International charity and educational partner Free The Children, alongside Regional Title Sponsor BlackBerry, officially announced the lineup of international speakers and chart-topping performers set to inspire 6,000 students who have earned their way through service to attend We Day Waterloo Region on November 20, 2013 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
From musical sensations Nelly Furtado and Shawn Desman to inspirational speakers like human rights advocate Martin Luther King III and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair in June 2012, Spencer West, the diverse lineup will join Free The Children co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger to share their passion for change, international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances.
Leading the crowd through a day full of educational speeches and show-stopping performances will be platinum-selling, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artist and host of We Day Waterloo Region, Shawn Desman.
The list of speakers and performers announced to date (with more to be revealed) include:
- Martin Luther King III – Human rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Nelly Furtado (@NellyFurtado) – GRAMMY® and JUNO award-winner and Free The Children ambassador
- Shawn Desman (@DaRealSD) – Platinum-selling, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artist and host of We Day Waterloo Region
- Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI
- 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 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
- Chris Tse – Me to We inspirational speaker, national spoken-word champion and humanitarian
“We Day is the foundation to inspire a year of service and help students from across Waterloo Region find their passion for the causes they care about,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children. “But it doesn’t stop there. Students are truly making real impact all year round. Last year alone students involved in the We Act program raised $6 million for over 550 local and global causes, and logged more than 1.7 million volunteer hours.”
“I’ve had the amazing opportunity to travel overseas to visit Free The Children’s development projects and see first-hand the impact and real change that youth at home are doing to help their global peers,” said Nelly Furtado, award-winning artist and Free The Children ambassador. “That’s what We Day inspires and celebrates – local and global change all year round; and I am so excited be a part of that and perform at We Day Waterloo Region this year.”
We Day is a stadium-sized educational event and a movement of young people leading local and global change. Youth in attendance can’t buy a ticket to We Day; they earn it through service by committing to take action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice to better the world as part of Free The Children’s year-long educational program, We Act. Since 2007, youth involved in the We Act program have raised $37 million for over 1000 local and global causes, and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer hours.
We Day is free of charge to thousands of students and educators in attendance thanks to the generous support in Waterloo Region by Title Sponsor BlackBerry and across Canada by National Co-Title sponsors, RBC and TELUS.
Everyone can tune in on November 20, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. ET to watch the live stream of We Day Waterloo Region on www.weday.com.
Stay connected:
– Like We Day on Facebook: facebook.com/WeDay
– Twitter: @Freethechildren; @CraigKielburger
– Official Hashtag: #WeDay
– Visit www.weday.com
