The Canadian Tire Centre was full of 16,000 students on Nov. 15, all waiting to be inspired by WE Day.
Created by the organization WE, the event included speeches and musical performances by different celebrities, activists, and locals, focused on the topic of youth empowerment.
The day was hosted by TV host Liz Trinnear and actress Olivia Holt. The line-up of presenters included singers Shawn Hook and Brett Kissel, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, and Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson.
The speakers focused on Generation We, or “Gen WE,” which refers to the upcoming generation of students, with one main message: that this generation will change the world.
A ticket to WE Day cannot be bought, it must be earned through community service. Many individual classes participate in fundraisers for developing nations and donate that money to WE, making them a ‘WE School,’ earning the entire class an invitation to the event.
The day began with a recognition that although we call this land Ottawa, we are still in Algonquin First Nations territory. The audience heard that it is important to recognize this because we share the land.
WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger were next to appear on stage. They asked the crowd questions like “Who is not going to stand by while people are bullied?”— to which the students would reply, “Gen WE.”
The brothers reminded the crowd that everyone must work together to achieve success, and they cannot let any differences get in the way.
The main theme of the day was bridging the gap between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. Multiple speakers took the stage embracing their Indigenous heritage, and speaking about their experiences.
The harmful effects of residential schools were consistently brought up.
The Downie family and the Wenjack family took to the stage together, and spoke about Chanie Wenjack’s unsuccessful attempt to escape residential school. Chanie froze to death, and his story inspired the late Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie to produce his solo album, Secret Path.
This was the first time all the the Downies and the Wenjacks had been together since Gord died in October, leading to a very emotional reunion.
Gord’s brother Patrick Downie said, “Over the past few weeks, we have shared our grief with Canadians, and along the way, we have felt the weight of the entire country,” Gord’s brother Patrick Downie said.
Focusing on the connection between the Downie family and the Wenjack family, they gathered Les petites chanteurs de Kanata and the Ottawa Catholic School Board Choir to recite the song “The Stranger” from Secret Path.
This tribute to Gord Downie had everyone standing up in their seats and waving their cell phone flashlights in synch.
“We have gotten Gord to be our brother,” Pearl Wenjack said. “We had the joy of sharing his dreams, sharing his happiness, sharing his goals in life. He believed in life, and all of us want to carry that on.”
Shifting the focus back to local Ottawa change makers, many young students were praised and showcased for the hard work they have done in their communities.
This particular WE Day also marked a new partnership between the WE foundation and the Rick Hansen Foundation. The goal of these two organizations coming together is to make Canada completely accessible for everyone over the next 30 years.
The students filed out of the stadium with some of Craig Kielburger’s final words ringing in their ears: “Go out and change the world.”
Photo by Anthony Walsh
