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We Day 2010 in Vancouver

I am writing from the pressroom at We Day 2010. In the background, I can hear an audience of 18,000 youth, their screams filling Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

In true We Day fashion, the day has been one of inspiration. It began this morning with dancing and steel drums, a motivational opening speech from the Kielburger brothers and then a performance from local rock stars, Hedley, recently back from their Free the Children trip to Kenya.

We caught up with Hedley on the red carpet shortly after their performance. They told us about how music helped them bond with the Kenyan people, how they were greeted everywhere they went with song and dance and how incredible it felt to join in and sing along.

We also had the chance to speak with the Barenaked Ladies, who talked about how they made a difference as teenagers; Colbie Caillat, who talked about our generation’s active involvement in social change; and Ethan Zohn, (Survivor winner) who told us about what it means to be a role model.

At the official We Day press conference, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson spoke about how social justice movements have evolved over the past 50 years, and Craig and Marc talked about keeping the momentum of We Day alive. Martin Sheen talked about the differences between Canadian and American approaches to youth involvement in humanitarian efforts.

With the press conference over, I (literally) ran down to the photo pit to snap some shots of Al Gore, who had the audience on their feet with his speech about the responsibility of inheriting a quickly over-heating planet.

In fact, the audience has spent little time in their seats over the course of the day. The thousands of youth seem to be either up on their feet cheering or dancing the We Day dance. And I’m sure their feet will have little relief during the rest of the afternoon as Colbie Callait, the Barenaked Ladies, and many more speakers and artists take the We Day 2010 stage.

My full report from We Day 2010 to come – stay tuned to youthink.ca for full coverage and more photos from We Day 2010!

Check out our pre-We Day interview with Hedley and hear about the band's recent trip to Kenya.