November 18, 2016
Manitoba Students Celebrate We Day
As thousands of students from across the province gather to celebrate We Day, the Manitoba government is providing $250,000 in new funding for We Act, a learning program that empowers students to care about local and global issues, Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart announced today.
“The We Act program inspires youth to volunteer and engage in acts of citizenship,” said Wishart. “Manitoba’s new government is pleased to provide funding for this initiative, which challenges students to make a difference across the street or around the world, and helps them to succeed academically, in the workforce and as active citizens.”
We Act is a full-year engagement program and support system for youth, schools, individuals, families and companies to turn inspiration into action. We Act goes hand-in-hand with We Day, a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities. The event brings together world-renowned speakers, performers and youth to celebrate a year of action that transformed communities and changed lives.
The minister noted Manitoba’s curriculum encourages active, responsible citizenship in every grade and in every subject, with a strong emphasis on human rights.
“Manitoba students are doing amazing things to make life better for others locally and globally, and We Day is an excellent way to celebrate their accomplishments and inspire them to continue to take action,” said Wishart. “Our social studies classrooms, in particular, play an important role in helping students become caring and engaged citizens.”
Agencies such as Winnipeg Harvest and Siloam Mission are already benefiting from the volunteer work of Manitoba students. The minister noted most of the students gathered at the MTS Centre for We Day earned tickets through service and their commitment to take action projects.
The WE Movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and We Day, was founded by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger to inspire youth to take action and make the world a better place.
For more information about We Act, go to www.we.org/we-act-program/.
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