Me to We: Live the Change

12 November 2012Katie R, Mackenzie ‘13

The day started with an alarm. At 4:00am on Thursday, October 18th, thirty-three Brentwood students meticulously rolled out of bed. The 4:45am bus ride to the Nanaimo ferry terminal was silent with snoozing students.

It wasn’t long before those snoozes turned into screams.

The ferry ride over was filled with children and teens of all ages, anxiously waiting the day to come. I walked passed a group coloring neon pages with names of speakers and singers that we would all see later that morning.

The Brentwood crew arrived in Vancouver around 8:30, shedding our warm blankets and coats as we hurried through the city. Our destination was Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks, and our anticipation was eagerly rising as we approached.

Thanks to the busy streets, we arrived fifteen minutes late to find our seats had been given away. We were not disheartened; within a few minutes we found comfortable seats, welcoming us with gift bags.

This was it; this was We Day.

The crowd of 20,000 students and their teachers soon began the wave with everyone in the building shaking with anticipation. Voices began cheering, hyping up every person even more. It was a sea of people, all waiting to be inspired.

The purpose of We Day is to bring together students, from all over the province, all over the nation, in order to inspire change. We Day was founded by Marc and Craig Kielburger with an idea that would motivate hundreds of thousands.

“Born out of a dream, for us to be better. For the world, to be better.”

After constant cheering from the crowd, We Day began.

After a few singers, the first speaker astonished the crowd: Sydney Brouillard, a 12-year-old girl with goals to become Canadian Prime Minister within 40 years. Her ambition was marked with intelligence, passion and encouragement. She is proof that you are never too young to chase your dreams.

Magic Johnston would soon follow. Twenty years ago, he was diagnosed with HIV. Johnston is now a well-known figure in the AIDS activism community; he heralds his story to youth in order to prevent hatred. His message focused on “the new meaning of cool”, how it “isn’t the clothes that make you cool, it’s you who make the clothes cool”. He spoke briefly on the topic of bullying and other sensitive current topics. He was met with bountiful applause from every member in the audience.

Arguably the most impressionable speaker of We Day, Molly Burke, recounted her childhood experiences with bullying. After being blinded at 14, she became an outcast of the community, and was bullied by many of her peers. She asked the whole audience to share a moment of silence in darkness, an act that resonated deeply with many of us. She had no voice, no sight, and she was in darkness with no one to help her.

Both pop stars, Cody Simpson and Demi Lovato, shared the stage with the motivational speakers. Tears rushed down Greg H’s ‘13 face when Cody Simpson began singing in order to drive the audience. Demi Lovato’s past struggle with bulimia and depression touched many. As she left the stage, her exit was followed by the largest cheers of the day.

My most anticipated moment came when Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a renowned human rights activist from South Africa, spoke about the anti-apartheid movement. He has received a Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in halting racism. During We Day, his contagious laugh quickly spread throughout the crowd as he retold stories of his past and discussed our future needs: We.

The founders, Marc and Craig Kielburger, ended We Day with a surge of positivity. They began cheering the mantra of the day: “We are We Day!” with the crowd eagerly echoing their calls. “We are We Day” stayed with us as we exited the building; we can call for social change, we are the change.

It is no longer about me- it is about we.

Katie R, Mackenzie ‘13