News & Events

Ryerson University is partnering with Free The Children to help present the exciting and inspirational We Day event at the Air Canada Centre on September 20.

The movement to involve young people as agents of change locally and globally has become a phenomenon since its launch in 2007, and Ryerson’s wide range of social innovation activities provides a natural fit for the university to engage youth under the We Day banner. Ryerson was invited to be the post-secondary sponsor for We Day Toronto, in a three-year arrangement that engages the campus. Ryerson students will have the opportunity to volunteer with We Day.

Tickets for We Day are not for sale – young people, 12 to 17 years old, have to earn their way to the celebrity-packed event by doing service work during the year. This year’s We Day Toronto lineup includes speakers such as Martin Luther King III, astronaut Chris Hadfield and Premier Kathleen Wynne, and performers the Barenaked Ladies, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Serena Ryder, the Kenyan Boys Choir and others.

Also on the agenda is the premiere of a specially produced video from Ryerson to be introduced by President Sheldon Levy and Ryerson graduate Teriano Lesancha, who is featured in the video. Ryerson dance students are also part of the event opening ceremonies involving Martin Luther King III. The university will have an information booth on site for the 20,000 or so young people and educators in attendance.

“Ryerson is the leader in social innovation in Canada and we are pleased and proud to play a role with Free the Children in building awareness among young people,” said Sheldon Levy, Ryerson president. “We Day is an additional opportunity to engage young people and provide inspiration for them to volunteer and dedicate themselves to making difference.”

We Day co-founder Craig Kielburger, has a video message for Ryerson.

We Day is an initiative of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that educates, engages and empowers youth to become agents of change. Since its launch, youth involved in the We Act program have raised more than $37 million for 1,000 local and global causes and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer hours.

There will be a dozen We Day events across North America with more than 160,000 in attendance, and millions more watching online at www.MTV.ca/weday and through a broadcast special premiering on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. on MTV and Much; and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. on CTV. The largest season to date, We Day will stop in 12 cities across North America and for the first time ever outside North America with We Day UK in spring 2014.

This year’s Toronto We Day event will be hosted by Darren Criss, Glee cast member. The lineup features a wide range of performers and inspirational speakers:

• David Onley – Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• Premier Kathleen Wynne
• Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – first elected female head of state in Africa
• Demi Lovato - award-winning singer-songwriter and Free The Children ambassador
• Jonas Brothers – Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artists
• Martin Luther King III - human rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Serena Ryder – Juno Award-winning artist
• Chris Hadfield – retired astronaut and first Canadian to walk in space
• Barenaked Ladies – Juno Award-winning rock band
• Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series Degrassi
• Michael “Pinball” Clemons – CFL Hall of Famer, vice-chair of the Toronto Argonauts
• Craig and Marc Kielburger - international activists and co-founders of Free The Children
• Kenyan Boys Choir - traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama