Today, WE Day, the greatest celebration of social good, announces the dynamic lineup set to hit the stage at WE Day California, taking place at the “Fabulous” Forum on April 25, 2019.
With stadium sized events across North America, the UK and the Caribbean, WE Day returns to California uniting 16,000 extraordinary students and educators who have made a difference in their local and global communities. Together they will enjoy a day of unforgettable performances and motivational speeches with WE co-founders and international activists Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger, host Neil Patrick Harris, Mahershala Ali, Chance the Rapper, Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, Bill Nye, Pentatonix, Natalie Portman, Hailee Steinfeld, Meghan Trainor, will.i.am and more, still to be announced. WE Day is free of charge to students and educators across the U.S. thanks to the generous support of sponsors, led by National Co-Title Sponsor The Allstate Foundation and Co-Title Sponsor Unilever.
“Every year, WE Day leaves me feeling inspired and hopeful. The youth have an incredible positive and passionate attitude for making real change in the world” says actress and multi-platinum recording artist, Selena Gomez. “I’m so proud to celebrate young people’s year of social change and to remind them that together, we are an unstoppable movement dedicated to a brighter and better tomorrow.”
More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the free, yearlong program WE Schools. Designed to enhance a school or community’s existing social initiatives or spark new ones, WE Schools provides participants with curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns, encouraging students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills to succeed beyond the classroom. In the 2017/2018 school year, over 1260 schools and school groups across California improved the world through WE Schools, volunteering over 1.4 million hours and raising more than $1,000,000 in support of over 660 global and local causes including bringing awareness to homelessness, food security, LGBTQ+ rights, access to education, access to clean water in oversees communities and environmental issues.
“Across America, we are surrounded by young leaders who are working together to positively impact their local and global communities. It’s incredibly inspiring to see young people who are committed to changing the world,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. “WE Day California will bring together thousands of students who are raising their collective voice as they work towards creating a future for all — this generation is speaking up and the world is listening.”
The initial list of WE Day California hosts, speakers and performers in alphabetical order, announced to date, includes:
- Host: Neil Patrick Harris
- Appearances: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mahershala Ali, Fatima Avelica, Cameron Boyce, Karamo Brown, Sofia Carson, Celebrity Marauders, Chance The Rapper, Edna Chavez, Justin Choo, Cohen Family, Nina Dobrev, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Selena Gomez, Winnie Harlow, Ryan Hickman, Laurie Hernandez, Olivia Holt, Emma Horton, Zeke Sumpter Ibarra, Skai Jackson, Joe Jonas, Zak Karim, Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, LaurDIY, Pascale Lederman, Roman McConn, Dr. Art McCoy, Eli Meyer, Anna Miller, Gabi Nascimento, Bill Nye, Natalie Portman, Aidan Rassech, Kheris Rogers, Tyler Stallings, Hailee Steinfeld, Aimee Song, Spencer West, will.i.am
- Performers: Pentatonix, Meghan Trainor and more surprises to come
- Co-Chairs: WE Day California Co-Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, Argyros Group, Stephanie Argyros; WE Day California Co-Chair, President, New American Funding, Patricia Arvielo; WE Day National Co-Chair, Founder/CEO, Burn 60 Studios, Janet Crown; WE Day National Co-Chair, Zilliance and Officer LAPD/Hawthorne PD, Steve Robinson; WE Day California Co-Chair, Chief Executive Officer, The Travel Corporation, Brett Tollman; WE Day California Co-Chair, Art and Philanthropy Editor, West Luxury Magazine, Miranda Tollman; WE Day National Co-Chair, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Allstate, Tom Wilson
WE Day is free of charge to students and educators across the U.S. thanks to the generous support of sponsors led by National Co-Title Sponsor The Allstate Foundation and Co-Title Sponsor Unilever. This means students can’t buy a ticket to WE Day California — youth from across the state earn their way by taking action on one local and one global issue of their choice.
Specific portions of WE Day California that highlight the incredible youth and educators profiled in the show, will be filmed for inclusion in a one-hour national televised special airing Friday, August 9, 2019 on ABC at 8P ET/7P CT. The WE Day Special is sponsored by Title Partner The Allstate Foundation, and by Presenting Partners Walgreens and Microsoft.
