SEATTLE, WA. – Today, We Day and Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft YouthSpark and Allstate announce the star-studded lineup of speakers and performers for We Day Seattle taking place on April 23, 2015 at the KeyArena at the Seattle Center. We Day Seattle will bring together 15,000 students and teachers in an inspirational setting celebrating the commitment they have made to take action locally and globally.
The initial We Day Seattle lineup of speakers and performers was revealed this morning by Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and Washington State students from Big Picture School, Edison Elementary School and Grandview High School during a special interactive Skype™ announcement. The Skype™ announcement is available online.
"We are all so grateful and excited to be a part of We Day Seattle for the third straight year," said Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and We Day Seattle co-chair. "It is a tremendous opportunity to applaud the hard work and dedication that thousands of students have committed to over this past year. So many of these young people cheer us on all year, and now we get to cheer them on – to celebrate their power to make a change in their schools, their communities and our world."
Taking to the stage this year is a cast of returning favorites and new faces, including Lennon & Maisy, Pete Carroll, Laila Ali, The Head and The Heart, Apolo Ohno, Nina Dobrev, Seattle Sounders FC Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, Dr. Mae Jemison, Hannah Simone, Seattle Seahawks Doug Baldwin, Luke Willson and Bobby Wagner, and Kweku Mandela. Along with others, this all-star lineup will join international activists and We Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change, international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches.
"Today's generation of young people – the Me to We generation – have the power to create and lead real systemic change through We Day, North America's national celebration of service," said We Day co-founder Craig Kielburger. "Over 200,000 students from 5,000 schools earn their tickets to We Day by committing to take action on local and global causes they care about. They are truly moving the needle on some of today's most important issues."
The Seahawks and Pete Carroll host 15,000 local area youth in a celebration of their year-long commitment to service.
We Day is the movement of our time – a movement of young people leading local and global change.
Taking the philanthropic world by storm with events in the US, Canada and the UK, We Day is one of the world's largest registered charities on social media, with more than five million followers. This year alone hundreds of thousands of young people will come together in stadium gatherings in 14 cities to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.
You can't buy a ticket to We Day. Young people earn them by committing to take action on local and global causes of their choice. We Day provides a platform for youth to learn about some of today's pressing social issues, helping to inspire them to become leaders and global citizens and to take action on the issues most important to them. We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft YouthSpark and Allstate.
More than a one-day event, We Day is connected to the year-long We Act program, which provides educational resources and campaigns to help young people turn the day's inspiration into sustained action. We Day and We Act are cause inclusive, empowering young people to find their passion and create the change they want to see. Together, We Day and We Act are a blueprint for building the next generation of global citizens.
The full list of speakers, performers and presenters announced to date include:
- Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) – Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XLVIII Champions, and We Day Seattle Co-Chair
- Laila Ali (@TheRealLailaAli) – TV host, Author, Fit & Wellness Expert, Four-time boxing world champion and daughter of global icon & humanitarian Muhammad Ali
- Nina Dobrev (@ninadobrev) – Actress from the hit television series The Vampire Diaries
- Lennon & Maisy (@lennonandmaisy) – Actors and musicians, who play Maddie and Daphne Conrad on ABC's Nashville
- Hannah Simone (@HannahSimone) – Actress from the hit television series New Girl
- The Head and the Heart (@headandtheheart) – Indie folk band
- Apolo Ohno (@ApoloOhno) – Eight-time short track speed skating Olympic medalist
- Dr. Mae Jemison (@maejemison) – First woman of color in space, physician, scientist, engineer, explorer and futurist
- Kweku Mandela (@kwekumandela) – Social advocate, filmmaker, and grandson of President Nelson Mandela
- Doug Baldwin (@DougBaldwinJr) – Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, #89
- Luke Willson (@LukeWillson_82) – Seattle Seahawks tight end, #82
- Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz54) – Seattle Seahawks linebacker, #54
- Sigi Schmid – Head Coach, Seattle Sounders FC
- Clint Dempsey (@clint_dempsey) – Seattle Sounders FC forward, #2 and captain, U.S. National Team
- Obafemi Martins (@Obafemimartins) – Seattle Sounders FC forward, #9 and forward, Nigeria National Team Bridgit Mendler (@bridgitmendler) – Singer, songwriter and actress
- Marco James (Mjamesantonio) – Actor on The CW's supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries
- Becca Tobin (@becbecbobec) – Actress from the award-winning television series Glee Bars and Melody (@barsandmelody) – British R&B and rapping duo
- Mohammad Ashour – CEO of Aspire
- Luke Bilyk (@lukebilyk1) – Actor from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI (@Degrassi)
- Mustafa the Poet (@MustafaThePoet) – 18-year-old poet, writer, actor and emcee
- Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of We Day
- Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We motivational speaker, Free The Children ambassador and author
- Kardinal Offishall (@KardinalO) – Award-winning rap artist, music producer and Free The Children ambassador
- Gabi Ury (@GabiUry) – 16-year-old high school junior and Guinness Book of World Records female planking champion
- Gracie Schram (@graciescharm) – Singer, songwriter and philanthropist
- Kat Tiscornia – Youth philanthropist and inspirational speaker
- Brandon Shell and Mark Rivers – YMCA Alive & Free Street Outreach Workers
- The Connection – Dance group
- Hanna Alper (@ThatHannahAlper) – 12-year-old Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children Ambassador, blogger and youth activist
- Ashley Rose Murphy (@AshleyRose_FTC) – Motivational youth speaker
Stay connected
- Like We Day on Facebook: facebook.com/WeDay
- Twitter: @WeDay @CraigKielburger
- Official Hashtag: #WeDay
