Recently, I had the opportunity to attend We Day Chicago. This was the first time they came to Chicago so I felt extremely lucky to be there! I know you might be wondering: what is We Day? Let me tell you, it was by far one of the best experiences of my life! Not only this, but the purpose behind it and what children all over the US have to do to get to We Day is really amazing!
I went in not really knowing what to expect. I knew some of the background information on We Day but I was not sure what exactly would happen. I thought it was pretty cool when I found out who the chairs of We Day were; Award-winning hip-hop artist, actor, and founder of the Common Ground Foundation, Common and CEO of The Allstate Corporation, Tom Wilson. They both pushed to make We Day happen in Chicago! High-fives for both of them for supporting such great initiative!
I will start by telling you what We Day is so you can understand the meaningfulness of this event! We Day is a one day celebration in which students earn access to the event through their schools by committing to We Act- a year-round service learning program were these children commit to helping not only their community but also others in need at a global level.
The event was hosted by the one and only Selena Gomez! There were a total of 15,000 students gathered at Allstate arena on April 30th 2015 from 500 different schools across the state. The moment I walked into Allstate arena I could feel the energy of all of these students! It was so contagious! It was a celebration of We Act.
We Day inspires a generation to act on local and global issues. It inspires, engages and empowers youth to lead through service.
We Day was a day full of motivational speakers all different ages, music, fun, and surprises. Among one of my favorite parts was when Earvin “Magic” Johnson surprised a young boy on stage. He completely touched my heart because although he did not have one of his legs he was there to tell us all that if he could do it with a prosthetic leg then we could also do anything! I literally almost cried, especially when magic Johnson came out to surprise him. He did not let anything stop him and became a motivational speaker because of this. Now he shares his story with everyone. This was just one of many touching stories shared on stage that inspired us all.
Aside from hearing many inspiring stories I also had the opportunity to interview an amazing student and Microsoft YouthSpark Star, Abril Vela. She is a future computer engineer and inspires other young women to explore technology and science. I noticed her passion for getting more young women into the STEM field and for science from the moment I met her! She is currently involved with DigiGirlz and has led two all-girls robotics teams and helped create computer science curriculums for middle and elementary school students. She also manages Chicago Girls in Computing, an organization that strives to provide a “friendly environment for high school girls in the city of Chicago who are interested or wish to become more involved with technology. Without a doubt this shows her commitment to achieving this. When I asked her why girls are often reluctant to pursue careers in technology and science she told me, “I personally believe that society has built up the belief that males are the ones who go into these fields. People don’t feel like it could be any other way, even though it should and can be.” I could not agree more with her!
Photo Credit: Scott Eklund
I would like to end by stating how much We Act has impacted not only at a local level but also globally. Since 2007, youth involved in We Act have achieved remarkable social change results:
- $45 million raised for more than 1,000 local and global causes
- 14.6 million hours volunteered for local and global causes
- 5.6 million pounds of food collected for local food banks
- 8.9 million hours of silence logged by youth who stood up for children in developing communities silenced by poverty and exploitation
I would encourage all high schools in Illinois to get involved with We Act and help create a generation of who inspires and leads through service. The We Act program is targeted to high schools but if you are in college you can help by being a mentor. To learn more about We Day and how you can get involved visit WeDay or stay connected online at: