When Aidan Rassech and his fifth grade classmates walk the red carpet at The Forum in Inglewood next week, not only will his class’s sea otter environmental project be on his mind – after all that what’s earned the students an invitation to the California WE Day – he’s also looking forward to the opportunity to take the stage and share the project with the huge, youth-filled audience.
“This is especially exciting because the WE organization has chosen our student project to be highlighted on stage,” shared teacher Jessica Cambell. “They asked for a student representative, and the class chose Aidan to be our spokesperson.”
In spite of very slim odds of even being invited to attend one of the exclusive annual WE Day events, this is the second consecutive year that the Mount Madonna School (MMS) fifth grade class has been invited. In 2018, both the fifth and ninth grades were invited due to their in-depth projects aimed at protecting humpback whales (fifth grade) and reducing plastic pollution (ninth grade). The effort is particularly sweet for these elementary students, as WE Days are primarily attended by high school students.
And while the arena setting, cameras and numerous media might seem more reminiscent of a glamorous rock concert, on April 25 distinguished environmentalists and activist guest speakers will take to the stage alongside A-list performers to empower and honor tens of thousands of youth – including the Mount Madonna School students – in acknowledgment of a year of actions that have helped to transform communities and change lives locally, nationally and around the world.
“You apply to the WE Organization to be considered,” explained Cambell, “but it’s made very clear through multiple communications and disclaimers that very few are invited to attend. There was only a very slim chance that our students would get picked for WE Day, and to our fifth grade students selected for a second consecutive year based on the merits of their environmental efforts is particularly validating and wonderful!”
“I am looking forward to traveling to WE Day and seeing the celebrities that will be there,” commented fifth grader Cora Kayne. “I am really excited to see Aidan share about our project onstage.”
WE Day, and the multi-faceted WE organization (we.org) was started more than 20 years ago by Craig and Marc Kielburger. With their original Free the Children effort, the brothers – just children themselves at the time – set out to work with developing communities to free children and their families from poverty and exploitation, and the scope just kept expanding.
“It’s so inspiring to learn about what they did as young kids,” remarked Cambell. “In fact that’s what got me interested in sharing their story and work with my students. The Kielburgers were just 10 and 12 when they got started. They cared a lot about other people and our world, and would not drop it – and look at what they were able to accomplish. I knew their story would inspire my fifth graders who are about that same age, and help to show them that each kid really can make a difference!”
A total of 19 stadium-sized WE Day events will be held in 2018-19, in cities across the United States, Canada, the UK and the Caribbean; the Los Angeles event is the only one on the West Coast. The California event will be filmed for a one-hour national televised broadcast special airing on ABC on August 9.
Among those scheduled to appear at the California WE Day are actors Neil Patrick Harris, Mahershala Ali, and Natalie Portman; musicians Meghan Trainor, Chance the Rapper, Pentatonix, and Joe Jonas; gymnast Laurie Hernandez, model and activist Winnie Harlow, Bill Nye, author, tv personality and CEO of the Planetary Society; the Kielburger brothers, as well as several child, youth and adult changemakers, environmentalists and social justice advocates.
“We are one of the few classes from many states that have a spokesperson invited to go up onstage,” noted classmate Nikowa D’Costa-Hemp, “and I am really excited to see Bill Nye the Science Guy!”
“WE Day is the Olympics for change-makers,” commented a spokesperson for the organization. “It’s the Academy Awards for real people who are making a difference. It fills stadiums around the globe. It’s live-streamed. It’s broadcast. WE Day is a powerful, life-changing experience with world-renowned speakers and performers, mixed with real inspirational stories of change.”
You can’t buy WE Day tickets, attendees earn an invitation based on service and merit. Throughout the yearlong WE Schools program, schools and groups take on one local and one global action and report back on their results to potentially earn a coveted invitation to WE Day. Attendance for invited guest is free thanks to event sponsors.
“It’s very connected,” commented Cambell, “And among the tens of thousands attending each event, 95% will be kids! Anything that honors what the kids do and validates their work can make a lasting impression and fuels kids’ passion for creating lasting change.”
“I want our students to know they really can create positive change in the world,” she continued. “If something fun like WE Day ignites that spark and helps to fuel their passion of caring for the broader community, I’m all for it. What a powerful experience to be surrounded by thousands of other kids who are all taking action and helping to create a better world.”
Fifth grader Eden Fisher agreed.
“This project is really important to us and being onstage is a really big deal,” said Fisher. “Also, our classmate is going to be onstage, which is so cool because it showsCreat what a difference our project made and that will be something we will always remember.”
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.