When the Jonas Brothers appear on stage before an arena full of hysterical tweens, the trio is usually the reason behind the packed venue.
But that wasn't the case Monday when a raucous mass of roughly 16,000 youth was treated to a surprise live performance by Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
In fact, the crowd had joined together for a much deeper, common focus. They were student representatives from grade schools across Ontario rallying for the third annual We Day.
We Day, a Free the Children event, is designed to launch young student ambassadors into a year's worth of charity work in their local communities and abroad. To date, We Day has helped raise more than $5 million for Free the Children programs.
The Adopt a Village program, for instance, has helped build more than 500 schools and clean-water projects in developing countries across Africa and South America.
Motivational speakers and musicians such as So You Think You Can Dance Canada's Nico Archambault, Miss Teen Canada Siera Bearchell, the cast of Degrassi, singer Justin Bieber, and rockers Hedley quite literally got kids on their feet and pumped to take action.
"It's a rock concert, but a rock concert to change the world," Free the Children co-founder Craig Kielburger said.
Even Jessica Schlutter, a Grade 8 student from Angus, Ont., who says Nick Jonas is her ultimate "crush," didn't allow the Jonas Brothers to eclipse the real reason behind We Day.
Schlutter is looking forward to collecting canned goods at school this Halloween. She plans to personally carry a heavy load by foot to the local food bank with her friends. Halloween for Hunger is just one of Free the Children's suggestions in the new 10byTen challenge. The initiative aims to log 10 hours of community service for each student, raise money to build infrastructure in 10 villages and help 100,000 lives in the process.
For classmate Tyson Moore, it was Michael "Pinball" Clemons' fast-paced speech that really riled him up. Clemons had the youngsters clapping and chanting in unison as a way of demonstrating their true potential if they learn to work as a team.
When Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel took to the podium, an immediate hush came over the crowd.
Students listened intently as the 81-year-old talked about life after the Auschwitz concentration camp. The crowd rose to its feet when he declared, "Racism is ugly; racism is stupid; racism is absurd."
For former prime minister Paul Martin, the value in We Day is clear -- it gets youth thinking about charity and the world around them.
"Don't wait until someone is 70, start when they're seven," Martin said during a press conference.
Robert Kennedy Jr. described his first We Day as "mind-blowing," referring to the way kids were able to organize themselves.
Lindsay Russell, a Grade 8 student from Port Perry, Ont., said she is proud to have been chosen among 200 intermediate students to attend We Day and plans on being a leader in the Kids for Kids program at her school.
"It makes me feel awesome because I know that I'm helping people realize they can do stuff and I myself am making a big difference," Russell said.
Gohar Rizwan, a Grade 8 student from Scarborough, Ont., said he was ready to help his school raise money for schools in Sierra Leone and Kenya. "Because everyone should have a good education," he said.
"And have a good chance to make the world a better place," his classmate Trevor Simpson piped in.
Last week the Dalai Lama joined We Day in Vancouver and the movement will continue on Nov. 5 with thousands more students in Hamilton, Ont. In 2010, Free the Children aims to stage the rally in Montreal as well.
A two-hour television special, "CTV Presents: We Day 2009," will air Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 pm ET.
