We Day 2013

The true blessing of working with brands is when you get opportunities for you and your kids that you would not normally have.  That is why I am thankful that TELUS has connected with me over the years.   Getting to test out new smart phones is always fun and I have had a great time checking out the Blackberry Q10 and now totally understand the love of a keyboard.  However, the true gift comes when TELUS shares their community support and sponsorship of organizations like Free the Children.

Last year I was able to share We Day with my son and this year I was able to bring Caity to experience the amazing power of the We Day experience, with the extra fun of being a ‘guest’ and hanging at the TELUS suite  and meeting some amazing speakers like Molly Burke, Spencer West and Craig Kielburger himself.  Not to mention the opportunities to hang in the media room for Q&A sessions with Spencer, Craig and Jacob Hoggard of Hedley.

This is the second year that TELUS has been a national co-title sponsor of Free the Children along with RBC.  In addition to the sponsorship and support, TELUS also does a Phones for Good campaign that donates $25 for every sale of select Blackberry devices including the Z10, Q10 and Q5 to Free the Children.  TELUS has donated over $2.8 million using this initiative to various community projects.

TELUS was also happy to share the launch of the WE365 mobile app and website that enables young people to not only socialize with other globally conscious youth, but to track and verify their volunteer activities for school.  It also provides them with the tools and support needed to fundraise, take action and amplify the messages for thousands of different charities that can be connected to the app.

All this focused on helping us and our kids become better citizens.  One of the things that Craig said at the Q&A struck me and needs to shared.  He was talking about how us parents strive to raise well rounded kids who understand the importance of education, activity (sports) and so on, but we also need to ensure that we are teaching our kids to be ‘givers.’  That caring is cool and that SERVICE should be a cornerstone of a well rounded youth.     He went on to explain that that is why Free the Children exists…..to help kids with just that.  Give them the tools to care.

Spencer West also emphasized that and the point that kids learn by example.   We, the parents need to lead by example.   We, the parents need to show our kids that caring for those around us and HELPING is the right thing to do.

We Day is an insane spectacle.  Craig said it is the ‘Super Bowl’ of service.  A way to celebrate doing good for others.  Seeing an arena of 20,000 students go silent when the likes of Martin Luther King III, Romeo Dallaire and Kofi Annan speak, shows the true power of these events.  The kids listened.

My daughter told me that she was especially struck by what National Chief Atleo and Adam Beach had to say about the responsibility of our youth to help the Aboriginal people of Canada move ahead.

That is what We Day is all about.

Imagine if just one kid from every school represented there, decided to one good thing…..perhaps there is hope for the future.