Document 6446397

Nelly Furtado, Martin Luther King III and Shawn Desman among the lineup announced for We Day
Waterloo Region
- Apply for media accreditation to attend We Day at www.weday.com/press - Full photos and information on We Day Waterloo Region available here Click to tweet .@freethechildren @weday announces #WeDay #Waterloo Region lineup incl.
@NellyFurtado @DaRealSD @CraigKielburger
Waterloo Region, ON (October 29, 2013) – International charity and educational partner Free The
Children, alongside Regional Title Sponsor BlackBerry, officially announced the lineup of international
speakers and chart-topping performers set to inspire 6,000 students who have earned their way through
service to attend We Day Waterloo Region on November 20, 2013 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
From musical sensations Nelly Furtado and Shawn Desman to inspirational speakers like human rights
advocate Martin Luther King III and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his
wheelchair in June 2012, Spencer West, the diverse lineup will join Free The Children co-founders Craig
and Marc Kielburger to share their passion for change, international experiences, and energize the crowd
with unforgettable performances.
Leading the crowd through a day full of educational speeches and show-stopping performances will be
platinum-selling, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artist and host of We Day Waterloo Region,
Shawn Desman.
The list of speakers and performers announced to date (with more to be revealed) include:
 Martin Luther King III – Human rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.
 Nelly Furtado (@NellyFurtado) – GRAMMY® and JUNO award-winner and Free The Children
ambassador
 Shawn Desman (@DaRealSD) – Platinum-selling, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording
artist and host of We Day Waterloo Region
 Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI
 Craig and Marc Kielburger (@CraigKielburger) – International activists and co-founders of Free
The Children
 Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) – Traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009
inauguration of President Obama
 Youth speakers – Hannah Alper and Vishal Vijay
 Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children
ambassador, author and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his
wheelchair in June, 2012
 Molly Burke (@mollymetowe) – Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker who speaks out
against bullying and the power of hope
 Chris Tse – Me to We inspirational speaker, national spoken-word champion and humanitarian
“We Day is the foundation to inspire a year of service and help students from across Waterloo Region find
their passion for the causes they care about,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children.
“But it doesn’t stop there. Students are truly making real impact all year round. Last year alone students
involved in the We Act program raised $6 million for over 550 local and global causes, and logged more
than 1.7 million volunteer hours.”
“I’ve had the amazing opportunity to travel overseas to visit Free The Children’s development projects and
see first-hand the impact and real change that youth at home are doing to help their global peers,” said
Nelly Furtado, award-winning artist and Free The Children ambassador. “That’s what We Day inspires
and celebrates – local and global change all year round; and I am so excited be a part of that and perform
at We Day Waterloo Region this year.”
We Day is a stadium-sized educational event and a movement of young people leading local and global
change. Youth in attendance can’t buy a ticket to We Day; they earn it through service by committing to
take action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice to better the world as part of Free
The Children’s year-long educational program, We Act. Since 2007, youth involved in the We Act program
have raised $37 million for over 1000 local and global causes, and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer
hours.
We Day is free of charge to thousands of students and educators in attendance thanks to the generous
support in Waterloo Region by Title Sponsor BlackBerry and across Canada by National Co-Title
sponsors, RBC and TELUS.
Everyone can tune in on November 20, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. ET to watch the live stream of We Day Waterloo
Region on www.weday.com.
Stay connected:
- Like We Day on Facebook: facebook.com/WeDay
- Twitter: @Freethechildren; @CraigKielburger
- Official Hashtag: #WeDay
- Visit www.weday.com
About Free The Children
Free The Children is an international charity and educational partner. Founded in 1995 by international
activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children believes in a world where young people are free to achieve
their fullest potential, and empowers youth to remove barriers that prevent them from being active local
and global citizens. The organization‘s domestic programs—which includes We Day, Free The Children‘s
signature youth empowerment event—educate, engage and empower 1.7 million young people across
North America, the UK and around the world to become engaged global citizens. Its international projects
have brought more than 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water and sanitation,
health care and food security to one million people around the world, freeing children and their families
from the cycle of poverty.
The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights
Award from the World Association of Non‐Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful
partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. For more information, visit
www.freethechildren.com.
-30For more information on We Day or to request an interview with a We Day Speaker, please contact:
Stephanie Lanari
Manager, PR & Publicity
416-706-3652
[email protected]