International charity and educational partner, Free The Children, in partnership with MTV and Much, and alongside National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, announced the first group of names joining the star-studded lineups set to inspire 40,000 students who have earned their way through service to attend We Day Toronto (Air Canada Centre, September 20) and We Day Vancouver (Rogers Arena, October 18). The two events will be taped for broadcast on MTV and Much, premiering Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on MTV and Much, and will be streamed live at www.MTV.ca/weday.
From fresh new faces like Austin Mahone, Serena Ryder and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, to We Day alum like Demi Lovato, Hedley, the Jonas Brothers, a diverse lineup will join international activists and Free The Children co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change, international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances. Highlights of the events will also include show-stopping surprise guest appearances and must-see moments.
On the heels of the 50th anniversary of his father’s memorable I Have a Dream speech, an exciting addition to the lineup this year is human rights advocate Martin Luther King III who will be speaking at We Day events across North America in 2013.
Leading the electrified crowds will be Darren Criss from the Emmy® Award-winning series Glee (host for We Day Toronto) and MTV hosts Aliya-Jasmine Sovani and Scott Willats (hosts for We Day Vancouver).
The full list of speakers and performers announced to date include:
Toronto – Friday, September 20, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre
- The Honourable David C. Onley (@LGDavidOnley) – Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- The Honourable Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) – Premier of Ontario
- Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – President of Liberia and first elected female Head of State in Africa
- Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) – Award-winning singer-songwriter and Free The Children ambassador
- Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) – GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum artists
- Darren Criss (@darrencriss) – Cast member from the Emmy® Award-winning series Glee (host for We Day Toronto)
- Martin Luther King III – Human Rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Austin Mahone (@austinmahone) – Award-Winning American pop singer and YouTube sensation
- Serena Ryder (@serenaryder) – JUNO Award-winning artist
- Col. Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) – Retired Canadian astronaut and first Canadian to walk in space
- Barenaked Ladies (@barenakedladies) – JUNO Award-winning rock band
- Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI (@Degrassi)
- Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons – CFL Hall of Famer, Vice Chair of the Toronto Argonauts
- Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of Free The Children
- Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) – Traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama
- Youth speakers – Hannah Alper, Vishal Vijay and Sydney Brouillard-Coyle
- Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children ambassador, author and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair in June, 2012
- Molly Burke (@mollymetowe) – Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker who speaks out against bullying and the power of hope
- Robin Wiszowaty (@robininkenya) – Me to We motivational speaker, author and Free The Children Program Director in Ghana and Kenya
- Chris Tse – Me to We inspirational speaker, national spoken-word champion and humanitarian
- More to be announced…
Vancouver – Friday, October18, 2013 at the Rogers Arena
- Kofi Annan (@KofiAnnan) – Former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, who has recently launched the ‘Kofi Annan Dialogues’, a series of online conversations inspiring young people to lead
- Martin Luther King III – Human Rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Hedley (@Hedleyonline) – Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artists
- Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of Free The Children
- The Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire – Lieutenant-General and author
- Down With Webster (@DOWNWITHWEBSTER) – Five-time JUNO Award-nominated, platinum selling genre-defying band with new album, Party for your Life, coming out October 22nd
- Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI (@Degrassi)
- MTV hosts Aliya-Jasmine Sovani (@AliyaJasmine) and Scott Willats (@scottywillats) (hosts for We Day Vancouver)
- Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) – Traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama
- Youth speakers – Hannah Alper and Vishal Vijay
- Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children ambassador, author and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair in June 2012
- Molly Burke (@mollymetowe) – Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker who speaks out against bullying and the power of hope
- Robin Wiszowaty (@robininkenya) – Me to We motivational speaker, author and Free The Children Program Director in Ghana and Kenya
- Chris Tse – Me to We inspirational speaker, national spoken word champion and humanitarian
- More to be announced…
“I had the opportunity this past summer to participate with Free The Children’s communities in Kenya, and see first-hand the lasting impact that youth in North America are making through their charitable work,” said Joe Jonas from the Grammy® nominated, multi-platinum band the Jonas Brothers. “I understand what it means to these communities to have access to clean water and an education and I was thrilled to get involved by committing to help build two schools overseas with Free The Children. It may seem like a simple assignment to make one local and one global commitment, but these efforts fundamentally impact the lives of people around the world.”
“We Day is a room that can transform people, where messages about bullying and social issues can resonate and a place where students can find people just like them,” said Free The Children ambassador Demi Lovato. “Growing up I was forced to deal with many personal struggles and I craved a space where I not only belonged but felt powerful enough to make a difference. To me, that’s what We Day does – it brings people together in a day of celebration for world change, showing them they aren’t alone in their journey and that it is cool to care. And I am so grateful to be a part of that.”
“As kids, we face different pressures all the time,” said Austin Mahone, Award-Winning American pop singer. “You’ve got to surround yourself with positive people in your life, and that’s what We Day does. It brings people together to celebrate the difference we can make for each other. I’m so excited to be a part of it for the first time this year!”
We Day is a stadium-sized educational event and a movement of young people leading local and global change. We Day is tied to the year-long program, We Act, which supports students and educators with free educational resources, student-led campaigns and support materials to help turn the event’s inspiration into sustained activation. Since 2007, youth involved in the We Act program have raised $37 million dollars for over 1000 local and global causes and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer hours.
The 2013/2014 We Day season will see more than 160,000 in attendance, and millions more watching online at www.MTV.ca/weday and through the broadcast special premiering on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on MTV and Much; and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. ET on CTV. The largest season to date, We Day will stop in twelve cities across North America and for the first time ever internationally with We Day UK in Spring 2014, truly making this a global movement for change.
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.
Stay connected:
– Like We Day on Facebook: facebook.com/WeDay
– Twitter: @Freethechildren; @CraigKielburger
– Official Hashtag: #WeDay
– Visit www.weday.com
