WE Day Connect unites young people worldwide in an interactive online classroom for social good

– Click here to join WE Day Connect today at 1 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. CT – 
– WE Day Connect is powered by Microsoft, and made possible by RBC and TELUS –

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, WE, an organization that makes doing good doable, invites change-makers around the world to virtually tune in to WE Day Connect, a free 90-minute interactive online event, at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT. WE Day Connect brings together young people to celebrate acts of service and doing good while showcasing how youth, schools and community groups can take local and global actions to make a difference. Click here to join and hear from students across the globe including Kenya, Ecuador and India.

Using Microsoft technology, WE Day Connect transcends WE's geographical barriers and delivers the power of WE Day to even more youth worldwide. Broadcasting live from Seattle, Washington; New York, New York; Toronto, Ontario; St. John's, Newfoundland and London, England, the action-packed program features celebrity and special guests, including an energizing performance by hip-hop artist, Sol.

"Connecting like-minded youth from around the world to celebrate the actions they've taken year round really is a dream for us," said Carrie Patterson, Chief Operations Director of WE Charity. "I can't wait to see these students come together to exchange their ideas and empower one another to continue creating social change. I know it'll be an inspiring event for all."

WE Day Connect will cover topical social causes such as cyberbullying and access to clean water, as well as exploring how young people are using social entrepreneurship and technology to tackle some of today's most pressing issues. Online audiences will hear from remarkable students joining to share their personal journeys and how they are making an impact today:

John and Christian Ciocca – Seattle, Washington

• When John Ciocca and his older brother Christian moved to a new state with their family, John noticed that his brother, who has Down Syndrome, was having trouble making friends. Wanting to support his brother and others in a similar situation, John was inspired to create an app called youBelong, which allows people with disabilities and their families to connect with friends and family in a safe online community. Tune in to WE Day Connect to hear their story and learn about the Microsoft and WE-created campaign, WE Are One, which encourages other youth to make their world more inclusive through technology.

Asalah Youssef – Toronto, Ontario

• Driven by social justice, Grade 10 student, Asalah Youssef had an idea to develop an app and website called The R & R Place (The Radical and Revolutionary Place) where socially-conscious businesses can post their products and services at a discounted rate or sliding scale for low-income Canadians. To bring her vision to life, Asalah participated in WE Are Social Entrepreneurs, an interactive program created by RBC and WE to develop the next generation of social innovators. Through interactive workshops and coaching from subject matter experts, Asalah gained valuable entrepreneurial skills, from building a business plan to effective pitching, equipping her to turn her one idea into a reality. Those tuning in to WE Day Connect will also hear from students at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute who, like Asalah, attended the WE Are Social Entrepreneurs conference and launched their own social enterprise in 2015 called YYZ Inbound to raise money in support of new Canadians.

Daniel Blackmore and Silvi Ivardi – St. John's, Newfoundland

• Daniel Blackmore and Silvi Ivardi are two of the champion change-makers at MacDonald Drive Junior High who participated in over ten WE Schools action campaigns during the 2017/2018 school year. Alongside their entire class, Daniel and Silvi have chosen to focus this year's service efforts on taking action to end cyberbullying and have pledged to participate in WE Rise Above, a national cyberbullying program developed by TELUS and WE. The program promotes positive online behaviour and creates awareness of the negative impact online words and actions have. During WE Day Connect, Daniel and Silvi will share how their class is contributing to #EndBullying and how two Canadian youth, Maya and Eden Bridge, inspired them to always consider kindness when online.

Powered by Microsoft and made possible by RBC and TELUS, WE Day Connect is part of WE Day, a series of 19 stadium-sized events held across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Caribbean. This past year, more than 200,000 students from over 10,000 schools attended WE Day events and the inaugural WE Day Connect reached over 228,000 users globally. Students can't buy a ticket to WE Day—youth earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice.

Following WE Day Connect, students and educators can continue doing good through WE's free, yearlong service-learning program, WE Schools. Providing schools and community groups with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns, the program is designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or spark new ones. As part of the program, educators and community leaders can access the free, interactive WE Schools Kit, which helps them collaborate with students as they create action plans throughout the year. Globally, more than 3.8 million students are part of the WE movement, taking part in service learning programs and campaigns.

About WE
WE is a family of organizations making doing good, doable. WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering domestic and international change, ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences to help support the charity, and WE Day, filling stadiums around the world with the greatest celebration of social good. WE enables youth and families to better the world – supporting 7,200+ local and global causes by volunteering millions of hours of service, shopping daily with an impact, and raising millions of dollars that directly benefit their local communities and the world. Globally, WE teams in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have provided more than 1 million people with clean water, built 1,500 schools and schoolrooms overseas, and empowered more than 200,000 children with access to education. WE was founded more than 20 years ago by social entrepreneurs, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. Join the movement today at WE.org.

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About Microsoft 
www.microsoft.com

About RBC 
www.rbc.com/futurelaunch

About TELUS 
www.telus.com/endbullying

SOURCE WE Charity

on WE Day Connect, please contact: Sarah Evans, Associate Director, Public Relations, WE Day, 1-647-462-0654, [email protected]