Taking to the stage this year’s We Day is a cast of returning favourites and new faces, including Shawn Mendes, Kweku Mandela, Laura Whitmore, Sir Richard Branson, Holly Branson, Years & Years, Mr. Probz, Conor Maynard, Andy Barrow and Martin Sheen. 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 energise the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches.
“Speaking at past We Days 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 the tens of thousands of youth in the crowd. This generation’s conviction to speak out about issues that they are passionate about will create a chain reaction, generating positive change around the world.”
“Today’s generation of young people – the Me to We generation – have the power to create and lead real systemic change through We Day, the UK’s national celebration of active citizenship,” said We Day co-founder Craig Kielburger. “Over 200,000 students across the UK and North America 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.”
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.
We Day UK will be co-chaired by Free The Children ambassador Holly Branson and Lord Rumi Verjee. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of young people will come together in stadium gatherings in 14 cities across North America and the UK, to take part in an unprecedented educational initiative which inspires students to get involved in positive social change. Students cannot buy a ticket to the event; they have to earn it through making a commitment to undertake at least one local and one global charitable act of their choice as part of the year-long We Act programme. By registering for We Act, students and teachers receive free educational resources, student-led campaign ideas and materials to support them on their mission to make a difference. Together, We Day and We Act are a blueprint for building the next generation of global citizens. We Day and We Act are cause inclusive, empowering young people to find their passion and create the change they want to see.
We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and teachers in attendance, thanks to the generous support of Co-Title Supporters, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Barclays.
The full list of speakers, performers and presenters announced to date include:
Martin Sheen – Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actor and activist
Years and Years (@yearsandyears) – Award-winning English electronica trio
Kweku Mandela (@kwekumandela) – Social advocate, filmmaker, and grandson of President Nelson Mandela
Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes) – Singer and songwriter
Mr Probz (@mrprobz) – Dutch singer-songwriter, rapper, producer and actor.
Conor Maynard (@conormaynard) – Singer, songwriter and actor
Sir Richard Branson (@richardbranson) – Founder of the Virgin Group
Holly Branson (@HollyBranson) – Patron of Free The Children UK, Co-Chair of We Day UK, Trustee and Founder of Big Change Charitable Trust and Chair of Virgin Unite
Lord Rumi Verjee – Founder of The Rumi Foundation and We Day UK Co-Chair
Andy Barrow (@andybarrow2012) – Inspirational speaker, retired Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby athlete, triple Paralympian and 3x European gold medalist
Bars and Melody (@barsandmelody) – British R&B and rapping duo
Creators and Stars of MTV documentary series The Buried Life (@theburiedlife)
Karl Lokko (@mistac_mon) – Writer, poet and musician
Laura Whitmore (@thewhitmore) – Co-Host of We Day UK
Yasmin Evans (@yasminevans) – Co-Host of We Day UK
Becca Dudley (@beccadudley) – Co-Host of We Day UK
Bluey Robinson (@blueyrobinson) – Co-Host of We Day UK
Professor Muhammad Yunus (@Yunus_SB) – Nobel Peace Laureate, Founder of Yunus Social Business and Grameen Bank and Chairman of Yunus Centre
Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activists and co-founders of We Day
Emmanuel Jal (@emmanueljal) – South Sudanese musician, former child soldier, and humanitarian
Arthur Kay (@Bio_Bean_UK) – Co-founder and CEO of Bio Bean
Living the Dream (@livinthedreamco) – Award-winning dance company
Harold Craston and Kirsty Kenney (@solarboxlondon) – Founders of Solarbox London
Dennis Gyamfi – Social activist and speaker
Ciara Judge, Émer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow (@Ciarafudgyjudgy) (@emerhickk) (@sophiehealythow ) — Google Global Science Fair Winners 2014
Aaisha Abdulsalam – First Kurdish female pilot in-training
Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We motivational speaker, Free The Children ambassador and author
