We Day Announces First Ever National American Broadcast on ABC featuring Jennifer Hudson, Common, Selena Gomez, The Band Perry, Tyrese Gibson, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Colbie Caillat, Paul Rudd and Macklemore
We Day airs commercial-free on ABC, Friday, August 21, 2015 at 8pm ET/7pm CT
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, We Day, in collaboration with ABC, announces the first-ever U.S. national broadcast of We Day airing commercial-free on August 21, 2015 at 8pm ET/7pm CT. We Day is made possible by title sponsor Allstate, presenting sponsors Unilever and Microsoft YouthSpark, and supported by Walgreens. By highlighting some of today's greatest social issues – bullying, body image, mental illness, ability, access and equality – We Day connects young people with a growing movement of their peers who are taking action on issues they are passionate about and provides a platform for youth to create systemic change in their communities and around the world. Along with international activists and We Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, We Day will feature a star-studded lineup of inspiring young Americans, chart-topping performers and iconic celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Common, Demi Lovato, Macklemore, Tyrese Gibson, Nick Jonas, Colbie Caillat, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Rico Rodriguez, Raini Rodriguez, Josh Gad, Paul Rudd, The Band Perry, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Lupe Fiasco, Shay Mitchell, Kid President, and We Day fan-favorite Selena Gomez, who will host the We Day broadcast event. The broadcast will highlight inspiring stories of young change-makers from across America coupled with celebrities lending their voice to support the movement—celebrating a generation committed to we thinking and we acting.
A few must-sees include:
- 'Oval Office' conversations with Kid President and the likes of Demi Lovato and other surprise celebs about social issues important to Americans.
- A moving tribute to the youth of America – celebrating their efforts to 'be the change' and hopes for a better future – through a powerful spoken-word performance from Common, Oscar® and GRAMMY Award®-winning hip-hop artist, actor and founder of the Common Ground Foundation.
- After being a victim of bullying for years, 16-year-old Ally Del Monte decided to stand up and take back happiness. Ally will join GRAMMY® Award-winning pop singer and songwriter Colbie Caillat and 11-time GRAMMY® Award-winning R&B musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds for an emotional performance of their co-written empowering hit song Try. Performing the song together for the first time, the duet will also feature a special appearance by the Chicago Children's Choir.
- Academy® and GRAMMY® Award-winning actress and musician, co-founder of the Julian D. King Gift Foundation and national co-chair of We Day, Jennifer Hudson takes the stage for a performance of her hit song Whatever Makes You Happy. Joining Jennifer for the energizing song are special guests hip-hop artist, record producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Lupe Fiasco, and members from the Lemont High School and King High School marching bands.
"Being part of We Day has been a life-changing experience," said actress, multi-platinum recording artist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Selena Gomez. "I have been so lucky to have taken the stage at many We Day events and each time these incredible youth have left me feeling even more inspired. I can't wait to share this experience with all of America, so they too can feel the contagious energy of the We Day movement."
"We Day addresses some of the most pressing social issues of today in a way that is accessible to youth," said Robert Mills, Senior Vice President, Alternative Series, Specials and Late Night at ABC. "ABC believes in the power of young people and is proud to be part of the movement that helps young people connect to issues not only in their own backyard but also around the world."
"Today's generation of young people have the power to create and lead real systematic change", said We Day co-founder, Craig Kielburger. "From bake sales and coin drives, clothing drives and awareness campaigns, youth across America are taking action on local and global issues they care about, and are being caring global citizens in the process. Collectively, these numbers do add up – since 2007, youth committed to the We Day movement have achieved 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. We Day celebrates and inspires this generation's shift from me to we – towards acting with intention, leading with compassion, and a belief in the power of community. 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.
The students who attend We Day events across North America cannot buy a ticket. They 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.
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.
We Day
Broadcast description
We Day is a commercial-free national broadcast airing on August 21, 2015 at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC. We Day explores today's important social issues – bullying, body image, mental illness, ability, literacy, inner-city violence, environment and access and equality – helping young people to find a place amongst their peers within the movement by encouraging them to take action on the issues they care about most. Hosted by Selena Gomez, We Day features a star-studded lineup of inspiring young Americans, chart-topping performers and iconic celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Common, Demi Lovato, Macklemore, Tyrese Gibson, Lupe Fiasco, Josh Gad, Paul Rudd, Rico Rodriguez, Raini Rodriguez, Colbie Caillat, Shay Mitchell, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds The Band Perry and Kid President.
About We Day
www.weday.com
Stay connected:
- Access electronic press kit here.
- Like We Day on Facebook: facebook.com/WeDay
- Twitter: @WeDay @CraigKielburger
- Official Hashtag: #WeDay
For more information, please contact:
Angie Gurley
Public Relations & Publicity
416-432-9291
[email protected]
SOURCE We Day
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