Vancouver We Day 2011 Celebrity Speaker and Performer Interviews

Youthink interviews Hedley, Down with Webster, Shaquille O’Neal and more at We Day 2011!

It’s a unique experience to stand in a stadium with 18,000 energetic teenagers who are all dedicated to the same cause. On October 13, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, We Day provided that exact experience, along with world-class musical performances and motivational speeches in an attempt to inspire youth to action and change the world.
 
We Day is hosted annually by Canadian charitable organization Free The Children, and it marks the kick-off to an entire year of volunteering. To attend the star-studded event, students must commit to one global and one local cause in order to “earn” their entry. These students managed to volunteer for 1.7 million hours last year, collectively.
 
Free The Children was founded by Craig Kielburger when he was just 12 years old and has grown into a movement that refuses to be ignored. Free The Children puts an emphasis on “children helping children through education” and uses tools, such as We Day, to engage youth in human rights and social justice issues.
 
Youthink had the opportunity to go backstage at We Day 2011 to hear from a number of the event’s celebrity speakers and performers including: Mikhail Gorbachev, Mia Farrow, Craig Kielburger, Down With Webster, Hedley, Classified, Shawn Desmond and Shaquille O’Neil, both at the Q&A session and on the red carpet. Here’s what they had to say about We Day and world issues.

Mikhail Gorbachev on achieving world peace:

“We need a change in politics. We need politics that is adjusting to the global world and the kind of politics that can address those new challenges. To those that say this is just a fairytale, a dream, I can say that, yes, this is a difficult road to a new world order and to a new global world. But we need to go down that path because the other path is the path of war.”

Mia Farrow on We Day:

“I would never miss a We Day as long as I’m invited. It feels huge out there of young people power! You know? It’s just a power room of all the intentions of all these young people. Even if a fraction of them make good on the feelings they have now, the commitment they have in their hearts now, then the world really will be a better place.”

Craig Kielburger:

YT: We Day brings attention to a lot of really serious issues from around the world. How do you keep students from feeling hopeless instead of hopeful?
CK: “It’s a great question and it’s always finding a balance when we’re making the schedule of events… because Michel [Chikwanine], for example, who just shared his message a few moments ago, the former child soldier, brought something of great challenge. You have Mia who spoke about the challenges in both Darfur and Dadaab. But then you also have people of hope, the Mikhail Gorbachevs, the individuals who show that change is possible. So we’re of the belief that, and I know a lot of parents struggle with this question “How do you and at what age do you expose kids to the challenges of this world?”… we’re of the belief if you expose them to the challenges, you have to give them age-appropriate ways how to respond. So We Day is about education, yes, but it’s about activation.”

Hedley:

YT: You guys have played at We Day for three years in a row. How has the event evolved since that first year?
Jacob: “It was far smaller when it first started. I think that growth has been what makes us keep coming back. That’s the most inspiring part about it, to have more kids coming every year and confirming the fact that what these kids are trying to do is working.”

YT: You have been on Free the Children trips to Kenya and more recently, India. How have these experiences affected you?
Dave: “Now that we’ve actually been on trips to Kenya and India and actually seen the impact that Free The Children is having on these lives around the world, now We Day is really just a great spot for us to share stories and keep kids motivated.”

Shaquille O’Neal:

YT: You’re a household name due to your basketball skills, what same qualities do you think are necessary to both be successful in sports and to change the world?
Shaq: “You have to be a leader and a follower, and you have to follow your vision. A lot of people have different visions but whatever your vision is you have to stick to it and no one can make you change it.”

Shawn Desman:

YT: You’re a platinum-selling, Juno-Award winning artist. Why do you feel it’s important for artists to give back?
SD: “If somebody like us, like celebrities can do it, then anybody can do it. It’s not the big things... you know, sometimes people are like, “Well, how can I make a change? I’m just one person.”Well, like Craig [Kielburger] said, it’s about the small things that can turn into big things. It’s youth empowerment, that’s the main thing. It’s youth that want to make a change and that’s why I wanted to get involved.”

Classified:

YT: So you just performed in front of the We Day audience. What was the energy like out there?
C: “You play a show this early in the morning and you don’t expect a lot of people to be energetic and outgoing, but the kids out here are energetic. It’s a nice environment to be in, lots of love, no hate out there. It’s not about one person doing one thing or one person having one message."

YT: What’s the biggest thing you’ve personally learned from We Day?
C: “It starts with that one person but it’s about spreading the message. It’s about everybody leaving here and talking about it to their friends that aren’t here. Just talking about it and having those conversations. That’s the most important thing, I think."

Down With Webster:

YT: I write for Youthink, a magazine written for and by high-school students. Were you guys interested in human rights issues as teenagers?
Cam: “When I was in high school, I was interested in really dumb stuff and selfish stuff. I was never exposed to any of this. I had never heard of We Day and none of this was kind of around me. It’s cool now that I’m a bit older to be a part of it and help educate and help show kids that there are ways that you can help.”
Bucky: “It’s awesome. For us, there was nothing when we were growing up, there was barely anything there to let you know that there’s something to care about.”
Pat: “I remember going to a rally, a couple friends of mine in high school, when the war in Iraq started. We got in serious trouble for leaving school early. We skipped class to go and everyone lay on the floor in downtown Toronto  and that was like, a big thing. I just remember getting in so much trouble.”
Cam: “It’s cool that they’re promoting it now and allowing kids to come today.”

Check out Kirsty's backstage report from We Day 2011.

Pre-We Day event coverage and extended interview with Down with Webster