Kiera Kowalski
Members of Fort High’s student council returned from Winnipeg last week feeling inspired and motivated after attending the Manitoba leg of the 2014-15 “We Day” Empowerment Tour.
“We Day” is an annual event put on by “Free the Children” that celebrates youth while encouraging them to participate in both local and global change.
The tens of thousands of students who attended the event, along with educators, heroes, celebrities, and musicians, came together to celebrate and share their stories in an attempt to encourage kids that they do, in fact, possess the potential to change the world.
The students attending the event did not have to pay for a ticket, but had to earn their way in by being active in their community.
The leadership council at Fort High put on a “Mini We Day” last May, which won it an invitation to the celebration.
“Free the Children” is an international charity and educational partner that, as stated on its website, “believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.”
It was founded in 1995 by 12-year-old Craig Kielburger, who was inspired to make a change after reading a newspaper article on a child slave in southern Asia.
His goal was to “free the children from poverty, free the children from exploitation, and free the children from the notion that they are powerless to affect change.”
So far, Kielburger has been incredibly successful in getting his message out to the rest of the world, inspiring not just youths but all age groups.
The Fort High students definitely vouched for that.
“‘We Day’ is a glimpse into what us youth can actually achieve,” said student council member Kate Parsons.
“It’s an event that empowers you and actually gets you excited about positive change,” she added.
Some of the celebrities on hand in Winnipeg were Kweku Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s grandson), Canadian astronaut Dr. Dave Williams, motivational speaker Spencer West, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and 11-year-old blogger and youth activist Hannah Alper.
The local students listened to their inspiring stories, as well as the hit songs of various Canadian artists like Hedley, Kardinal Offishall, and rapper Son Real.
The songs performed were uplifting and contained a positive message, but still were upbeat enough that the students could enjoy some dancing.
“The performances kept people pumped up and helped to create an all-around positive vibe,” said council member Julia Quast.
All of the students left feeling impacted by the intense words of the speakers and performers.
Quast, who participated in a “Me to We” trip to Nicaragua this past summer, has experienced the harsh reality of developing countries, and believes it’s difficult to enjoy the freedom and rights she has while other people are struggling.
“I don’t think it’s fair that I can enjoy all of the privileges I have while there is people in the world who don’t have shoes on their feet or food to feed their children,” she reasoned.
“I try to help out as much as I can.”
Freshman FFHS student Maria Gilbert had been waiting until she got to high school so she finally could attend a “We Day” event, having heard great things about it.
“I knew it was something that I wanted to attend,” she said. “And now that I have, I have absolutely no regrets.
“After coming back from the event, I am incredibly inspired and motivated,” Gilbert added.
Throughout the event, students were informed of the many campaigns in which they were eligible to participate in order to be active in their community, such as “We Scare Hunger,” “We Create Change,” and “We are Silent.”
Fort High students already were planning a “We Scare Hunger” food drive for Hallowe’en, but participating in “We Day” made them even more excited to start collecting items.
“I was inspired to do [“We Scare Hunger”] because it’s nice to see how our small community can come together and create a change,” said council member Chelsey Skirten.
On Friday, the students who dressed up in costume and went around town asking for non-perishable food items ended up collecting 846 items for the local Salvation Army.
Despite the small number of people who were out collecting on Hallowe’en night, the event produced a great outpouring of support.
Chris Hill, the teacher rep on the leadership council, believes both “We Day” and “We Scare Hunger” were bona fide successes.
“The performances and ideas left an imprint on everybody,” he enthused.
Hill plans for the students to continue to attend these inspirational days as they promote positive change within the school environment.
“I believe that students that attended the day came away with many great memories and a belief that everybody has the ability to bring about change,” he said.
