We Day: inspiring young people to change the world

It sounds really good. I've come to the realisation that fizzy drinks make feel drowsy...basically I cbb to read all of the above but I will check it out properly later. (Hopefully will remember to anyway lol)

What is your cause, and what is your passion?

To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause

To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause

So I was at "We day" on Friday, and I've been asked to make a report on it, so here goes


What is We day?



We day is a charity event funded by the Virgin Atlantic community investment program, based on inspiring others to find their cause, their passion, and to create social change within their community and the world at large. It’s to inspire people to do small things that can become great things for improving the lives of millions of people.

We day is not an event that you can buy your way in to, but you must earn your way in, normally by being part of a school that has helped make some changes, that will affect people's lives - at least one nationally and internationally

Virgin Atlantic also teamed up with Free the Children to create the opportunity for about 30 students to volunteer overseas for its Funded Villages program. This program helps to empower people in their community, based on five pillars of : clean water, education, health, alternative incomes and livelihood.

http://www.weday.com/
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/us/en/footer/about-us/sustainability.html

Barclays CEO Anthony Jenkins said that the levels of NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) in the UK is a ‘crime’ – in order to help combat this, Barclays has set up a life skills programme aimed at developing:




If you want to hear more, head over to:
http://www.barclayslifeskills.com/

Education and Making Small Changes

Two school children from a local East London school managed to raise £750 in pennies in two weeks. The money went towards a school in Ecuador, in order to help end the cycle of poverty.

We might not think much of pennies, but they really can make a difference to people’s lives. This somewhat tamed my own moral dilemma: Am I giving too little to charity? But like these people, my £2/month is going to make a difference to many people around the world.

For more information, feel free to check out:
http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-create-change/

Cue “Free the Children” by the Tenors



Prince Harry talked (over the many screams of teenage girls screaming “I LOVE YOU HARRY!”) about overcoming the barriers we have to education in the UK and around the world. Fortunately, free (primary) education is a UN goal.



(Picture courtesy of the Metro)

35 million girls are denied education around the world, which makes up a large proportion of the 57million people who can’t receive education (for perspective, the current population of the UK is 63million!). There is a difference between ‘can’t’ and ‘denied’. When we deny people the right to education because of their gender, we are greatly reducing the amount of potential across the world.



To quote Brigham Young “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation"

and Isabel Allende "I can promise you that women working together - linked, informed and educated - can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet."

We were then left with this quote from Nelson Mandela:



(Sourced from pinterest)

Next, we come to Malala Yousafzai, who I personally really wanted to see. Malala was the only person who received a standing ovation from the entire arena.



(Picture courtesy of the Independent)

Malala is far, far braver than I could ever be. I think pretty much every one knows her story: ‘the girl that was shot by the Taliban’.

This is a girl who says she is often scared of ghosts and dragons, yet despite these fears, - which are typically fears of a child, not a fully grown adult - Malala was able to confront the Taliban and tell the world what is happening in SWAT valley.

In her words she faced two choices:

1) ‘Not to speak and die’
2) ‘To speak and then die’

We are not truly free until we can speak out against injustices, without the fear of being shot.

Malala is not just a campaigner for the education of girls, and of raising awareness of the atrocities that are occurring, but she is someone that can inspire others to become empowered.

Malala is hosting a 24 hour silence in April, in solidarity with those girls denied education. More info at @Malalafund and be sure to hashtag #WeAreSilent

After Malala’s talk, Birdy performed “You Use Your Words as a Weapon’.



And words are exactly that. The most powerful weapon that we can ever possess. We have the power to stop wars, the power to stop child soldiers, to stop denying children education, to stop many great atrocities, just by speaking up. In the West we can speak up for those that cannot.

Team Me

Martine Wright, famous Paralympian, told of how she lost her legs in the 7/7 bombings. She talked about turning negative in to positive, but how she couldn’t have done it without her ‘team me’ - those who love and support us. They could be anybody - our parents, teachers and friends.

Who is in your ‘Team Me’? Whose ‘Team Me’ are you a part of?

Glee actor Jacob Edwards told us how he was able to pursue his dreams because of the support he received from his family.

Some people don’t have that support, but this is TSR where there are plenty of people who are definitely willing to support others to achieve their dreams, even if their families maybe can’t.

Self Belief

Jamal Edwards created SB TV as a young person through self-belief: it became a hugely popular YouTube channel which started the underground grime scene. He said “Don’t be afraid to break the rules… er within reason of course, don’t want your parents and teachers to tell me off!”



(picture courtesy of the Dailymail)

No that’s not photoshopped.- Spencer West is a double amputee who talked about his amazing achievements. Despite being told from a young age that it was impossible; that he was not fit for society, that he couldn’t do what everyone else did, he managed to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with his hands.

The message I took from these people was to believe in yourself, and no matter how many times people say you can’t do something, say “No, I am going to prove you wrong”.

Dizzee Rascal then sings “Love this town”



Bullying

Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter, identifies with her character, because she is the “weird” character. However, Evanna learned that weirdness is good as it fuels your creativity. She found her cause, by “becoming an agent for social change”, and that she is now one of those “badass pink haired people”.

The “Hall of Fame” then plays:


Luna Lovegood is essentially the bullied character of Harry Potter, but that is fiction. However, Molly Burke’s experience at school was completely real.

Molly was once invited by the "popular girls" to walk with them while she was using crutches. The other girls then pushed her in to the forest, and despite her crying and begging them to stop, stole her crutches. Unable to walk, she heard the girls break her crutches against the trees. To top it off, Molly Burke is completely blind.



The message that she gave was that alone, we are isolated, but together, we are powerful.

Happiness

Two local school children who have been to India as part of Virgin Atlantic’s program told us about their experiences: “The kids here have almost nothing but they are happier than my friends”. It goes to show that often the people with the least are happier than those that have lots.

The CEO of Unilever mentioned recent survey in the United States, showed that after a certain financial threshold, happiness actually dipped:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/experts-confirm-that-money-does-buy-happiness--but-only-up-to-22100-8968255.html

(^ The UK equivalent)

The CEO then told a story from his father, about the egg, the carrot and the coffee bean, who all meet their fate: hot water.

The carrot became soft and mushy, the egg became strong and stubborn, and the coffee bean stayed the same, but changed the environment around it. Be the coffee bean of positive influence.

Ellie Goulding closed the event with her performance of “Anything can happen” and “Burn” alongside the London Youth choir





Throughout the day we were told about people and their causes, their passions and what they are doing to help. What they’ve done may sound fanciful and out of reach, for “normal” people - we can all make a difference somehow e.g.: making someone’s life a little better, by helping an old lady cross the road for instance, or de-icing your street, so that others can walk/drive safely, or perhaps even start a blog, about what you are passionate about.

What is your cause, and what is your passion?