We Day Vancouver

Taking in the spirit at We Day

It’s not every day you’re in the company of 18,000 youth.  It’s especially not every day you’re honoured by the presence of 18,000 cheering, chanting, dancing and inspired youth ready to take on the world.

It was enough to give anyone goosebumps.  Probably a warm fuzzy feeling, a bounce in your step and a perma-grin too.  As a volunteer with We Day in Vancouver, I was no exception.  I’d heard about this “We Day” event before but had no idea just how huge and amazing it was.

“We Day” is an annual celebration of youth and their power to change the world.  Created by Free the Children, it kicks-off the year’s “We Schools in Action” program in which students take action on local and international issues.  With moving speeches and performances, youth are energized and inspired to lead themselves, our communities, and our world.

As a Parking and Transportation volunteer I got to jump on buses, greet people, wave signs, and help get the energy started.  It was quite the sight as 18,000 students and teachers lined up around Rogers Arena waiting for the gates to open.  There were We Day crowd pumpers running around in neon spandex and capes.  Students with  matching outfits, colourful signs, and an infectious spirit.  Random cheering erupted from around corners, down stairways and out of the skytrain station.  I was on Abbott street helping with buses and pretty excited when the first bus that pulled up in front of me was my old high school, Port Moody Secondary!  As more buses rolled around, I got a sense of just how big this event was.  There were bus loads of students with sleeping bags as this was an overnight trip for them!  Groups from all over, including Vancouver Island and even Manitoba!  Everyone was cheerful and cheering… and it wasn’t even 8am.

The energy only got bigger and louder with the official start at 10am.  Hedley, Craig Kielburger, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Colbie Caillat, Barenaked Ladies and more.  I don’t know how else to explain it but intense.  Intense in a good way.  Intense in a deafening, powerful, magical way.  You only had to walk into the bowl for a moment to realize the incredible energy in the arena.  There’s something about a group of people all coming together both physically and in spirit, the sharing of emotion and the celebration of empowerment, that makes you feel elevated to another planet, yet so in the moment.

The buzz continued as everyone flooded out at the end of the event.  There were high fives, the We Day dance and smiling all around.  People were touched, moved and inspired.  I hope now that we take action.  Youth have every power to create change in this world.  They are not the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today.  If all 18,000 youth and 700 volunteers were to take one small step in tackling social change, imagine the effect it would have.  It would be a movement, a youth-led movement.  I’m excited to see it all unfold.