Wanna change the world? Here's how! #WeDay

As a former television producer, I confess that I sometimes can have a slightly cynical streak.   However, it's tempered by a shamelessly idealistic view that we all can make a difference to make the world a better place, no matter our vocation, education, age, or location.  This belief was reinforced recently when I had the opportunity to hear Craig Kielburger share his story about how he came to found Free the Children.  It started when he was 12- years-old and came upon a story of an activist, also 12, who was killed for speaking out against child labor.  Craig was moved and decided to try to help.  He rallied some of his classmates, and Free the Children was born! They work in the areas of education, clean water and sanitation, health, agriculture and alternative income in 8 countries; these efforts are supported in great part by their social enterprise, Me to We, as well as youth participation through service projects, capped off by We Day, which is all about creating a movement to empower youth to become change agents.  This is the part where YOU changing the world comes in.

A few days ago, I had a special opportunity to attend a pre-screening for the first-ever U.S. broadcast of We Day which will air as an hour-long, primetime special on ABC tonight at 8pm ET/7pm CT.  We Day is a stadium-sized event that educates, inspires and honors youth who commit to doing local and global service projects.  It took place in my hometown of Chicago for the first time last year and engaged 15,000 local students.

The special  follows the stories of five young people, from Chicago and beyond, who have catalyzed positive change in their communities, with their journeys culminating on the WE Day stage to celebrate service with a stadium full of their peers and a star-studded lineup, including Jennifer Hudson, Common, Demi Lovato, Tyrese Gibson, and WE Day fan-favorite Selena Gomez, who hosts the WE Day broadcast. For a sneak peek, check out this link. 

The broadcast special is incredibly moving and family-friendly; I highly encourage you to take an hour this evening to be inspired by the power of our youth to change the world for a better tomorrow.  It will be time well-spent!  And, like me, you may see a family service trip to Kenya and a #WeDay in your future.   It may seem like a small way to start changing the world, but it's never too early to start planting seeds of service in our families. What better time to start than now?

Please tune in to ABC tonight at 8|7c to watch, and join the online conversation with #WeDay.