Alex Nevsky, Maripier Morin, Jordan Smith, Roméo Dallaire, Celebrity Marauders and More Join 2,000 Local Youth at WE Day Montreal to Celebrate Young People Changing the World - Apply for media accreditation to attend WE Day at we.org/press/we-day-press - - Bios, photos and information for WE Day Montreal available on the WE Day Montreal Press Kit - - WE Day is free to thousands of students thanks to partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS -

Click to Tweet: .@WEMovement announces #WEDay #Montreal lineup @alex_nevsky_ @maripiermorin @JordanSmithLive @romeodallaire #CelebrityMarauders

Montreal, QC (February 2, 2017) – WE Day, a series of inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world, announces the initial list of speakers, performers and presenters attending WE Day Montreal on February 24, 2017 at the Théâtre St-Denis in Montreal. WE Day is part of WE— an organization that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world locally and globally, achieving transformative outcomes for themselves and others. Alongside partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, WE Day Montreal will see more than 2,000 local change- makers alongside inspirational speakers and world-renowned performers to celebrate their commitment to taking action on issues in their own backyards and global causes they are passionate about.

Taking the stage this year is a cast of new faces and returning WE Day favourites, including Alex Nevsky, Jordan Smith, Roméo Dallaire, Celebrity Marauders, Spencer West and more. Co-hosted by Canadian TV host of Faites Comme Chez Vous and Code F, Maripier Morin and Gemini Award Winner, Broadcast Animator at PL>Y and Podcast host at Maison Union, Nicolas Ouellet, this star-studded lineup will join international activist and WE co-founder, Craig Kielburger, to share their passion for change and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches to inspire another year of action.

“Every time I attend a WE Day, I am inspired by the inclusivity among youth. It’s wonderful to witness them supporting one another to build a stronger community that thrives on acceptance,” said Republic Records artist and winner of , Jordan Smith. “I can’t wait to celebrate all the amazing impacts these young people have made when we join together at WE Day Montreal. They truly make me believe that anything is possible.” WE Day is a true community celebration of youth taking action, where local Quebecois can share their inspiring stories on the WE Day Montreal stage. A shining example is 27-year-old Aiesha Robinson, who started her own non-profit organization called Born to Rise, which strives to raise awareness about the rare skin disease Vitiligo. Diagnosed with Vitiligo at the age of 18, Aiesha was ostracized and bullied to the point of experiencing suicidal thoughts. But she found strength in her struggle, founding Born to Rise as a safe space for people to talk about mental health issues perpetuated by bullying and negative self- talk. Aiesha now has a community dedicated to empowering individuals to rise against all odds – she is just one of many spectacular youth who will be sharing their incredible story on the WE Day stage.

“WE Day celebrates the amazing young people who have taken action at home and around the world, to create sustainable change for a better tomorrow,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. “Standing in a stadium full of passionate youth will affirm your belief that real change can happen—and is happening every single day right here in Quebec. This past school year more than 240 schools and groups around the province made an incredible impact in their own backyards and in communities around the world through their commitment and passion for change.”

WE Day events bring people together, filling stadiums around the globe to experience the greatest classroom in the world for a full day, live event. People can’t buy a ticket to WE Day—they earn their entry through service, by taking action on one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance across Canada, thanks to the generous support of partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS.

WE Day engages students of all socioeconomic backgrounds through WE Schools, a yearlong educational program that provides schools and community groups with educational resources and student-led campaigns designed to enhance a school’s existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Schools encourages students to further their curricular learning and develop life skills for success. Young people are challenged to research and make an impact on at least one local and one global issue, and supported with curricular resources, service campaigns and mentorship programs to help them become change-makers.

In the 2015/2016 school year students and teachers from across Quebec participated in remarkable social change. More than 240 schools and groups in the province improved the world through WE Schools, volunteering over 115,000 hours and raising more than $509,000 in support of global issues and local causes including collecting food and funds for local shelters and raising awareness on important issues in the community including environment and bullying and supporting elderly citizens. Coronation Elementary School in Montreal has been living WE by taking on a range of initiatives in support of their school and community. Students volunteered their time at the Côte-des-Neiges Black Community Association engaging with seniors through programs offered at the Centre. Students also collected non-perishable food items for MultiCaf—a local food bank in Côte-des-Neiges—and were given the opportunity to speak with individuals at the food bank to learn firsthand about the struggles that they face every day to have access to food. Throughout the year Coronation Elementary School raised close to $800 for the WE Charity’s WE Villages program in support of education in Kenya.

In a 2015 study, current and former WE Schools participants were 2.5 times more likely to have a long term commitment to a social cause, 2.3 times more likely to use their professional skills to solve social problems and 1.2 times more likely to report that they had voted in the prior election than their non- participant peers. A global movement of 2.4 million young people strong, youth involved in the WE Movement have raised $79 million for more than 6,500 local and global organizations, volunteered 27.6 million hours for local and global causes and collected over 9.8 million pounds of food through service learning programs and campaigns.

Anyone can find their place with WE and commit to making a change in the world. The first step is to take the WE Pledge at WE.org. By taking the pledge, participants are joining the WE Community and making a commitment to live WE every day. For every pledge taken on WE.org, $10 will be donated to local and global programs.

On February 1, 2017 the WE organization launched WE are Canada, a major national campaign marking Canada 150 that will bring millions of Canadians together with the collective goal of inspiring them to take action towards building a more caring and compassionate future nation. WE are Canada will engage people coast to coast, challenging Canadians of all ages to raise $1 million for Canadian organizations and commit to 1 million hours of local volunteer service. The national program will empower Canadians to gain a deeper understanding of Canadian issues, and inspire them to make a difference in their communities and across the country, helping to build the nation’s next 150 years. Learn more at WE.ca.

WE Day and WE Schools are supported by partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS. RBC hopes to inspire every young Canadian to #Make150Count by celebrating the contributions and community spirit of youth in recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary; TELUS supports the We give where we live® initiative, believing in the power of technology and communications to improve the lives of Canadians.

The full list of WE Day Montreal speakers, performers and presenters, in alphabetical order, announced to date includes:  Sara Abdessamie – Member of prime minister's youth council and social advocate  Hani Al Moulia – Photographer, teacher and actor  Jeffrey Beausoleil – 18 year-old activist and obstacle course enthusiast  Lynelle Cantwell (@LynelleCantwell) – Motivational speaker and anti-bullying activist  Celebrity Marauders – International DJ collective including Kardinal Offishall, Cipha Sounds, DJ Starting From Scratch and Dready  Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire (@romeodallaire)  Elliot Miville-Deschênes (@ElliotMD25) – Actor, singer and activist  Craig Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – International activist and co-founder of WE  Maripier Morin (@maripiermorin) – Canadian TV host of Jr. Maripier! and Code F  Clare Morneau (@Kakuma_Girls) – 18 year-old author of Kakuma Girls  Alex Nevsky (@alex_nevsky_) – Singer-songwriter and Coach on La Voix Junior Nicolas Ouellet (@NicolasOuellet) – Gemini Award Winner, Broadcast Animator at PL>Y and Podcast host at Maison Union  Aiesha Robinson – Founder of Born to Rise  Jordan Smith (@JordanSmithLive) – Republic Records artist and winner of The Voice  Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – ME to WE motivational speaker, WE ambassador and author

Stay connected on the latest news and updates on WE Day: #WEDay Facebook @WEMovement Twitter @WEMovement Instagram @WEMovement Visit our Media Centre

About WE Day WE Day is part of WE—an organization that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. A unique family of organizations, WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering change with resources that create sustainable impact, and ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. The celebration of that change happens at WE Day—inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world. You can’t buy a ticket to WE Day—young people earn their entry by taking action on one local and one global cause. WE Day unites world-renowned speakers, presenters and award- winning performers with thousands of young people and families to celebrate and inspire another year of incredible change. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 16 stadium gatherings across Canada, the U.S., and U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

A global movement of 2.4 million young people strong, youth involved with WE have raised $62 million for more than 2,400 local and global organizations, volunteered 19.9 million hours for local and global causes and collected over 7.6 million pounds of food through service learning programs and campaigns. WE was founded more than 20 years ago by humanitarians, activists and social entrepreneurs, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. Learn more at WE.org.

About RBC www.rbc.com/we

About TELUS www.telus.com/community

For more information on WE Day or to request an interview, please contact: Camila Ossa Associate Director, Public Relations, WE Day 1-416-885-5522 [email protected]

Rebecca Raveendran Manager, Public Relations, WE Day 1-416-346-2790 [email protected]