More than 16,000 youth from across California came together at The Forum in Inglewood for WE Day, a youth empowerment event that celebrates everyday heroes and proves no one is too young to change the world. The event, which took place on April 17, was hosted by Selena Gomez and featured speeches and performances by Laila Ali, Rowan Blanchard, Oprah, Lily Collins, Laverne Cox, Tyrese Gibson, Jessie J, Alicia Keys, DJ Khaled, and Demi Lovato. Together, they energized the crowd with unforgettable performances and motivational speeches to inspire youth to continue taking action on local and global societal issues such as bullying, supplying clean water, and poverty.

Making WE Day a true celebration of youth taking action, young people with inspiring stories joined the WE Day California lineup, including 11-year-old Ezra Frech. Born without his left fibula, left knee, and four fingers on his left hand, Ezra is an accomplished athlete, motivational speaker, and co-founder of Los Angeles-based non-profit @AngelCitySports. Frech’s goal was to create an organization that allows children and adults with physical disabilities to have the opportunity to play sports. Ezra is just one of the many young people who shared their stories to motivate their WE Day peers.

WE Day is part of WE—an organization that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. More than a one-day event, WE Day is connected to the free educational program, WE Schools. In the 2015-2016 school year, more than 875 schools and groups across California improved their communities through WE Schools. These schools combined volunteered more than 600,000 hours and raised over $825,000 in support of 615 organizations. These organizations supported causes such as ending world hunger, homelessness, and bullying. Among others, these volunteers also support youth advocacy, education, and literacy organizations.