Standing in a room with 10,000 Atlantic Canadian “Change Makers,” all sharing the same passion to change our world is simply amazing, says the organization that wants to make changes happen.
The organization ME to WE, which hosts WE Day, works to empower “Generation WE” to move from an egoistic lifestyle to living more altruistically.
Waterford Valley High’s Social Justice Committee is a registered WE School that has made a commitment to support at least one local and one global cause throughout its school year.
Through its work with ME to WE, the Waterford Valley group students were given the opportunity from WestJet to travel to WE Day Atlantic in Halifax on Nov. 30.
The group — comprised of 14 youth and three teachers — were inspired, empowered and ready to create change and fight for a just society. The Waterford Valley Social Justice group consists of 25 members, but only 14 were awarded airfare and hotels via WestJet to WE Day.
“WE Day celebrates a generation of empowered youth, who have come together in the hope that the world can be better a place,” WE co-founder Craig Kielberger said.
WE Day is different from other conferences as you can’t buy a ticket, you must earn it.
Listening to speakers such as Alexandre Trudeau, Craig Kielburger, Spencer West and co-host Hannah Alper share their life experiences, empowered every youth in the room.
In addition, WE Day Atlantic Canada brought together renowned speakers, presenters and chart-topping musical artists such Kerry Kennedy, Brett Kissel, Tyler Shaw, Matthew Santoro, Tyler Simmonds, Carol Todd, Val Weisler and Sarah Wells (a full list is included in the fact box below).
Youth from across Atlantic Canada shared empowering stories on the WE Day stage, and the Scotiabank Centre was filled with thousands of young change-makers who earned their ticket to WE Day by taking action in their local and global communities.
WE Day truly was the greatest classroom in the world.
“You couldn’t imagine a more incredible energy as the stadium fills with the country’s next generation of change-makers committed to making a lasting difference across the globe,” Kielberger said.
“This year alone, we saw more than 440 schools and youth groups from across Atlantic Canada rise to the challenge of creating sustainable change, proving that together, we can make doing good, doable,” he added.
More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the free, yearlong educational program WE Schools. Providing schools and community groups with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns, the program is designed to enhance a school’s existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Schools encourage students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills for success beyond the classroom.
NOTE – This story contains files from the Waterford Valley Social Justice Group and information provided by the WE Day organization.
Speakers and Performers
The following is a complete list of speakers, performers and social activists who helped make We Day Atlantic a huge success for its participants:
• Hannah Alper(@ThatHannahAlper) — Blogger, ME to WE motivational speaker and WE Ambassador
• Caleb Burt — Community youth leader, activist and magician
• Ayjay Colley
• Rachel Brouwer — Advocate for clean drinking water
• Nina Davey and Georgia Murray
• Tyrone Edwards(@mr1LOVETO) — Host, E!/Much
• Roger Howard — Regional President, Atlantic Provinces, RBC
• Aqsa Hussain — Activist and spoken word poet
• Kerry Kennedy(@KerryKennedyRFK) — President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
• Craig Kielburger(@craigkielburger) — International activist and co-founder of WE
• Brett Kissel(@BrettKissel) — Award-winning country music artist
• Celebrity Marauders — International DJ collective including Kardinal Offishall, Cipha Sounds, DJ Starting From Scratch and Dready
• Shelley Petit — WE Schools educator
• Matthew Santoro(@MatthewSantoro) — YouTube star
• Tyler Shaw(@TylerShawMusic) — Platinum selling recording artist and actor
• Tyler Simmonds(@tylersimmonds) — Art & film director and mental health & social activist
• Carol Todd(@c_todd) — Parent, educator and mental health and online safety advocate
• Liz Trinnear(@liztrinnear) — ETALK Reporter and Much Host
• Alexandre Trudeau - Filmmaker, journalist and author
• Val Weisler(@TheValidate) — Founder & CEO, The Validation Project
• Sarah Wells(@SarahWells400mh) — RBC Olympian
• Spencer West(@spencer2thewest) — ME to WE motivational speaker, WE ambassador and author
• Taylor Wood
• Tai Young - 13-year-old speaker, aspiring actor and Broadway hopeful
• Samra Zafar(@iamsamrazafar) — Speaker, Human Rights Activist, Author, Social Entrepreneur, Governor of University of Toronto and recipient of RBC WE Global Citizen Award 2017
