I spent today in a room with 16000 teenagers. It was awesome. It was inspiring. It was loud!
Today was the first We Day held in Winnipeg.
We had met Craig Kielburger at the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival last year and then had tuned in to the online stream for We Day 2010 Vancouver.
It was definitely more fun to be there in person.
The speakers were all fantastic, although Al Gore and Rick Hanson got my kids’ votes for best spoken and most motivational, in that order.
What I most valued about the event was that it was not just trying to get people to donate to Free the Children, the organization that spawned the Me to We Movement that in turn hosts We Day.
The message today was that we need to find what we are passionate about changing and then go and do it.
We need to stop hunger on the streets of Winnipeg,
we need to build functional schools in Native communties,
we need to work to preserve a viable environment,
we need to build schools in Africa, and China, and India,
we need to give people clean water,
we need to provide people everywhere with access to medical care,
we need to help people to help themselves,
we need to raise money,
we need to donate money,
we need to let our politicians know what matters,
we need to work alone,
we need to work together,
we need to raise our voices individually and in community to speak for those that have no voice!
My favourite quote of the day: Don’t say can’t or won’t, just ask how.
I can’t think of a better way to spend my day.
See you at We Day 2012, because my teens will be going back!
Here’s a few minutes from our day.
We Dance:
Hedley:
Finale:
Related posts:
Looks like it was a super event, and a lot of fun! Here are some things I’m wondering about: did the kids come up with that list of things “we” need to do? And is there any mechanism for actually doing any of them? I think it’s important to not only tell people that they can change the world, but then to carry that energy forward into actions that not only empowers the kids–and all of us–but that does, in fact, make a difference. I’d love to hear more about this; believe it or not, your post on the homeschool group was the first I’d ever heard of it!
Thanks for sharing :^)
Hi Summer,
I asked my kids what they got out We Day.
My 15yo said she learned that if you really think something is important, you should figure out how to do it. You should find others who have the same concern, you should ask for help wherever you might get it, and you shouldn’t listen to those who say you can’t do it. As a result of the day, she wants to figure out how to raise some money for Landmine victims. I find it encouraging that landmine victims were not mentioned at all and that this is something she thinks is important and the day inspired her to think about what she might do.
My 13yo felt that the important part of the day was seeing Hannah Taylor, who’s a girl just like her, who is helping people in her own community. My daughter also felt that it is important for us to learn what is going on in the world – to try and meet people who are really living in the places where we think help is needed. She felt impressed by the idea that our job isn’t necessarily to help people, but partner with people to help them do what they think needs done.
My 12 yo old son came away with a very different perspective. When I asked what he had learn, he said that no matter what happens to you – you lose your legs, or break your back, or have to shoot someone, you can move past it and still do things and help people. He’s my child who seems to struggle the most and I thought it interesting that this is what he took away.
As far as a mechanism for doing this, Me to We partners with high schools to provided students with resources to help choose charities (they recommend one local, one international) and to go about raising awareness and money. My oldest said she was thinking about some sort of a bake sale on her own, but that maybe other homeschoolers would want to get together and do something. She also said, even though she isn’t a part of the Me to We school program, she would feel comfortable contacting the organization and said she thought they would help her out even if she wasn’t affiliated with a school.
There currently is no formal mechanisms with the Me to We organization for homeschoolers, which is why I was toying with the idea of trying to create some liaison with them. We could act as our own “school” or we could just create some sort to network with an individual who would bridge the gap between individuals and the Me to We resource people.
I also think though We Day focused on Grade 7 and up (due to content – which, except for one song was entirely appropriate for my six year old), there is no reason why we couldn.t have all ages working together.
Just a few thoughts,
Jennifer