Chris Hadfield, The Barenaked Ladies, Henry Winkler and the Kielburger brothers brought their messages of leadership to Rogers Arena today, as nearly 20,000 B.C. students packed the WE Day Vancouver 2015 celebrations.

Premier Christy Clark attended WE Day and announced that government is donating $200,000 to Free The Children to support WE Day and WE Schools educational programs.

“If we stand up together, we have the power to move mountains – to bring about global change, empower students, and create a brighter future for children everywhere,” said Premier Clark.

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Education Minister Mike Bernier attended an education breakfast that kicked off WE Day with educators, superintendents and school administrators. Since 2010, government has donated $900,000 to Free The Children.

“Students who feel empowered and want to help drive change in their community or on a larger global scale bring that positive energy back to their classrooms,” said Bernier. “We Day is an excellent way to celebrate what students have already accomplished and inspire further life-changing ideas.”

Students cannot buy a ticket to WE Day. Instead, they earn admission by taking one local and one global action during the school year, like collecting food for homeless shelters and raising money to build classrooms overseas.

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Led by co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, WE Day is an initiative of Free The Children. The goal of WE Day Vancouver is to motivate youth to make a difference in their communities and around the world.

“We are so appreciative to the Ministry of Education for their continued support of the WE Schools program,” said Craig Kielburger. “Through WE Day and WE Schools, students from across the province of British Columbia have created remarkable change in their communities. With this generous support, more students will have the opportunity to join their peers in becoming global change-makers.”

As an educational program, WE Schools provides educators with curriculum, educational resources, and a calendar of action campaign ideas that challenge students to identify local and global issues like hunger and poverty. With WE Schools, students are empowered to take action.

Learn More:

WE Day Vancouver: http://www.weday.com/we-day-events/vancouver/

WE Schools: http://www.weday.com/we-schools/

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