I was so honoured to attend National WE Day this year! I was not speaking this year, I was media! Having spoken at WE Day for the past two years, it was really cool to be on the other side of WE Day and get to experience it in a different way. Because I was speaking at WE Day, I did not have any time to actually watch the show. In Ottawa, I truly felt the WE energy and why those 16,000 youth were there. They were there because they had made locaI and global impacts in their community! All 0f those students were there because they have done awesome things. At WE Day, not only were they getting even more motivated to do more amazing things, but they were also being rewarded. The event is like a thanks for everything that the young people have done to make the world a better place.
Here are my 5 favourite moments (not in order) from National WE Day:
1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech
The day before WE Day Ottawa, WE Day announced that the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, would be speaking at the event. This was his first public address. It was so awesome that his first was an event with young people empowered to make an impact.
After his speech, the crowd started chanting “Trudeau, Trudeau, Trudeau!” He then responded chanting “Canada! Canada! Canada!” I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to see what Justin Trudeau does in the next 4 years.
2. Lilly Singh (SuperWoman)
Lilly Singh (AKA SuperWoman) has over 7 million subscribers and more than 900 million views on YouTube. She is an entertianer, comedian, rapper, actress and she makes people happy. When Lilly was called up on stage, I’m pretty sure the crowd burst my eardrum. Everyone went crazy when she came on stage!
I love Lilly’s message. Remember to embrace who you truly are and be yourself. Don’t try to be somebody else because everyone else is taken. I was so honoured and excited to interview Lilly, and I will be uploading her interview soon!
3. Alex Deans
When Alex Deans was 12 years old, he saw an old blind woman struggling to cross the street. Her guide dog had just died, leaving her helpless. Alex ran over to help the woman cross the street. After that, he found his spark. He wanted to improve the lives for the visually impaired. For the next few years, he learned how to code and program. It took him a while, but he had founded iAid – which guides the visually impaired anywhere they need to go. Alex has won many awards such as the Westin Youth Award and the Ontario Science Centre award. Alex is a #ChangeAgents ambassador, which is a campaign by RBC working to help youth learn how they can make a difference. Learn more about other young people making an impact here.
4. Rick Hansen
When Rick Hansen was 15, he got into a car accident and became paralyzed. Rick loved sports. He did not let that stop him do what he loved. Rick became a Paralympic Athlete. He has won three gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal! Rick Hansen was good friends with Terry Fox, they trained together and played basketball together. He was devastated when Terry died, but was also inspired to do something similair. But bigger. In 1985, Rick launched the Man In Motion Tour, where he planned to circle the world in his wheelchair. He logged more than 40,000 kilometres in 34 countries! Rick Hansen collected over $26,000,000, which would go to spinal cord research and creating a better and more accesible world for people like him. Through this journey, he proved that there is no limit to people with disabilities.
“Together, we can envision an even better world – a world that is accesible and inclusive to all.”
5. Henry Winkler
At We Day, Henry Winkler explains the challenges he faced in school. Henry has dyslexia, which means he has a hard time learning and sees things differently. He is in the bottom 3% academically in America. Because of this, people thought he could never achieve in life. Henry’s dream was to be an actor. So instead of listening to the skeptics, he never let go of his dream. Now look at him! He is a husband, father, grandfather, actor, producer and director. In the video below, he talks about dreams, imagination and potential.
So, as you can see from above, WE Day was inspiring. There were so many great speakers that taught me and the 16,000 youth at the stadium to go out there in the world and do something. No matter what the skeptics say. As press, I had the opportunity to interview Lilly Singh, Rick Hansen and Simple Plan about their motivation and how they are each changing the world in their own way. I will be posting those videos very soon! Did you go to WE Day Ottawa? If you did, what was your favourite part of the show? Let me know in the comments section!
Did you miss We Day this year? Did you go We Day and wish that you could go back? You’re in luck! Check this out. MONDAY DECEMBER 7th at 9pm on CTV, relive some of the best moments of this We Day season.
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