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We Day: A Personal Reflection

Volunteering for Free the Children has changed my life.

My name is Ceilidh (Kay-lee) Millar. I am an 18-year-old broadcast journalism student attending BCIT in Burnaby. I am a young social activist, community leader and avid volunteer for Free the Children.

Free the Children has been an instrumental part of who I am today. The organization provided a safe haven where I could be myself, make new friends and connect with like-minded youth who wanted to make a difference. Free The Children dared me to care!

In 2009, my Mom and I became involved with We Day as volunteers. We were welcomed with so much warmth and kindness; we immediately felt we were among friends.

It was an amazing day! Not only did I see the Dalai Llama, but I was also immersed in a sea of youth like myself, who wanted to make a difference. The excitement and energy was palpable!  I must admit: it was a crazy, hectic day, but on the way home I told my Mom my life would never be the same… and it isn’t!

That first We Day started my journey into social cause. It ignited my passion in realizing I could make a positive change in the lives of others. It opened the doors to “possAbilities,” and showed me how I possessed the ability to advocate for those less fortunate. That summer, I attended the first ever Mobilizer Boot Camp in Toronto and became a core team lead with the Vancouver (Mob)ilizers.

I just experienced my third We Day, and each year it gets bigger, better and more inspiring! Not only due to the amazing performers and inspirational speakers, but because every year I’m witness to more and more young people  inspired to make a difference in the world. This is the true power of We!

This past We Day, I had the honour to give back to the organization. I co-hosted City TV’s coverage of Vancouver We Day as their junior reporter. I interviewed many of the guest performers and speakers including Hedley, Shawn Desman, Down With Webster, Classified, Jesse Giddings, Shaquille O’Neil and Spencer West. They shared their own personal reflections on the event with me. It was fantastic seeing the connection they share with We Day’s youth in affecting positive change!

Also assigned as Free The Children’s youth reporter, I had the privilege of interviewing students, educators, volunteers and FTC staff. It was great to see We Day’s inspiration rub off on all of them! Students were inspired to take action; teachers were excited seeing pupils become active community leaders; and volunteers were empowered in knowing they were making a difference, as they make We Day possible!

Last but not least, the FTC staff was thrilled with another successful event. By all the beaming faces, it was clear to see that their hard work had paid off!

It amazes me what a non-profit organization can accomplish. Free The Children started off with a simple plea for help by co-founder Craig Kielburger. It grew into something beyond imaginable! To date, over 160,000 youth have attended We Day since the very first event in 2007. During the 2010-11 school year, students volunteered more then 1.7 million hours of their time, raised $5.4 million in donations to support local and global programs and collected more than 519,000 pounds of food for local food banks.

There are many worthy charities in the world, but Free The Children is unique – not only because it’s the world’s largest network of children helping children, but also because it helps youth here at home develop into caring and compassionate citizens. FTC empowers young people with the knowledge and skills to know whatever your age, you can affect positive change and you’re never alone in your fight for a better world!