Young Albertans gathered in downtown Edmonton on Tuesday for a conference meant to inspire them to create positive change in the world.
Thousands of young people filled the seats of Rogers Place for We Day, which included performances, speeches and interviews on topics ranging from well-being to environmental sustainability to social activism and entrepreneurship.
“It’s good to be a change-maker and it’s good to be kind to all people,” said 11-year-old Alexis Filipchuk.
Filipchuk attended the conference with students from Father Leo Green Elementary School.
Presenters included basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, performers Elijah Woods and Jamie Fine, and Olympian Silken Laumann.
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Social entrepreneur Maddison Tory, 15, of Calgary also spoke at the conference. Tory is the founder of Maddi’s Hugs, which makes scarves with hands on either end.
Tory is a former heart surgery patient who now wants to give back to hospitals and children who are patients there.
“There’s no idea too small, and no one’s ever too young to make a difference,” she said.
Singer-songwriter Brett Kissel, who also performed at We Day, said he hopes his journey and his music inspires the next generation.
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“They can be up there too. They can be doing whatever it is in their own way, in their community, obviously to reach the heights they want to,” he said.
Kissel also has this advice for young people who may be distracted by the negativity they see in the world.
“There’s so much separation between cultures, between political parties, it’s very disappointing and it is discouraging.
“But youth of today can be that change and understand that we are one love. We are one people. We all want the same common goal,” he said.
The conference will make stops in Winnipeg, Vancouver and Ottawa before the end of the year.
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