Seth Rogen, Alessia Cara team up for 'Unsinkable Youth' special

Nothing brings people together like helping the children. Seth Rogen, Alessia Cara and actress Madison Bailey are the latest stars to sign on for the Unsinkable Youth special in support of Kids Help Phone. The one-hour show will air Friday, May 22 at 1 pET on CTV and feature performances and supportive messages from plenty of familiar faces from musicians to athletes and performers, all with a focus on encouraging youth to reach out using for help from services like Kids Help Phone if/when they need them.Mississauga's own Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is set to co-host the afternoon special along with Olympic rower and Unsinkable founder Silken Laumann. Laumann started the story-sharing platform last year after publishing her own story of overcoming struggle in her 2014 memoir, Unsinkable. This first-time event will be a celebration of storytelling and mental health empowerment.

 

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Join us Friday at 1pm ET for 60-minutes of your favourite entertainers, musicians, and athletes. You’ll also hear from young people across Canada about how they’re managing COVID-19. Don’t miss this! #unsinkableyouth

A post shared by The Unsinkable Youth (@unsinkableyouth) on May 19, 2020 at 4:57pm PDT

Those aren't the only big names coming out to do their part. It was previously announced that viewers can expect appearances by musical acts The Reklaws, Scott Helman, Johnny Orlando and Lennon Stella as well as actor Jacob Tremblay and YouTuber Lauren Orlando. Silken is also tapping fellow Olympians Tessa Virtue and Hayley Wickenheiser for the event.Ramakrishnan, hot off the success of the critically-acclaimed Mindy Kaling series, explained in a press release why the Unsinkable initiative is so important to her, especially during the COVID-19 quarantine.[video_embed id='1939142']RELATED: The star of Mindy Kaling's new show reveals how she got the role of a lifetime[/video_embed]"We have all had to cancel plans and limit interactions with friends and loved ones in order to stay safe and keep everyone healthy," the 18-year-old said. "While we understand that it’s the right thing to do, that doesn’t diminish the fact that this has been especially hard on kids and teens just like me. My hope is that Unsinkable Youth will encourage young Canadians to reach out, speak up and know that it’s ok to say this is hard."The event will also feature stories from Canadian youth (Unsinkable is first and foremost about storytelling, after all). In the lead-up, the Unsinkable Youth Instagram account has spotlighted the same kind of inspiring stories viewers can expect to hear in the 60-minute broadcast.Watch the Unsinkable Youth special Friday, May 22 at 1 pET on CTV and anywhere else CTV content can be found.[video_embed id='1942703']BEFORE YOU GO: Alessia Cara says voicing an animated character was one of the coolest experiences of her life[/video_embed]