The act of walking forward is a truly life-affirming motion. In life, we are always moving forward in some way, whether through space, time or in growth. The way we travel forward defines us. If we travel with positivity, pace, good humour and graciousness, we always arrive in the right place.

When we asked Grammy-winning Canadian singer Nelly Furtado to travel with us to Kenya a few years back, we had no idea it would lead to an amazing friendship. Now an ambassador for Free The Children, she launched a matching fund to support the construction of a new all girls' high school in rural Kenya.

When Nelly Furtado showed up at Toronto’s We Day 2011 youth rally, the 20,000 teenage activists in attendance likely expected some songs and maybe a...