Roughly 8,000 students and educators from across Atlantic Canada gathered at the Halifax Metro Centre on Wednesday for the region’s first-ever We Day.
We Day is an educational event that celebrates the power of young people to create positive change in their local communities and around the world.
It is tied to the year-long We Act program, which gives educators resources to help bring social justice issues into the classroom and to encourage students to get involved in issues about which they feel passionate.
We Day is the brainchild of Free the Children co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger. The first event was held in Toronto in 2007 and the movement has been growing ever since.
“We want to share with youth, when they come together, anything is possible,” says Craig Kielburger.
This year, We Day is taking place in 11 different cities across Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. This is the first time We Day has been held in Atlantic Canada.
You can’t simply purchase a ticket to attend We Day – each student in attendance has worked to make a difference in both their local and global communities, and each ticket is earned through their service.
“We sponsored a child in Uganda and we also did a food bank project for our community,” says student Danielle Dickson.
“We are involved with Free the Children in our school, so we’ve been doing fundraisers and all that stuff,” says student Ryan Colaiacovo.
"We Day Atlantic is a celebration of the outstanding work being done here and around the world by our students," says Premier Stephen McNeil, who spoke at the event. "The students here today represent the future of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada. It's safe to say our future is in great hands."
A number of recognizable musicians and guest speakers travelled to Halifax for the event, including Hedley, Classified, Shawn Desman, Martin Luther King III and the Kenyan Boys Choir.
