About the Show

Created by Free The Children to celebrate the power of young people to create positive change, We Day is a day-long event that ignites a year-long program for change called We Schools in Action. In 2010, Free The Children brings We Day to Toronto, Vancouver and, for the first time ever, Montreal.

The event brings inspirational speeches and performances to young leaders and activists. Students then bring that energy home to take action on local and global issues all year long. Free The Children’s We Day is the celebration, the inspiration and the vehicle for young people to change the world.

We Day brings together an unmatched line-up of global leaders, social activists, cultural icons and entertainers to inspire young people to take action. This year’s exciting line-up of speakers and performers include:

Toronto - September 30, 2010 at 9:30am ET

• Alexandre Bilodeau – Canada’s first Olympian to win gold on home turf
• Betty Williams – Nobel peace laureate, author and activist
• Cast members from DEGRASSI
• Cast of MTV’s hit TV series – THE BURIED LIFE 
• Cherie Blair – Wife of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, and best-selling author
• Craig & Marc Kielburger – Co-Founders of international children’s charity, Free The Children
• Deepak Chopra – Bestselling author, renowned speaker, physician and media personality
• Down With Webster – Toronto’s hottest seven member pop rock/hip hop band
• Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish – Author and peace activist
• Greyson Chance – 13-year-old singer, songwriter, pianist and YouTube phenom
• Jacob Hoggard – Lead singer for Hedley, multi-platinum recording artists
• K'naan – Internationally celebrated Canadian poet, rapper and musician
• Michel Chikwanine – Former child soldier and Me to We motivational speaker
• Rocky Dawuni - Ghana’s international music star
• Scott Hammell – Magician and Me to We motivational speaker
• Spencer West – Me to We motivational speaker

Vancouver - October 15, 2010 at 10am PT

• Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore – author and Nobel Laureate
• Barenaked Ladies – Multi-award winning and iconic Canadian rock band
• Colbie Caillat – American pop and country singer-songwriter
• Craig & Marc Kielburger – Co-Founders of Free The Children and international
• children’s rights activists
• Ethan Zohn – Winner of the hit TV show SURVIVOR, co-founder of Grassroot Soccer and motivational speaker
• Hedley – Multi-platinum recording artists
• Martin Sheen – Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor and activist
• Michel Chikwanine – Former child soldier and Me to We motivational speaker
• Philippe Cousteau – Chief Ocean Correspondent for Animal Planet and Planet Green, and co-founder of EarthEcho
• Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. – civil rights leader and politician
• Rick Hansen – Canadian athlete, activist and six time Paralympian
• Robin Wiszowaty – Author of My Maasai Life: From Suburbia to Savannah and community development worker
• Scott Hammell – Magician and Me to We motivational speaker
• Spencer West – Me to We motivational speaker

Montréal - November 12, 2010 at 9:30am ET

• Mia Farrow, actress and activist
• Marc Garneau, astronaut
• Robin Wiszowaty, author and community development worker
• Spencer West, motivational speaker and inspirational youth leader

A huge part of We Day is the celebration of the power of youth and their schools to change the world. Take a look at the amazing accomplishments of schools in past years.

As a result of We Day:

• 5,000 action plans have been created since 2007.
• More than $5 million has been raised by participating students for diverse charities.
• By the end of the 2009/2010 school year, young people will have volunteered more than 1,000,000 hours in support of local and global causes.

Impacts of the 2009 year-long program:

• Young trick-or-treaters collected 217,713 lbs. of food with Halloween for Hunger, donating it all to local food banks to help fight hunger and poverty in their communities.
• On November 20, 2009, over 60,000 people took the Vow of Silence to raise awareness of children’s rights worldwide. Together they were silent for 483,000 hours, which hour-on-hour equals 55 years without a voice.
• Youth across Canada raised over $1.5 million for local causes and $3 million for global causes, totaling nearly $4.6 million that went towards organizations working to improve our communities and our world.

We Day 2009

Past speakers and performers include:

• His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
• Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace
• Sarah McLachlan
• The cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation
• The Jonas Brothers
• Jessi Cruickshank, host of MTV’s The After Show.
• Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire (Retired)
• The Canadian Tenors
• Craig and Marc Kielburger, Co-Founders of Free The Children

Enhance your We Day experience

Free The Children’s partner organization, Me to We, can help you make the most of your We Day experience! Me to We provides better choices for a better world and supports Free The Children’s work at home and abroad.

Me to We also offers everything you need to heighten your We Day experience!