Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Orlando Bloom, Magic Johnson and J. Cole come together at We Day California to inspire young people to change the world

OAKLAND, Calif., March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the world's largest youth empowerment event of its kind, We Day, will make its official debut in California at Oracle Arena. Thanks to the support of Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft, The Allstate Foundation and Unilever Project Sunlight, We Day will bring together renowned speakers and chart-topping musical acts including Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Magic Johnson, Orlando Bloom, J.Cole and Big Sean along with international activists and co-founders of Free The Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to engage and inspire 16,000 youth from over 400 schools across California to take action on local and global causes that are important to them.

An initiative of international charity and educational partner, Free The Children, We Day is taking the philanthropic world by storm with events in the US, Canada and the UK and is one of the world's largest registered charities on Facebook with 3.8 million followers.  This year alone, over 180,000 young people will come together in stadium gatherings to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

We Day California will bring some of the greatest social issues of today to the forefront, and provide the young people in attendance and tens of thousands more watching the live stream of the event online at www.ktvu.com, ways in which every young person can find their place within the movement to create global change. TV stars and siblings Rico and Raini Rodriguez along with Free The Children ambassador, Jesse Giddings will lead the crowd through a day full of powerful educational speeches, inspirational moments and electric performances. A few must-see moments will include:

• Actress and multi-platinum recording artist, Selena Gomez, will speak about the pressure young people face growing up.
• Actor, writer, director and producer, Seth Rogen, alongside his wife, actress and screenwriter, Lauren Miller, will encourage the young people in attendance to use their talents to follow their passions and create positive change on issues they care about – with a comedic twist.
• Renowned a cappella group from Oakland School for the Arts, Vocal Rush, will perform two songs to sing along to: I Was Here by Beyonce and Perfect by Pink.
• Known as the 'World's Cutest Dog' with 11 million fans on Facebook, Boo will be interviewed on stage by Disney® channel's Raini Rodriguez.

Spearheading its arrival in California are long-time Free The Children supporters and We Day California Co-Chairs, Natalie Portman and Magic Johnson along with philanthropic thought leaders Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman of the Skoll Foundation, Participant Media and the Skoll Global Threats Fund and Daniel Lurie, CEO and Founder, Tipping Point Community. 

"I have been working alongside the tens of thousands of youth involved with We Day for several years now, and we've developed a good group dynamic for social change," said Magic Johnson, co-chair of We Day California. "This dream team of young trail blazers and student leaders with a like-minded attitude to make the world a better place are inspiring everyone around them to be a part of this movement. When we return next year for We Day California we'll get to celebrate all the wonderful actions that have been taken and I'm so excited to be a part of this team."

The lineup of acts who will take the We Day California stage include: Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Magic Johnson, J. Cole, Big Sean, Martin Sheen, Orlando Bloom, Rico and Raini Rodriguez, Evanna Lynch, Laila Ali, Clemantine Wamariya, Martin Luther King III, Lauren Miller, Jesse Giddings, Hannah Simone, Boo, The Tenors featuring Young Stitch, Spencer West, Hannah Alper, and Craig and Marc Kielburger. Hi-res photos and bios are available here for download.

We Day California will also see local young leaders and performers take the stage including Vocal Rush, a renowned a cappella group from Oakland School for the Arts, the Oakland Youth Orchestra, dance group, Culture Shock and spoken word group, Youth Speaks. NFL sports teams also lending their voice include the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.

We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the extraordinary support of sponsors, led in California by Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation and Unilever Project Sunlight.

"Microsoft is very proud to help bring We Day to California for the first time today and for the next three years," said Lori Forte Harnick, general manager, Citizenship and Public Affairs at Microsoft. "As part of our Microsoft YouthSpark companywide initiative to empower youth through technology, we're thrilled to partner with Free The Children, to encourage and honor young people who have put their talent and passion to work to make the world a better place for everyone."

"Today, the We Day movement will reach thousands of young people, eager to learn new ways to improve their communities and help people around them," said Vicky Dinges, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Allstate Insurance Company. "Their actions will add up to big change in the world, and we are so happy to support them in their work."

"We Day and Unilever Project Sunlight each focus on children and youth, who are our motivation and inspiration," said Gina Boswell, Executive Vice President, Personal Care at Unilever. "We are passionate about leaving a lighter footprint on the world through sustainable living and it transcends through our culture. As long as you can find a cause that you feel passionately about, you will feel compelled to play a role in its outcome and your voice will echo the authenticity in your actions."

Students can't buy a ticket to We Day; they earn it through service by making a commitment to take action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice as part of the year-long educational program, We Act. The We Act program supports students and teachers with free educational resources, student-led campaigns and support materials to help turn the inspiration of We Day into sustained activation. The program enhances a school's existing service learning initiatives or sparks new ones.

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

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

About Free The Children
www.freethechildren.com

For more information, please contact:

Lauren Stasila
Associate Director, PR & Publicity
416-558-9310
[email protected]

SOURCE Free The Children