Me to We day 2008

Free the Children's second annual Me to We day was held today at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. It was my first time volunteering at/attending Me to We day and I've gotta say that I was impressed. For such a large-scale event, it was very well organized. My volunteer training the night before was a little rushed, but I realized the next morning that this was a necessity and that the best way to learn was on the "job".

Over 8000 students came from all over North America to listen to Justin Trudeau, Michel Chikwanine, Mia Farrow, and other speak, as well as musical guests Crash Parallel, Sarah Mclachlan, and others. The main message of the conference centres around youth empowerment: age doesn't matter - you can make a difference. It was definitely inspiring to listen to the variety of speakers that Free the Children had lined up for the day, ranging from the political (John Turner) to the emotionally-gripping and awe-inspiring (Michel Chikwanine).

Me to We day succeeded in motivating me to think about Free the Children as more than just another charity for helping those in need. Don't get me wrong, but there are a lot of charities out there helping people in need by one method or another. Me to We got me thinking about Free the Children as something that will help both people in need and the people doing the helping. So often, youth hear about the terrible things that are going on in the world and feel unable to do anything about it. Me to We day proves them wrong by showing them how to act and how to make a difference.

Bravo, Free the Children. I'm looking forward to next year.