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Media Alert: Jennifer Hudson, Al Gore, Nelly Furtado and surprise guest to captivate
20,000 youth on stage at We Day Toronto today
Toronto, ON (September 28, 2012) – A cutting edge movement sweeping the nation will see an incredible line-up of
iconic speakers and entertainers take the stage today at the Air Canada Centre for the world‘s largest youth
empowerment event of its kind – We Day. Free The Children, with National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, kick
off We Day Toronto with the likes of Martin Sheen and Jennifer Hudson, educating, engaging and empowering
20,000 passionate youth to change the world.
To help youth tackle some of the most pressing issues of today, youth and educators in attendance will hear from
notable speakers, activists and award-winning performers including:
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A performance by ONE DROP, a Cirque du Soleil Founder‘s initiative
The Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire – Lieutenant-General and author
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Shawn Desman – Platinum selling and JUNO Award-winning recording artist
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Nelly Furtado – Grammy and JUNO Award winner
Jesse Giddings – Recording artist and TV personality, host of We Day Toronto
Al Gore – Former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Laureate
Hedley – Performance by multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artists
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Jennifer Hudson – Academy and Grammy Award winner
Tyler Shaw – 2012 Coca Cola COVERS MuchMusic Video Award winner
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Martin Sheen – Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor and activist
The Tenors – Canadian multi-platinum vocal group
Justin Trudeau – Canadian politician and activist
Spencer West – Me to We motivational speaker and Free The Children ambassador
And a surprise musical guest!
We Day will be streamed live online today (Friday, September 28, 2012) at www.muchmusic.com/weday starting at 9
a.m. ET.
We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support
of sponsors including National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS. Young people in attendance earn their way into
the event by committing to take action on at least one local and one global issue as part of Free The Children‘s year
long programming.
The largest season to date, the 2012/2013 We Day season will see more than 100,000 in attendance, and millions
watching online (www.muchmusic.com/weday) and through the MuchMusic broadcast special premiering on
MuchMusic on November 11, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. ET and on November 24, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. ET on CTV.
Note to Press:
Visit the We Day online press room (www.weday.com/press) for further information and media assets from the
event including:
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High resolution photos from the day
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Background information on We Day and Free The Children
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Contact info to request an interview with founders of Free The Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger
-30For more information, please contact:
Lauren Stasila
Manager, PR & Publicity
416-558-9310
[email protected]
We Day Talking Points
1. Free The Children‘s (www.freethechildren.com) signature youth empowerment event, We Day
(www.weday.com), is a cutting edge movement promoting active citizenship
2. This stadium-sized event connects world-renowned speakers and performers together with
thousands of students and educators to learn about many local and global issues. Past speakers
and performers have included:
a. Former Russian President, Mikhail Gorbachev
b. Actor and activist, Martin Sheen
c. Grammy Award winner, Nelly Furtado
d. Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award winning recording artists, Hedley
3. We Day is also the kick-off to a year-long program of service that educates, engages and
empowers students to become active citizens
4. Through a five-year partnership, RBC and TELUS, National Co-Title Sponsors of We Day, will
elevate the event to new heights with eight stops in cities across Canada, including:
 We Day Toronto: September 28, 2012, Air Canada Centre (20,000 expected attendees)
 We Day Vancouver: October 18, 2012, Rogers Arena (20,000 expected attendees)
 We Day Alberta: October 24, 2012, Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary (18,000 expected
attendees)
 We Day Manitoba: October 30, 2012, MTS Centre in Winnipeg (18,000 expected attendees)
 We Day Waterloo Region: (generously supported by title sponsor, Research In Motion
(RIM): November 14, 2012, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex (6,000 expected
attendees)
 We Day Montreal: November 20, 2012, Theatre St Denis (2,000 expected attendees)
 We Day Saskatchewan: (brought to Saskatchewan by PotashCorp) February 27, 2013,
Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon (15,000 expected attendees)
 National We Day: April 29, 2013, Robert Guertin Arena in Ottawa/Gatineau Region (4,000
expected attendees)
5. The largest season to date, We Day events will see over 100,000 in attendance and millions
watching online at www.muchmusic.com/weday and through the MuchMusic broadcast premiering
on MuchMusic Sunday, November 11 at 7 p.m. EST and on CTV Saturday, November 24, 7
p.m. EST.
6. Thanks to the support of generous sponsors, lead by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and
TELUS, We Day is completely free of charge to students and educators in exchange for a
commitment to take action on at least one local and one global initiative throughout the school year
7. In the past school year alone (September 2011 to June 2012), youth involved in Free The
Children‘s year long programming have achieved remarkable, measureable social change results:
 $3.5 million raised to support a variety of international causes
 $2.5 million raised for local initiatives and organizations
 1.7 million volunteer hours logged
 833,500 lbs of food collected to support local food banks in communities across Canada
 1.3 million hours of silence logged by youth who stood up for children in developing
communities silenced by poverty and exploitation
We Day Toronto Speakers and Performers Lineup
Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, has become a household name in climate
change activism. He is a bestselling author and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Today,
Gore speaks to students at We Day about the importance of caring for our planet.
Free The Children ambassadors, Hedley, JUNO® and MMVA Award-winning
recording artists are recipients of two multi-platinum albums. They‘ve visited Free The
Children development projects in Kenya and India and have been involved in We Day
since 2010.
Jake Zeldin, a 13-year-old rapper who goes by Lil JaXe has a speech impediment
that causes him to stutter but rapping‘s rhythmic nature causes it to fade entirely. This
gave him the confidence to rap for well known artists, including Drake. This will be his
first time performing at We Day.
Academy and Grammy Award winner, Jennifer Hudson, came to prominence in 2004
as a finalist on the third season of American Idol. She made her film debut in
Dreamgirls (2006), which won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and
a Golden Globe Award. Jennifer Hudson comes to We Day for the first time this year
to perform.
Former MuchMusic VJ Jesse Giddings, is releasing his debut EP BRIGHTER this
fall. As a Free The Children ambassador he hosted at We Day 2011 and designed a
Me to We Style t-shirt, ‗Freedom‘ tee, to support one of Free The Children‘s annual
campaigns
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair is the first judge of Aboriginal descent in
Manitoba, and the second in Canada. Today, Justice Sinclair will speak to the crowd
and shed light on some of the most pressing issues related to the Candian Aboriginal
community. He has been a part of We Day since 2011.
Canadian politician, Justin Trudeau, believes in empowering today‘s generation.
Long time We Day supporter, he spoke at his first We Day in Toronto in 2008. In
February 2012, Justin and his wife Sophie joined We Day together in Montreal as cohosts.
International activists and founders of Free The Children, Marc and Craig Kielburger,
are two of Canada‘s leading figures in social activism and youth empowerment.
Today, they have gathered 20,000 youth here to stand up and take action on global
issues.
Actor and activist, Martin Sheen, will speak to students about social activism at any
age. He is one of the most socially conscious actors in Hollywood and a passionate
supporter of causes that advocate peace and encourage justice throughout the world.
Molly Burke is a visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker. She shares her
message – that any challenge in life, whether it‘s bullying, mental illness or vision loss,
can be overcome through hope –on the We Day Stage for the first time.
Free The Children ambassador Nelly Furtado is a JUNO and Grammy® Award
winner singer-songwriter with a recently released album, Spirit Indestructible. She
recently visited Free The Children projects in Kenya learning first-hand the importance
of girls‘ education. She is committed to supporting girls‘ education and leadership with
Free The Children in Kenya and the MENA region.
Lieutenant-General The Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire, Canadian politician and
author of award-winning book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in
Rwanda. General Dallaire comes to We Day to speak to youth about the importance
this generation plays in ending war and stopping the use of child soldiers.
Robin Wiszowaty is Free The Children‘s Kenya program director. My Maasai Life:
From Suburbia to Savannah is a memoire of her personal story living with a Maasai
family in Kenya and explores the personal side of African struggles.
Shawn Desman is singer, songwriter, Juno Award winner and one of Canada‘s top
recording artists. He led the We Day dance and performed in all cities in 2011 and will
return to all cities for 2012. Desman has designed the Me to We ―This is how WE do
it‖ t-shirt and helped support a number of global initiatives, including the East Africa
drought Rafiki.
Free The Children ambassador Spencer West speaks candidly about the struggles he
overcame after losing his legs at the age of five. West recently climbed Mount
Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair to Redefine Possible and raise money
for Free The Children clean water projects.
Canadian vocal quartet, The Tenors, perform operatic pop music that mixes classical
and pop. The group is currently working on their new album ―Lead with Your Heart,‖
which is scheduled for release in late 2012. The Tenors have performed at past We
Days including 2008 and 2009.
Tyler Shaw, the winner of MuchMusic‘s Coke Covers, will be performing at all We Day
cities this year. Performing at Toronto for a crowd of 20,000 will be his largest
audience to date.
We Day – The event
Free The Children‘s (www.freethechildren.com) signature youth empowerment event, We Day
(www.weday.com), is a cutting edge movement promoting active citizenship. This stadium-sized event
connects world-renowned speakers and performers from President Mikhail Gorbachev and His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, to Nelly Furtado and Joe Jonas together with thousands of students and educators in an
inspirational setting to learn about many local and global issues. It is also the kick-off to a year-long
program of service that educates, engages and empowers students to become active citizens.
Over the past five years, We Day has brought some of the greatest issues of today to the forefront and—
no matter the cause or issue—has provided ways in which every young person can find their place within
the movement. Through involvement in our programming, Free The Children, through We Day, has seen
a shift in youth‘s value systems, resulting in transformative change in their life and helping them find the
leader within.
Through a five-year partnership, RBC and TELUS, National Co-Title Sponsors of We Day, will elevate the
event to new heights with eight stops in cities across Canada. The largest season to date, the 2012/2013
We Day season will see more than 100,000 in attendance, and millions watching online
(www.muchmusic.com/weday) and through the MuchMusic broadcast special premiering on MuchMusic
on Sunday November 11 at 7 p.m. EST and Saturday November 24 at 7 p.m. EST on CTV.
We Day is taking place in the following locations:
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We Day Toronto: September 28, 2012, Air Canada Centre (20,000 expected attendees)
We Day Vancouver: October 18, 2012, Rogers Arena (20,000 expected attendees)
We Day Alberta: October 24, 2012, Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary (18,000 expected
attendees)
We Day Manitoba: October 30, 2012, MTS Centre in Winnipeg (18,000 expected attendees)
We Day Waterloo Region: (generously supported by title sponsor, Research In Motion (RIM):
November 14, 2012, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex (6,000 expected attendees)
We Day Montreal: November 20, 2012, Theatre St Denis (2,000 expected attendees)
We Day Saskatchewan: (brought to Saskatchewan by PotashCorp): February 27, 2013, Credit
Union Centre in Saskatoon (15,000 expected attendees)
National We Day: April 29, 2013, Robert Guertin Arena in Ottawa/Gatineau Region (4,000
expected attendees)
Thanks to the support of generous sponsors, We Day is completely free of charge to students and
educators. Organized in conjunction with schools, school boards and other governing bodies, young
people in attendance earn their way into We Day by committing to take action on at least one local and
one global issue through Free The Children‘s year long engagement programs.
We Day – The results
In the past school year alone (September 2011 to June 2012), youth involved in Free The Children‘s year
long programming have achieved remarkable, measureable social change results:




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$3.5 million raised to support a variety of international causes
$2.5 million raised for local initiatives and organizations
1.7 million volunteer hours logged
833,500 lbs of food collected to support local food banks in communities across Canada
1.3 million hours of silence logged by youth who stood up for children in developing
communities silenced by poverty and exploitation
In 2011, Mission Measurement (www.missionmeasurement.com), a leading expert in impact
measurement, conducted a survey of both teachers and students attending a We Day event. The report
found:
 more than half of educators felt that We Day provided them with a renewed inspiration for
teaching
 85 per cent of students reported gaining knowledge about local and global issues
 81 per cent of students left We Day feeling passionate about a cause, up from 53 per cent before
We Day
 61 per cent of students left We Day believing they could be a leader of change, up from 27 per
cent before We Day
An additional survey through Mission Measurement was conducted on Free The Children alumni (defined
as students that were engaged in Free The Children programming when they were in high school). The
report found:
 80 per cent of alumni of Free The Children volunteered and made a financial contribution to a
non-profit or charity in the last year
 Free The Children alumni are more likely to vote in a federal election than their peers
 They‘ve shown an increase in academic engagement in school
 Alumni have gained greater confidence in forming their personal identities, skills and abilities
 They‘ve developed stronger relationships with other students and with adults who they would not
have otherwise
For additional information about We Day visit our online media centre (www.weday.com/press) to access
the following:
 B-roll and photos from past We Day events
 Background information on We Day and Free The Children
 The most up-to-date information and announcements relating to We Day
To request more information or an interview with Free The Children founders Craig and Marc Kielburger,
or another We Day Speaker, please contact:
Lauren Stasila
Manager PR & Publicity
T: 416-558-9310
E: [email protected]