Magic Johnson, The Band Perry, Martin Sheen, Kweku Mandela, Colbie Caillat and JR Martinez come together at We Day Minnesota to inspire young people to change the world

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the world's largest youth empowerment event of its kind, We Day, along with National Co-Title Sponsors Allstate Foundation and Outnumber Hunger, bring together renowned speakers and chart-topping musical artists including Magic Johnson, The Band Perry, Martin Sheen, Lt. Colonel Eileen Collins, Kweku Mandela, Colbie Caillat, Clemantine Wamariya, Lennon and Maisy and JR Martinez, amongst others, with international activists and co-founders of We Day, Craig and Marc Kielburger, at We Day Minnesota, engaging and inspiring 18,000 students from over 500 schools to take action on local and global causes that are important to them.

We Day Minnesota highlights some of the greatest social issues of today and provides the young people in attendance, and tens of thousands more watching the event streamed live on www.wcco.com, ways in which they can find their place within the movement to create global change. Jesse Giddings, E! News correspondent and We Day Minnesota Host, leads the crowd through a day full of powerful educational speeches, inspirational moments and electric performances. A few must-see include:

• Today, Governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, makes an appearance on stage to issue a proclamation, officially declaring November 12, We Day, across Minnesota. On this day, communities across the state will unite to support and encourage young people in their efforts to make Minnesota and the world a better place.
• Youth are out of their seats for a moving performance by award-winning country music group The Band Perry, of their chart-toping hit If I Die Young.
• We Day alum, NBA legend, two-time hall of famer, philanthropist and co-chair of We Day California, Magic Johnson, speaks about his passion of giving back to communities by helping others reach their goals and dreams. Through his motivating worlds, Magic Johnson encourages the audience to find their purpose and work together as a team to make the world a better place.
• Social advocate, filmmaker and grandson of President Nelson Mandela, Kweku Mandela shares an inspirational speech about carrying out his grandfather's legacy and passing the torch to the next generation.
• Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actor and activist Martin Sheen shares his enthusiasm for activism, encouraging youth to generate change by finding something meaningful to them that is worth fighting for.

"Speaking at We Days all over North America has been extremely rewarding," said Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actor and activist Martin Sheen. "I see the same passion I have for activism in all of the youth attending We Day. This generation's conviction to speak out about issues that are meaningful to them will create a chain reaction generating positive change around the world."

"Today we have chart-topping artists, spoken word poets, dance troops, world-renowned speakers and incredible youth on the We Day stage addressing issues and causes they are passionate about to encourage youth in the audience to find their spark and take action locally and globally," said We Day co-founder Craig Kielburger. "We Day is the inspiration and a celebration for service and the real work starts when these students go back to their classrooms and communities to take action on causes and issues important to them. Since 2007, students involved have been able to achieve remarkable social change raising $45 million for more than 1,000 local and global causes, collecting 5.6 million pounds of food for local food banks and logging 14.6 million hours of volunteer 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, UK and Canada. We Day is one of the world's largest registered charities on social media, with more than five million followers. This year alone 200,000 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 taking on one local and one global action. We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of sponsors led by National Co-Title Sponsors Allstate and Outnumber Hunger.

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. By taking action on one local and one global cause, students are equipped with the tools to succeed academically, in the workplace and as active citizens. Together, We Day and We Act form a blueprint for building the next generation of global citizens.

Stay connected with We Day and Facebook through the following social networking channels:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/weday
• Twitter: @weday @craigkielburger
• #WeDay
• Visit: www.weday.com

About We Day
www.weday.com

For more information, please contact:

Alison Clarke
Associate Director, PR & Publicity
M: 416-706-3652
W: 416-925-5894 x340
[email protected]

SOURCE We Day

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