On September 27th, several of our Student Ambassadors had the privilege of attending Free The Children’s We Day at the Air Canada Centre. The event was a day of celebration and inspiration, empowering youth to make positive change in the world, and included words from influential global leaders and social activists, with performances by cultural icons and entertainers: Co-founders of Free the Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger; Dr. Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams; Canada’s ‘Man in Motion’ Rick Hansen; United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002 and former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson; Motivational Speaker Spencer West; the Kenyan Boys Choir; and artists Nelly Furtado, Nikki Yanofsky and Shawn Desmond, to name a few.
As FTC co-founder Craig Kielburger stated: “We Day is the movement of our time. When we come together, anything is possible.” Many of the messages shared were in line with Richland’s own philosophies: nothing is impossible; together we can achieve our goals; turn challenges into opportunities; believe in yourself; and make a difference in the world! While talking about his struggles with losing his legs at the age of five, Spencer West captivated the crowd when he exclaimed that with today’s available technology, knowledge and resources, we can “re-define what is possible.” Filled with inspiration after performing her hit song, “Powerless,” Nelly Furtado showed her commitment as a Free The Children Ambassador by donating $1 Million in support of poverty-stricken girls around the world.
At Richland Academy, we are proud of our generation of global change-makers! We are thrilled to be a part of this movement and can’t wait to get started on this year’s social action calendar. Stay tuned for more information on ways we will ‘mobilize our community’ to make We Day every day and reach our goal of Adopting-A-Village in Haiti!