Me to We motivational speaker, author and Free The Children Ambassador, Spencer West, along with friends from chart-topping, MMVA nominated Canadian group, Neverest, 11-year-old activist Hannah Alper, cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI and other surprise guests will embark on a first of its kind cross-Canada road trip; connecting directly with tens of thousands of young Canadians to celebrate the incredible actions they have taken to provide their peers overseas in developing communities with access to education.
The We Create Change Tour will run from April 11 – June 17, 2014, Spencer, and his friends, will make 90 stops in 10 weeks, gathering students and supporters in schools and auditoriums across the country for an interactive educational event that will explore the issue of equal access to education. Much like a ‘mini We Day’, the event will be headlined by West and will feature incredible stories of young Canadian change-makers, with show-stopping musical performances, firsthand accounts from students and educators from developing countries and countless special surprises.
Told that he would never be a functioning member of society, after losing both his legs at the age of five, West strives to redefine what is possible and inspires millions of people with powerful stories of overcoming challenges. Last year West helped inspire Canadians to raise over $1.4 million through Free The Children’s We Create Change campaign with an 11 day, 300 km walk from Edmonton to Calgary –which he did on his hands and in his wheelchair – providing clean water for life to more than 56,000 people. In 2012, West reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, garnering international media attention and raising more than half a million dollars in support of clean water.
Told that he would never be a functioning member of society, after losing both his legs at the age of five, West strives to redefine what is possible and inspires millions of people with powerful stories of overcoming challenges.
The We Create Change Tour is West’s third initiative with Free The Children. He has travelled the world to hear girls talk about their hopes for the future. He has met parents who built bamboo school rooms by hand on the coast of Ghana. He has talked to boys on the sprawling plains of Kenya’s Maasai Mara and the foothills of India’s Aravalli mountains about the power of education. Everywhere West travels, stories of empowerment begin with the same dream – the dream of going to school.
“Fifty-seven million children are still denied access to education. I’ve had the chance to speak with young people around the world, who dream of changing their lives and the lives of their families through education. I’ve seen firsthand, the difference that going to school can make for a girl in Kenya, or a young boy in Ghana,” said Spencer West. “Every child has the right to education and the students we are visiting on the We Create Change Tour share in this belief and have worked hard to make this a reality for so many of their peers overseas. I feel honored that I have the opportunity to celebrate their fundraising efforts to build schools, and I’m excited to share their stories with the rest of Canada, encouraging others to follow their lead.”
Students across Canada can also enter the RBC It All Adds Up Challenge, a financial literacy contest linked to the We Create Change Tour, before April 9 for a chance to win a visit to a school in their region by Spencer West, DEGRASSI cast members and other Free The Children ambassadors.
West will be personally driving coast-to-coast in a custom 2014 Ford Escape donated by Ford. The vehicle has been outfitted with hand controls for brakes and gas pedals, extra padding in the driver seat and hand grips for ease of accessibility into the vehicle for Spencer and his wheelchair.
For more information and a list of all the stops on the tour starting in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador on April 11, 2014, visit www.freethechildren.com
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