We Day Vancouver Today!

Got to meet Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children

This week I was lucky enough to get the chance to go to We Day. If you haven't heard of it, We Day is a series of events held across Canada to inspire youth to create change in their communities and around the world. Telus recently announced their five-year National Co-Title sponsorship of We Day, which is how I got involved. They have provided bloggers with Samsung Galaxy SIII phones to video & photograph behind the scenes & at the event today.  

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting some of the presenters at the event: Molly Burke, Craig & Marc Kielburger, Robin Wiszowaty, Spencer West. I got a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of the incredible show during the sound checks & some of the rehearsals for this event. I got a few pictures & some footage that, along with what I capture today, I'll be contributing to a video all about the event. I'll post a link to the video as soon as I hear that it's completed.

In addition to its sponsorship of We Day, Telus has launched three campaigns in support of Free the Children: 

• The Phones for Good campaign which gives $25 from the sale of every TELUS Samsung Galaxy SIII or Samsung Ace Q to Free the Children*;
• The Earn Your Way to We Day initiative. Starting September 12, youth can visit telusforweday.com to submit stories about what they are doing to make a difference in their communities. Telus will give $1 to Free The Children for each submission**, and participants will be entered in a random draw to become part of the Telus Crew who will document and share their experience at We Day with youth across Canada.
• A video contest that encourages youth to upload a video to telusforweday.com describing how they would partner with a local charity to make a positive change in their community. The top ideas will be selected by Free The Children and Telus, with the winning youth receiving a $20,000 contribution to put their idea into action. 

With the support of its customers, Telus’ Phones for Good and Earn Your Way to We Day initiatives will collectively generate up to $750,000 for Free the Children*** to support youth empowerment and social change in Canada.

Me & Spencer West, Me to We speaker who climbed Kilimanjaro

We Day Toronto has already happened on September 28th & obviously it's too late to attend Vancouver's event, if you haven't already earned your tickets. However, you can catch the live broadcast of We Day Vancouver on the MuchMusic website, starting at 9:30am. If you happen to live elsewhere in Canada, We Day events in Calgary, Winnipeg, Waterloo area & Montreal are yet to come:

• We Day Alberta: October 24, 2012, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary
• We Day Manitoba: October 30, 2012, MTS Centre, Winnipeg
• We Day Waterloo Region: November 14, 2012, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex
• We Day Montreal: November 20, 2012, Theatre St Denis

The events in major cities are all intended to lead up to the National We Day, set for April 29, 2013, at the Robert Guertin Arena in Ottawa.  

Of course, it's not just about a big show in a stadium with lots of famous speakers & performers, as awesome as that is. We Day is meant to bring kids together to inspire them, let them know they're not alone & educate them about local & international causes they could get involved in. For more information visit www.weday.com.  

A Little More About Free The Children:

Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries.  Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, we are a charity and educational partner that believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. Our domestic programs educate, engage and empower hundreds of thousands of youth in North America, the UK and around the world. Our international projects have brought over 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water, health care and sanitation to one million people around the world.

Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah’s Angel Network. For additional information, please visit www.freethechildren.com.

*up to a maximum of $650,000

**up to a maximum of $100,000

***visit telusforweday.com for contest rules.