Jonas, Lovato, Jepsen and Magic rock We Day
Eighth annual event packs ACC with kids eager to create change
More than 20,000 youngsters packed the Air Canada Centre to see some of their favourite celebrities take the stage for the eighth annual We Day event in Toronto.
A wide array of artists from across the entertainment world were present, including singers Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas and Carly Rae Jepsen, basketball legend Magic Johnson, Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, and Henry Winkler, a.k.a. the Fonz.
With screams filling the air, they joined We Day founders Craig and Marc Kielburger to inspire the youth in attendance with the belief that they “will change the world.”
The event trended number one on Twitter across Canada, buoyed by the many star-studded names in attendance sending messages about the event.
We Day, described as a “celebration of youth,” is one part of the Kielburgers’ efforts to promote human rights and encourage activism on a wide range of issues.
The duo formed the charity Free the Children in 1995 and launched the first We Day in 2007 as an extension of their We Schools program, dedicated to giving young people “the tools to create transformational social change.”
The event has exploded in scale since its inception, and is now spread over 14 events in three continents. The highly sought-after tickets cannot be purchased. They are earned by students for their participation in We Schools.
Other We Day shows are set for Vancouver on Oct. 21, Alberta on Oct. 27, Ottawa on Nov. 10, Manitoba on Nov. 16, Atlantic Canada on Nov. 27, Montreal on Feb. 22 and 23, Saskatchewan on March 2, plus dates in the U.S. and U.K. from November to April.
More than 200,000 youth attended similar events in 2014, according to the organization’s website.