Today, WE Day announced the second annual U.S. National Broadcast of WE Day will air commercial-free on August 28, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
Highlighting some of the most important social issues facing America and the world today — from equality to environmental issues, homelessness to inner city violence — WE Day connects likeminded individuals and provides a platform for people to create change in their communities and around the world. WE Day is made possible by Title Sponsor Allstate and presenting sponsors Unilever, Walgreens and Microsoft.
Alongside international activists and WE Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, the broadcast will feature a star-studded lineup of speakers and performers including Charlize Theron, Demi Lovato, Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen, Selena Gomez, Natalie Portman, Common, Big Sean, Orlando Bloom, Rowan Blanchard, Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Jacob Tremblay, Zooey Deschanel, Tyrese Gibson, Mark Ruffalo, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, David Foster, Paula Abdul, Von Miller, Amandla Stenberg, Hannah Simone, Rico Rodriguez, Raini Rodriguez, Kermit the Frog along with other Muppets including Dr. Bunsen, Beaker, Rizzo the Rat, Statler & Waldorf, Gonzo, Beauregard, Chip, Scooter, Bobo the Bear, The Swedish Chef, Rowlf, Pepe and more, lending their voices to the WE movement — a generation of people empowered to act and lead with compassion and the conviction that together we can transform the world locally and globally.
Bringing families together for an evening of empowering conversations about important and timely social issues, WE Day will spark ideas and inspire action. Featuring high-energy performances combined with motivating speeches and documentary-style features highlighting young Americans who are making a difference, WE Day is a part of the growing movement that is connecting people to live WE by taking action on issues and creating systemic change in communities around the world.
“WE Day is a powerful movement that unites people around the world to create impact for a greater good,” said Charlize Theron, Academy Award-winning actress and Founder of Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and Honorary Co-Chair of WE Day California. “Whether it’s a family, student group, or individual, young or old, the WE movement is a force that brings world-changers together by inspiring action on social issues that affect communities all around the world. I am honored to be part of a collective cause and WE community.”
“I have been part of the WE Day movement for many years, and through my experiences, I’ve been inspired by the work of WE Day and am committed to giving back whenever I can,” said singer, songwriter and actress, Demi Lovato. “WE Day is like nothing else — connecting people all over the world on a journey for greater good and social change.”
Joining the lineup above will be young Americans with inspiring personal stories like 16 year old Gracie Doran from Laguna Niguel, California. At the age of 10, Gracie suffered from a congenital condition that caused malformed blood vessels in her brain, resulting in a stroke. After a surgery, which left her partially paralyzed, she spent months in rehab learning how to eat, speak and walk. Now, Gracie has returned to her passion — dance. Because it was a huge part of her personal recovery, Gracie now teaches dance classes for students with disabilities and is a role model for others as a confident leader who has overcome obstacles with determination and courage.
“These youth are amazing leaders — I am endlessly inspired when I listen to their stories, and the amazing things they’ve done,” said six-time GRAMMY nominee, author, producer, philanthropist and internationally renowned film star Tyrese Gibson. “WE Day is like nothing else out there — it’s a community of people who are working together to create a collective change in the world, and I’m so honored to be a part of it.”
“We can already see the amazing impact that today’s youth are having on the world around them. Whether it’s fundraising for a cause they care about, organizing a food drive or raising awareness about an important issue, this generation is creating social change on a local and global level,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE Day. “In the last academic year alone, students involved in the WE Day movement from across the globe have donated over 2.1 million pounds of food to their local food banks, volunteered over 6.2 million hours of service and raised over $14.7 million dollars in support of local and global causes.”
Parts of the WE Day broadcast will be filmed live in Inglewood, California during WE Day California (April 7 at the Forum), one of 14 youth empowerment events that take place across North America and the U.K. 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. WE Day celebrates and inspires this generation’s shift from me thinking to we acting, building a better world where everyone has the power to speak out and make choices that have a positive impact. WE Day is one of the world’s largest non-profit initiatives on social media, with more than five million followers.
You can’t buy a ticket to WE Day events — students from across the country earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice. 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 change-makers.
