A quick glance at #WeDay
I had never been able to cover We Day, so when I got an invitation to attend as a media outlet, I was really glad. I had heard of the work of Craig Kielburger (and his brother Marc), so I wanted to see what We Day looked like.
Lucky for me, my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) was also covering the event so she helped me navigate things (also, thanks to Lesley Chang for vouching for me at the media accreditation area and everyone who liaised with me for media access – I have to say, the treatment that these folks gave me as media has been probably some of the best I’ve received – other folks could learn a thing or two on how to treat media).
I knew my friends Minna Van (The Network Hub) and Kerry Sauriol (Crunchy Carpets) were there too, so it was nice to see the Twitter stream of energetic, vibrant folks.
I had to head to UBC to teach so I couldn’t really stay for more than the preliminary remarks (I wish I could have stayed to listen to Al Gore, whom I’ve met personally and listened to).
I have to say that I feel a bit conflicted about such a great big event – pondering if the money used in putting together such a great celebration (and yes, I can tell you it was clear the kids were totally ecstatic about being there) instead of say, using what could be spent there into projects local communities. But the truth be told, on the other hand, I can totally see how being a part of this event could galvanize kids to take action and be agents of change. So, for that, and for a very well organized event, kudos to the organizers of We Day.
I felt the positive energy flowing, and that was pure awesome. Thanks to the organizers for the invite!
So glad to see events like these open their doors to titans in social media and blogging circles. Accreditation rules are changing slowly. Media passes will soon go to those with the most reach and influence, and Raul, your realm is huge. Nice blogpost. Enjoyed it. (www.rickrake.com)
Did you know that WE Day took three days to put up? While I can appreciate the intention behind the event and think that kids absolutely need to get involved in these kind of things, I wonder if there wasn’t a better way to go about it. Three days of labour (estimated at 45-60 people, approx $19-25 an hour, plus any overtime accrued x 3 (long) days of 12-15 hours a piece) + GM Place buyout for 3 days + the money required for the travel, participants on stage, etc … that’s one expensive charity event.