Some 15,000 students, teachers, parents and others converged at Credit Union Place in Saskatoon, Nov. 6 for a day of motivation, inspiration and entertainment. We Day is an initiative of Free the Children, an international charity founded by Canadians Craig and Marc Kielburger.
Craig and Marc delivered the keynote address. Last year, their mantra of "You're never too young to change the world" was justified by the response to We Day programs when over five million pennies were collected by children and youth to help provide clean drinking water to villages in the Third World. This year, they challenged attendees to collect coins of all denominations to fund the building of schools.
Fifty-seven million children in the world today do not have access to education. To demonstrate the significance of this number in percentage terms, the Kielburgers had everyone in the audience who was or had ever been a student stand up. Students in various sections sat back down in the requested sequence, demonstrating the 28 per cent of the children not in school today, the 35 million girls denied education and the children who do not finish even elementary school.
The Kielburgers have launched what they call the Year of Education and their goal is to raise enough funds to build 200 new schools. Everyone attending We Day received a cardboard schoolhouse bank in which to collect coins. Every $20 represents a brick for a new school in the developing world. Five hundred bricks, or $10,000, will build an entire school.
However, they also reminded everyone causes and challenges of all sorts exist - "issues and causes that you care about." Whether it is bullying, world or local hunger, education, empowering women or sustainable agricultural, there are ways to get involved.
During media interviews, when asked about how students at small schools in rural communities can stay motivated to participate in such challenges, Craig spoke about the importance of attending events such as We Day to become re-energized. Free the Children has also launched a smartphone app, we365.com, creating an online community and support.
Craig also wanted to encourage, in particular, youth from farming communities to apply for one of 25 Free The Children scholarships, being funded by Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, for a trip to India next summer to learn about sustainable agriculture and food security in the developing world firsthand.
The Saskatoon event saw students bussed in from 325 schools, located all over the province. Tribal Chief Felix Thomas welcomed the crowd and Chief Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, was the first speaker. Words in native languages were shared, with a reference to the time of residential schools when such words were forbidden. Today, "we can say this word out loud and with power."
Other speakers included Martin Luther King III, basketball player Magic Johnson, Potash Corp president Bill Doyle, youth speakers Taylor Devos and Oksana Kishchuk, Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison, motivational speaker Spencer West, Degrassi cast members Aislinn Paul and Ana Golja, aboriginal students Lisa Langan and Xavier Fisher, Miss Teen Canada World Jillian Martin, 10-year-old Hannah Alper and 12-year-old Vishal Vijay.
Silencing the crowd to the point one could have heard a pin drop was Molly Burke as she shared her experience as a victim of bullying after she lost her eyesight at the age of 14. As she was taunted and tormented, even her former friends turned against her. She repeated the old nursery rhyme, "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me," and told students it wasn't true - words can hurt, and bruise, and damage.
Burke found hope and a reason to live from her music teacher. She said, "Words are powerful. They have the power to tear us down but they also have the power to build us back up."
She concluded by asking students to join her April 17, 2014: "I am going to be raising my voice by going silent - for victims of bullying, for victims of poverty, for victims of exploitation. This is a vow for anyone who has ever had their voice silenced. And I am asking all of you to please join me, to amplify our voice through social media, to stand in solidarity. We can all be that person who changes someone's life."
Between speakers, singers and dancers entertained the crowd. The audience was encouraged to get up from their seats and learn the We Day dance. Entertainers included Shawn Desman, Tyler Shaw, Kay, the Kenyan Boys Choir and Karl Wolf. Desman also acted as MC.
Stunned by the realization children his age were forced to work all day instead of going to school, Craig became a child activist at the age of 12. Today, Free The Children is a multi-million dollar charity driving and funding programs both at home and abroad.
Before We Day concluded with Desman signing Night Like This, Craig told the students, "We Day is much more than a one-day event. You and I know it launches a year-long series of actions to better our local and our global community." But, Marc warned them, "You might be called names like 'Dreamer' but we want you to pick up that label of Dreamer and we want you to wear it with pride."
