Panek (@nmpanek)Rocket scientist, explorer, and advocate for women in technology
  • Alex Deans – 17-year-old artist, inventor and scientist
  • Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of We Day
  • Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We motivational speaker, Free The Children ambassador and author
  • Hannah Alper (@ThatHannahAlper) – 11 year old Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children Ambassador, blogger and youth activist
  • Ashley Rose Murphy (@msAmurphy) Motivational youth speaker
  • Stan Wesley (@StanWesley) – National speaker
  • Robin Wiszowaty (@robininkenya) – Me to We motivational speaker, author and Free The Children Program Director in Ghana and Kenya

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