Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Darren Criss, Chris Hadfield and Imagine Dragons Take the Stage Today for We Day Toronto

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sep 20, 2013) -

- We Day will be streamed live today from 8:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. ET at www.mtv.ca/weday

- High res photos from the day will be available here by 3:00 p.m. ET

- MTV and Much to simulcast 2013 broadcast Nov. 11

Today, Free The Children, with National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS, will bring together iconic speakers and chart-topping musical sensations including Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, Austin Mahone, Imagine Dragons, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Martin Luther King III and international activists and Free The Children co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, at We Day Toronto to educate, engage and empower 20,000 student leaders to change the world.

Darren Criss, star from the hit series Glee, along with MTV co-hosts Aliya-Jasmine Sovani and Scott Willats, will lead the crowd through a day full of educational speeches, inspirational moments and show-stopping performances. A few of the must-see moments will include:

• A hip-hop/contemporary performance directed by Clarence Ford, choreographed by Linda Garneau & Tamina Pollack-Paris, danced to a mash-up of Love Me Again by John Newman and voiceover excerpts from the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech. This compilation will feature dance students from the Ryerson Theatre School and close with Dr. King Jr.'s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, speaking about the importance of education and being involved in a global movement for change.

• The Barenaked Ladies along with Col. Chris Hadfield and the Wexford Gleeks are reunited on the We Day stage for the first time in person since their performance from the International Space Station, to perform Is Somebody Singing. The stadium will illuminate with 20,000 light-activated wristbands, creating a galaxy of stars.

• Demi Lovato performs her hit singles Skyscraper and Neon Lights, collaborating on stage for the first time ever with soon-to-be cast-mate on the hit series Glee, Darren Criss, and special guests the Kenyan Boys Choir.

The 2013/2014 We Day season will see more than 160,000 in attendance, and millions more watching online at www.MTV.ca/weday and through the broadcast special premiering on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on MTV and Much; and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. ET on CTV.

Throughout the day, students and supporters in attendance and those watching online will be inspired by renowned speakers and award-winning performers, including:

• His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston (@GGDavidJohnston) - Governor General of Canada

• The Honourable Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) - Premier of Ontario

• Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - President of Liberia and first elected female Head of State in Africa

• Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) - Award-winning singer-songwriter and Free The Children ambassador

• Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) - GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum artists

• Darren Criss (@darrencriss) - Cast member from the Emmy® Award-winning series Glee

• Jacob Artist (@jacobartist) - Cast member from the Emmy® Award-winning series Glee

• Imagine Dragons (@Imaginedragons) - Award-winning, multi-platinum rock band

• Martin Luther King III - Human rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Austin Mahone (@austinmahone) - Award-winning American pop singer and YouTube sensation

• Serena Ryder (@serenaryder) - JUNO Award-winning artist

• Col. Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) - Retired Canadian astronaut and first Canadian to walk in space

• Barenaked Ladies (@barenakedladies) - JUNO Award-winning rock band

• Munro Chambers and Jessica Tyler (@MunroChambers & @JessicaTyler) - Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI

• Michael 'Pinball' Clemons - CFL Hall of Famer, Vice Chair of the Toronto Argonauts

• Oducado Twins - 2013 Coca Cola COVERS MuchMusic Video Award winner

• MTV hosts Aliya-Jasmine Sovani (@AliyaJasmine) and Scott Willats (@scottywillats)

• Craig and Marc Kielburger (@craigkielburger) - International activists and co-founders of Free The Children

• Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) - Traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama

• Youth speakers - Hannah Alper, Vishal Vijay and Sydney Brouillard-Coyle

• Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) - Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children ambassador, author and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair in June, 2012

• Molly Burke (@mollymetowe) - Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker who speaks out against bullying and the power of hope

• Robin Wiszowaty (@robininkenya) - Me to We motivational speaker, author and Free The Children Program Director in Ghana and Kenya

• Chris Tse - Me to We inspirational speaker, national spoken-word champion and humanitarian

We Day is a stadium-sized educational event and a movement of young people leading local and global change. We Day is tied to the year-long program, We Act, which supports students and educators with free educational resources, student-led campaigns and support materials to help turn the event's inspiration into sustained activation. Since 2007, youth involved in the We Act program have raised $37 million dollars for over 1000 local and global causes and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer hours.

We Day is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance, thanks to the generous support of sponsors led by National Co-Title Sponsors RBC and TELUS.

Stay connected:

• Like We Day on Facebook: Facebook.com/WeDay

• Twitter: @WeDay, @FreeTheChildren, @CraigKielburger

• Official hashtag: #WeDay

• Visit www.weday.com