We Day Vancouver 2012 – Inspirational, Awesome, Magical

Oct. 20, 2012

I have had the privilege of celebrating in the Evening of Champions (of educators and for education) and participating in WE DAY Vancouver last week. Along with my educator friends, we were hosted by Marc and Craig Kielburger, co-founders of Free the Children and Me to We, in one of the boxes in Rogers Arena.

With 18,000 youths in the Arena, the energy in that place was absolutely amazing. It gives me goose bumps just recalling the atmosphere, the synergy and the excitement that exuded from these youths, all motivated to make a difference in our world … truly, our next generation of leaders and game changers.

The line up included many celebrities, such as Magic Johnson, Robin Wiszowaty, Holly Branson (Richard Branson’s daughter) and Spencer West, who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro last June and rasied half a million dollars. As well, many famous singers and bands, like Demi Lovato, Cody Simpson and One Republic.

My favourite of the day was, of course, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was the keynote speaker. He was funny and wise. His favourite singer, Angelique Kidjo, surprised him with a song on stage. Ms. Kidjo sang in a language that I didn’t know, but even though I didn’t understand a word she sang, her music and voice touched me so deep that it brought tears to my eyes. It was a magical moment.

Marc and Craig pumped up the crowd, jazzed up the energy, and most certainly motivated many youths to do their parts, no matter how big or small, to make this world a better place. They were very inspirational, and the day was beyond AWESOME. They sure knew how to educate, engage and empower the youths.

In our sky box, there was hardly any light … but I attempted to record the highlights of the day in a visual journal. You can see my 3 visual recording of the day under the Portfolio tab on this website. Enjoy!!!