Darren Criss, Chelsea Clinton & More Set for 2015 WE Day Minnesota
By: Caryn Robbins Oct. 20, 2015
WE Day, a powerful series of educational events that combines the energy of a live concert with the inspiration of extraordinary stories of leadership and change, announces the full list of speakers and performers attending WE Day Minnesota on November 3, 2015 at the Xcel Energy Center. Alongside partners led by National Co-Title Sponsor Allstate Insurance Company, WE Day Minnesota will bring together over 18,000 students in an inspirational setting, celebrating the commitment they have made to take action on local and global causes they care about.
Taking the stage this year is a cast of new faces and returning WE Day favorites, including Ciara, Darren Criss, Chelsea Clinton, Lily Collins, Nico & Vinz, Natalie La Rose, Rowan Blanchard, Marlee Matlin, Dr. Mae Jemison, Henry Winkler, Kenyan Boys Choir, Kardinal Offishall, Spencer West and more. This star-studded lineup will join international activists and WE Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change and international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches.
Click to tweet: .@weday announces #WEDay #Minnesota lineup @ciara @DarrenCriss @ChelseaClinton @lilycollins @NicoandVinz @natalielarose @rowblanchard
"WE Day is a powerful thingit brings together young people from across America with the goal of inspiring and empowering them to make a difference," said Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and producer, Ciara. "I can't wait to be a part of WE Day Minnesota and learn about the amazing actions students have taken to earn their way to WE Day celebrations."
Joining the lineup above on stage will be local young people with inspiring personal stories, like Pia Phillips and Abbie Nelson. At the age of 14 Pia received her diagnosis of Stage 2A Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and at 13, Abbie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Having spent much of their adolescence in hospitals, the pair knew how therapeutic the comforts of home could be during long hospital stays. The two, along with Abbie's mom, Martha Dayton,created PAB'S PACKS, a non-profit organization that provides custom backpacks filled with comfort itemsforhospitalized teens suffering from chronic illnesses. Abbie and Pia are just two of the many young people who will share their story to motivate their WE Day peers.
WE Day is an inspirational event like no other, bringing together like-minded individuals and providing a platform for youth to learn about some of today's most pressing issues and how to be a part of the solution. WE Day celebrates and inspires this generation's shift from me to wetowards acting with intention, leading with compassion and a belief in the power of community. Taking the philanthropic world by storm with 14 stadium events in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., WE Day is one of the world's largest registered non-profit initiatives on social media, with more than five million followers.
"WE Day is a growing movement of young people taking action locally and globally to create a better world for today and the generation of tomorrow," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE Day. "The actions youth lead to achieve transformative outcomes is helping the world think more about we and less about me. In just one year, over 197,000 Minnesota students involved in WE Day's yearlong educational initiative volunteered nearly 700,000 hours of their time and raised more than $835,000 in support of local and global organizations. Today's youth can conquer anything they put their minds to when provided with the right tools."
More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the yearlong WE Schools program, which provides hands-on, student-led campaigns designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or to spark new ones. WE Schools helps young people turn the day's inspiration into sustained action. By taking action on one local and one global cause, students are equipped with the tools to succeed academically, in the working world and as active citizens. Together, WE Day and WE Schools are a blueprint for building the next generation of global change-makers.
You can't buy a ticket to WE Daystudents from across the country earn their way by the actions they take on local and global causes of their choice. WE Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of partners led by National Co-Title Sponsor Allstate Insurance Company.
The full list of speakers, performers and presenters announced to date includes:
- Ciara (@ciara) Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and producer
- Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) Actor, singer, songwriter and musician
- Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation
- Lily Collins (@lilycollins) Actress
- Nico & Vinz (@NicoandVinz) Musical duo, Nico Sereba and Vincent Dery
- Natalie La Rose (@natalielarose) Singer and dancer
- Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) Young activist and actress from the hit series Girl Meets World
- Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) Academy Award-winning actress and devoted social activist
- Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) Actor, director, producer and author
- Dr. Mae Jemison (@maejemison) First woman of color in space, physician, scientist, engineer, explorer and futurist
- Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) Traditional African male choir who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama
- Kardinal Offishall (@KardinalO) Award-winning rap artist, music producer and Free The Children ambassador
- Gracie Schram (@graciescharm) Singer, songwriter and philanthropist
- JRDN (@JRDNmusic) Juno Award-winning artist and Free The Children ambassador
- Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) ME to WE motivational speaker, Free The Children ambassador and author
- Craig & Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) International activists and co-founders of WE Day
- Dayle Haddon (@dayleythought) CEO and Founder of WomenOne
- Abbie Nelson and Pia Phillips Founders of PAB'S PACKS
- Mustafa The Poet (@MustafaThePoet) Poet and singer
- Elliot Miville-Deschenes (@ElliotMD25) Actor, singer and activist
- Dean Phillips and Hutton Phillips Co-Chairs of WE Day Minnesota
- Danielle Liebl (@DIFFERbilities) Founder and Executive Director of DIFFERbilities Experience, Inc.
Apply for media accreditation to attend WE Day at www.weday.com/press
Full bios, photos and information on WE Day available on the WE Day Minnesota Electronic Press Kit
WE Day will stream live at 9:15 a.m. CT on November 3, 2015 at www.weday.com/watch
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And learn more at www.we.org
About WE Day
www.weday.com
About the WE Day Movement
WE Day is the movement of our timea movement of young people leading local and global change. WE Day celebrates and inspires this generation's shift from me to wetowards acting with intention, leading with compassion, and a belief in the power of community. WE Day is one of the world's largest registered non-profit initiatives on social media, with more than five million followers. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 14 stadium gatherings across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.
More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to a yearlong free educational program, WE Schools, which provides educational resources and campaigns to help young people turn the day's inspiration into sustained action. WE Day and WE Schools are cause inclusive, empowering young people to find their passion and create the change they want to see. Together WE Day and WE Schools are a blueprint for building the next generation of global change-makers. For more information, please visit www.we.org
About Allstate Insurance Company
www.allstatefoundation.org/youth_empowerment_overview.html
For more information on WE Day or to request an interview, please contact:
SOURCE WE Day
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
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