Yes, WE Can!

We Day: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 @ GM Place

About three months ago, I was watching downtown Vancouver flash by me through a passenger side car window. I was on my way to my first ever interview with Youthink magazine and I was, I’ll admit, so nervous that I was physically trembling. It was on this trip that Oliver, Youthink’s assistant editor, turned to me and asked if I’d heard about an event called We Day.

A full summer later and We Day is the only thing on my mind. As I sit here in the solitude of my bedroom, I have never felt more connected to the world I live in. Though all I hear is the sound of the laundry machine churning, words of hope reverberate in my mind. To sum it up, I’ve been inspired.

We Day 2009 was the third installment of a massive youth empowerment event, and the first ever held in Vancouver. Described as a “rock concert for social good,” this Free the Children initiative featured headlining acts including His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Free the Children co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger, Mia Farrow, Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Jason Mraz, Sarah McLachlan and Jane Goodall, just to name a few – and the fans were 16,000 cheering students.

Emily with Free the Children's Marc Kielberger

Free the Children, the world’s largest organization of children helping children, runs programs that aim to free children through education from poverty and exploitation, and also, to free more privileged children from feeling powerless against global issues. One of the biggest methods used to achieve this is the annual We Day.

What struck me most about We Day 2009 was the palpable energy in the room – it surged with power and conviction. Throughout the five-hour day, never once did a request for change go unanswered by the cheering youth audience or a positive statement unappreciated.

There was lots of talk of the importance of youth, on the energy and innovation we bring. The Dalai Lama spoke about time, how his generation is running out of it, and how we have so much to spare. He told us that we must accept our world from his generation, and usher in a century of peace. He also spoke at length about intellect and compassion.

Craig and Marc Kielburger earned screams as loud as any of the world’s biggest rock stars would garner when they took the stage. They spoke of how much power each individual has to change the world and introduced their 10 by 10 campaign. The program challenges youth to donate $10 as well as 10 volunteer hours to a charitable cause. The goal is to fully develop 10 communities in the developing world by volunteering one million hours of personal time by the end of 2010.

Superstar musician Jason Mraz described the shift he feels in today’s youth, a shift towards action and awareness and positive change. He compared the movement today to the hippie wave of the 60s.

The energy continued to be positive, but some speakers presented a reality check to the students in attendance. Mia Farrow told us that we were “the generation she has been waiting for all her life” and shared a slideshow of her most recent trip to Darfur. Students’ tear-filled eyes were broadcast on the large stadium screens as Farrow spoke of young girls who were raped and a man who had his eyes cut out.

The cast of Degrassi also made a powerful statement by using sections of the stadium to demonstrate percentages of students who would not be educated or even alive if they had grown up in places like India and Africa.

As Youthink’s official reporter for the event, I was then chaperoned backstage to participate in a press conference with the majority of the day’s celebrity speakers. We got to ask questions as these world-famous stars sat just metres away. Stay tuned for more of my report from the press conference!

Sitting in GM Place on We Day, it was easy to believe every word that was said. It was easy to stand up, in unison with thousands of my peers, and understand that I was taking a stand against poverty, famine, war and injustice. It was easy to dispel any doubts I’d had and embrace the idea that, yes, we can bring about change in our world.

Emily with Jacob Hoggard of Hedley, a speaker at We Day

Stay tuned for more of Emily’s reports from We Day.

For Emily's pre-report of We Day, click here.
For Emily's behind-the scenes report from We Day, click here.
For Emily's Q&A pressroom session with the celeb speakers of We Day, click here.