MACS – ADDRESSED BY ROYALTY, POP STARS, ACTORS AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS!

Our pupils were rewarded by the ‘First Give’ project and ‘WE Movement’ for their social conscience projects (in the local community), which saw them give £2,300 to six local charities between July and December of last year!

It was a very early start, departing MACS at 4.30 a.m. Not that the pupils or staff minded however, as we were going to arrive for the London event in style. Edwards coaches kindly laid on the ‘Team Wales’ bus for our journey!

Thirty guests of the WE Movement (for youth social change) spoke to and performed for our pupils. They were truly amazed to be addressed by royalty, pop stars, YouTube stars, actors and world renowned motivational speakers!

The range of topics covered by the guests included: International women’s day, the refugee crisis and immigration, racism, sexism, harassment, bullying, prejudice, gang violence, poverty, domestic abuse, LGBT, disability, educational empowerment, social consciousness and overcoming personal adversity.

Tokio Myers (Winner of Britain’s Got Talent) opened the show with an amazing performance on the piano, keyboards and drums!

Alexandra Burke (X Factor winner and Strictly Come Dancing finalist) performed her new single ‘Shadow’ and her mega-hit No. 1 single ‘Bad Boys’.

Golden Globe-nominated actor Lilly Collins, Princess Beatrice and Holly Branson addressed our pupils for personal empowerment.

The Vamps Connor and Tristan interviewed pupils about how they are making social changes in their school and local communities. You Tube sensation Connor Franta spoke about the power of YouTube for personal change and encouraged our pupils to be themselves.

Televisions Mr. Burton and Musharaf from ‘Educating Yorkshire’ spoke about overcoming personal adversity. The arena fell silent for this inspirational account and they received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd!

HRVY (YouTube star with over seventy million views) closed the show and had his picture taken with the crowd. Who would have thought our MACS pupils ‘We Love HRVY’ banner (amongst 12,000 people) would be all over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter? Your efforts were worth it after all. I knew that green card would stand out!

The following day our pupils reflected on their experience commenting:

•  “WE day was an amazing experience! It was incredible to hear so many role models speak about the problems they have faced and it made me realize that even celebrities and well-known people have had struggles in their lives that they have overcome! It was amazing to be recognized for all the hard work we have put in as a school and we are all very lucky to have been invited to such a life-changing event.”                                                   
  Lowri Tedstone
   
• “WE day was an action-packed, once in a lifetime opportunity and a great experience. It was one big unforgettable moment. There were so many speakers who were inspiring to me. There were also amazing singing performances. I was so happy to see that so many other people are so passionate about charity work and helping people around the world, just as much as our school. The atmosphere in the arena with 12,000 people was just outstanding!”                                                                             
  Niamh Weeks
   
• “WE day was an emotional yet amazing experience, which I will never forget. WE day was a day to reflect on all the amazing things that our generation are doing, locally and globally. It inspired me to do more good for the world. The personal stories of the speakers at WE were very empowering. WE day ultimately encouraged us as young people to be strong, to have confidence in ourselves and to never give up!”                        
  Gina Lewis
   
• “My WE day experience was totally amazing! I loved every single second being there. It inspired me to think that no matter what race or religion you are, you can change the world and encourage others to do the same! The music was another unforgettable experience, from performances by Alexandra Burke to HRVY. They were tremendously spectacular and had us all on our feet dancing and singing our hearts out!”                                              
  Caitlin Williams
   
• “WE day to me was a once in a lifetime opportunity which will be unforgettable. It was an experience which I will cherish for the rest of my life! It gave me an insight of what can happen when people of all ages work together for the good of others. The day encouraged us to think of others. It encouraged friendship, laughter and taught us that anything is possible with hard work. The whole day inspired me to do more good for my community and other people so that I can make a change!”                                 
  Abi Thickett
   
• “Throughout the show, I was amazed by all the brave and inspirational speakers as well as the live music. The atmosphere in the arena was unbelievable and it will stay in my mind forever. It was empowering to say the least! My favourite speaker was Musharaf, who had extreme speech problems, yet was brave enough to speak in front of 12,000 people! This was so inspiring, motivational and ultimately amazing! I was inspired to continue making my contribution to change the world.”                       
  Macie Morris

Asked to rate their day out of a score of ten, the scores ranged from eight and a half to fifteen!

The entire event was streamed live on Facebook and has been uploaded in full to YouTube (Search – WE Day London 2018 parts 1 & 2).                                              

Which MACS pupils will earn a trip to WE Day in 2019?                                                         

Year nine – win the Religious Studies Departments ‘First Give’ grand final on July 11th and YOU will be there next year!

By Ssteven.jones