Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Carly Rae Jepsen, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Shawn Mendes, Hozier and Tavi Gevinson Come Together at WE Day Toronto to Celebrate the Power Young People Have to Change the World

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - October 01, 2015) -

• WE Day streams live today from 8:45 a.m. ET at www.mtv.ca/weday
• Photos available at www.weday.com/toronto-epk by 4:00 p.m. ET
• WE Day is free to thousands of students thanks to partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS
• MTV to broadcast a one-hour WE Day special November 25, 2015 at 10 p.m. ET

Today WE Day, a series of global educational events celebrating youth making a difference in their local and global communities, in partnership with MTV, and alongside partners led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, brings together world-renowned speakers and performers including Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Shawn Mendes, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marlee Matlin, Hozier, Tavi Gevinson, Kiesza, Nina Dobrev, Hedley, Kardinal Offishall, Francesco Yates and Silken Laumann, amongst others. Alongside international activists and WE Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, the cast of returning WE Day fan favourites and new faces join 20,000 students and educators from over 900 schools to celebrate the contributions of young people and kick-start another year of change.

Today, singer, songwriter and actress, Demi Lovato takes the stage as the host of WE Day Toronto, marking the first-time host's third WE Day. "WE Day inspires students to stand up and take action on the causes they care about most," said Demi Lovato. "We get so much more from life when we take care of each other, so I'm honoured to host WE Day Toronto and be a part of such a special day that unites and empowers thousands of young leaders on their journey to make the world a better place."

WE Day Toronto celebrates the remarkable stories of people leading change and provides the youth in attendance, and tens of thousands more watching the event streamed live on www.mtv.ca/weday, inspiration to find their place within the WE Day movement -- a movement that celebrates and inspires this generation's shift from me to we. Stories like the journey of Leanne Prendergast, who as a teenager, was worn down by the torment of constant bullying in high school. Throughout her struggles, Leanne contemplated suicide but instead, at her breaking point, turned to her mother for support. Through her mother's advice, Leanne took to writing to share her story. At 14, Leanne and her older sister Laurece co-authored Getting to Know Me, Love Our Lives: Girls Empowering Girls Into Action, shedding firsthand light on the challenges teenage girls face in today's world.

WE Day Toronto host, Demi Lovato, will energize the crowd through a day full of powerful educational speeches, inspirational moments and empowering performances. A few must-see moments include:

• Multi-talented recording artist and actor, Nick Jonas, alongside an epic dance crew, energizes the crowd with a performance of his new chart-topping song LEVELS

• Award-winning singer and songwriter, Shawn Mendes, entertains students in attendance with two hit songs. First, a captivating rendition of his chart-topping song, Stitches, followed by a moving collaboration of Never Be Alone with special guests, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra

• Returning to the WE Day stage, Academy® Award-winning actress and devoted social activist, Marlee Matlin, shares her personal story about overcoming obstacles, inspiring young people in the crowd to face challenges, work hard and turn their dreams into realities

"We believe that, if given the right tools, today's youth can conquer anything they put their minds to. Annually, 200,000 students coast to coast, from over 10,000 schools, earn their tickets to WE Day by creating tangible benefits for their communities," said WE Day co-founder Craig Kielburger. "By bringing together 20,000 young change-makers today, these students will know that they're not alone and that collectively, they are making their voices heard."

In the 2014/2015 school year, students and educators from across the province participated in remarkable social change. Over 930,000 youth were inspired to take steps to improve the world through WE Schools, volunteering 1.86 million hours for local and global causes and raising $3.9 million in support of local and global organizations.

You can't buy a ticket to WE Day -- students from across the country earn their way with the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of partners led by National Co-Title sponsors RBC and TELUS.

"These young change-makers inspire us all with their passion to make a difference in their local communities and around the globe," noted Jennifer Tory, Group Head, Personal & Commercial Banking, RBC. "It is a privilege to provide ongoing support to this generation of leaders as they shape our future and change our world."

"At TELUS, we give where we live by using the power of technology and communications to improve the lives of Canadians," said Jill Schnarr, Vice President of Community Affairs at TELUS. "We believe that with our support and through initiatives like WE Day, youth can mobilize with their friends and networks to create a movement. Together, their collective actions are incredibly powerful and can make the world a better place. We would also like to thank Darren Entwistle, our President and CEO, and National WE Day Co-Chair for his leadership and support for this fantastic cause."

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the year-long WE Schools program, which provides hands-on, student-led campaigns designed to enhance a school's existing social initiatives or to spark new ones. WE Schools helps young people turn the day's inspiration into sustained action. By taking action on one local and one global cause, students are equipped with the tools to succeed academically, in the working world and as active citizens.

About WE Day
www.weday.com

About the WE Day Movement
WE Day is the movement of our time -- a movement of young people leading local and global change. WE Day celebrates and inspires this generation's shift from me to we -- towards acting with intention, leading with compassion, and a belief in the power of community. WE Day is one of the world's largest registered non-profit initiatives on social media, with more than five million followers. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in 14 stadium gatherings across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

WE Day is connected to a year-long free educational program, WE Schools, which provides educational resources and campaigns to help young people turn the day's inspiration into sustained action. WE Day and WE Schools are cause inclusive, empowering young people to find their passion and create the change they want to see. Together WE Day and WE Schools are a blueprint for building the next generation of global change-makers. For more information, please visit www.we.org

About RBC
www.rbc.com/freethechildren

About TELUS
http://www.telus.com/en/on/index.jsp