Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kermit the Frog along with other Members of The Muppets, Big Sean, and More to Join 16,000 Local Youth at WE Day California to Celebrate Young People Changing the World

INGLEWOOD, Calif., March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WE Day, a powerful series of educational events that combines the energy of a live concert with the inspiration of extraordinary stories of leadership and change, announces the initial list of presenters, speakers and performers attending WE Day California on April 7, 2016 at the "Fabulous" Forum. Alongside Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft Philanthropies, Allstate and Unilever, WE Day California will bring together 16,000 students and educators from over 550 schools in an inspirational setting, celebrating the commitment they have made to take action on local and global causes they care about.

Taking the stage this year is a cast of new faces and returning WE Day favorites, including previously announced Honorary Co-Chair of WE Day California, Charlize Theron, and WE Day Ambassador, Tyrese Gibson, alongside Seth Rogen,  Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kermit the Frog along with other Muppets, Big Sean, David Foster, Lilly Singh, Lauren Miller Rogen, Jacob Tremblay, Martin Sheen, Paula Abdul, Henry Winkler, Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter, Rico & Raini Rodriguez, Amandla Stenberg, Connor Franta and more. The star-studded lineup will join international activists and WE Day co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, to share their passion for change and international experiences, and energize the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches.

"The Muppets have always been about following your dream and making a change in the world," said actor, singer, producer and amphibitarian Kermit the Frog. "The young people at WE Day California are living their dream and making those changes happen. They're a great example to kids and tadpoles everywhere, and we are thrilled to be part of this celebration."

"Being a part of the WE movement has been such an incredible experience that is very close to my heart," said singer, songwriter and philanthropist, Demi Lovato. "There is so much love and inspiration in that stadium and I am truly blessed to be taking the stage once again at WE Day California. I am proud to be part of such an amazing group that works together to make a difference in our world." 

"When I first spoke at WE Day California two years ago, I was blown away by the amazing kids spending their free time giving back," said actor, comedic writer and Hilarity for Charity co-founder Seth Rogen. "WE Day is such a cool way to reward kids for the cool things they do to create real impact, we are excited to be part of this awesome event again!"

Joining the lineup above on stage will be local young people with inspiring personal stories like Maya Penn, age 16. At only 8 years-old, Maya combined her love for philanthropy and passion for the environment to create Maya's Ideas, an eco-friendly clothing and accessory line that donates up to 20 percent of proceeds to local and global charities and environment organizations. Now, with her designs appearing around the world, Maya speaks on international platforms, educating peers about the environmental impacts of fashion. Maya is just one of the many young people who will share their story to motivate their WE Day peers.

WE Day is an inspirational event like no other, bringing together like-minded individuals and providing a platform for youth to learn about some of today's most pressing issues. 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. Taking the philanthropic world by storm each school year with 14 stadium-sized events in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., WE Day is one of the world's largest non-profit initiatives on social media, with more than five million followers.

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the yearlong 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. Together, WE Day and WE Schools are a blueprint for building the next generation of change-makers. A global movement of 2.3 million young people strong, youth involved with WE Day and WE Schools have raised $62 million for more than 2,500 local and global organizations, volunteered 19.9 million hours for local and global causes and collected over 7.6 million pounds of food.

"Every year, more than 200,000 students coast to coast and around the world, from over 10,000 schools, earn their tickets to WE Day through the yearlong WE Schools program, creating tangible benefits for the community they serve and demonstrating positive long-term social impacts," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE Day. "WE Day California will unite and celebrate thousands of young leaders who are working together to support local and global charities in line with causes they care about most."

In the 2014/2015 school year, students and teachers from across California participated in remarkable social change. Over 224,000 youth were inspired to take steps to improve the world through WE Day's yearlong educational program, WE Schools; raising over $968,500 in support of local and global organizations.

You can't buy a ticket to WE Day—students from across the country earn their way by 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 teachers in attendance at the event and statewide, thanks to the generous support of partners led by Co-Title Sponsors, Microsoft Philanthropies, Allstate and Unilever.

As supporters of WE Day California, Microsoft Philanthropies is proud to empower young people—in California and around the world—to achieve more through its YouthSpark initiative; Allstate emboldens future generations with the strength, confidence and skills to rise up as leaders and realize their full potential—and to show the world that good starts young; and Unilever is committed to creating a bright future for tomorrow's leaders by encouraging everyone to take small steps toward making sustainable living commonplace.

WE Day is supported in Los Angeles by Southern California founding Co-Chairs Stephanie Argyros, President and CEO, Argyros Group and Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman, Participant Media, and Chairman of the Skoll Foundation. WE Day California was launched in 2014 in Oakland, and continued in 2015 in San Jose, supported by Northern California Co-Chairs Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California and Jennifer Siebel Newsom, filmmaker and philanthropist.

The full list of speakers, performers and presenters, in alphabetical order, announced to date includes:

• Paula Abdul (@PaulaAbdul) – American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality
• Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) – Actress and activist from the hit series Girl Meets World
• Christian Burgos –Anti-gun violence speaker
• Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) – Singer, songwriter and actress from the hit series Girl Meets World
• Gracie Doran – Dancer and anti-bullying/inclusion activist
• Earth Guardians – (@earthguardianz) – Young activists, artists and musicians
• David Foster (@officialdfoster) – Multi award-winning record producer, musician, composer and performer
• Reilly Fox (@reilly_fox)–Kick Like a Girl speaker
• Connor Franta (@ConnorFranta) – Entrepreneur, author, and digital influencer
• Tyrese Gibson (@Tyrese) – Six-time GRAMMY® nominee, author, producer, philanthropist and internationally renowned film star
• Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) – Actress, multi-platinum recording artist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
• Corinne Hindes and Katrine Kirsebom (@WarmWintersOrg) – Founders of Warm Winters
• Kermit the Frog along with other Muppets (@KermitTheFrog) (@TheMuppets)
• Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) – Co-founders of WE Day
• Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) – Singer, songwriter & philanthropist
• George McGraw (@digdeeph20) – Founder and Executive Director of DIGDEEP Water
• Millennium Dance Complex (@DanceMillennium) – Los Angeles based premiere dance studio
• Elliot Miville-Deschênes (@ElliotMD25) – Actor, singer and activist
• Ashley Murphy (@AshleyRose_FTC) – ME to WE speaker and advocate for HIV/AIDS initiatives
• Kardinal Offishall (@KardinalO) – Award-winning rap artist, music producer and Free The Children ambassador
• Maya Penn – (@MayasIdeasShop) – CEO of Maya's Ideas
• Rico Rodriguez (@starringRico) – Actor from the hit television series Modern Family
• Raini Rodriguez (@Raini_Rodriguez)– Singer and actress on Disney® Channel's Austin & Ally
• Seth Rogen & Lauren Miller Rogen (@Sethrogen) (@IamLaurenMiller) – Actors, writers and co-founder of Hilarity for Charity
• Big Sean (@BigSean) – Multi-platinum, GRAMMY® nominated hip hop recording artist
• Martin Sheen –Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actor and activist
• Lilly Singh (@||Superwoman||) – Comedian, actress and YouTube entertainer
• Amandla Stenberg (@amandlastenberg) – American actress, activist & artist
• Charlize Theron (@CharlizeAfrica) – Academy® Award-winning actress and Founder of Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and Honorary Co-Chair of WE Day California
• Jacob Tremblay (@JacobTremblay) – Nine-year-old, multi-award winning actor
• Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) – Actor, director, producer and author

Stay connected on the latest news and updates on WE Day:

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- Apply for media accreditation to attend WE Day at www.weday.com/press -

- Full bios, photos and information on WE Day available at WE Day California -

Click to tweet: . @weday reveals #WEDay#California lineup @CharlizeAfrica @Sethrogen @selenagomez @ddlovato @KermitTheFrog @TheMuppets @BigSean

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 the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to take part in this unprecedented educational initiative.

More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to a yearlong 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 Microsoft Philanthropies
www.Microsoft.com/Philanthropies

About Allstate
www.Allstate.com/GoodStartsYoung

About Unilever
www.brightfuture.unilever.us

For more information on WE Day or to request an interview, please contact:

Alison Clarke
Director PR & Publicity, WE Day
1-416-706-3652
[email protected]

For WE Day California, please contact:

Sunshine Sachs
Lauren Kelcher Stevenson/Michael Samonte/Alyssa Furnari/Chantal Artur
1-323-822-9300
[email protected]

SOURCE WE Day

Related Links

http://www.we.org