World Culture Festival 2023

World Culture Festival UNITED STATES 2023

CE LE BR AT E

TH EM AN YE XPR ESS IONS IT OF THE ONE HUMAN SPIR

What is the World Culture Festival The World Culture Festival celebrates the underlying spirit that connects us across our differences - in our communities and as one global family.

The past few years have brought us extraordinary challenges – a global pandemic, racial injustice, economic disruption, and environmental threats. Families and communities across our nation are grieving from an acute loss of life and widespread erosion of livelihoods. The requirement to physically distance has robbed us of small joys of daily life, leading many to feel isolated and alone, exacerbating depression, anxiety, addiction and other challenges to our health and wellbeing. We are navigating a political climate that is aggravating and stoking our deepest divisions. We are hungry to connect to each other, to aspire for and belong to something bigger.

The World Culture Festival is a cultural platform to help us step into a new story and a new moment - from loss to celebration, from divisiveness to harmony, from loneliness and isolation to a sense of belonging with each as part of one world family. By coming together to celebrate our humanity and our rich cultural diversity, we can tap into our curiosity, empathy and compassion across our differences, and find strength in a sense of oneness that unifies us all.

Festivities will be hosted in more than 15 cities across the US from March through June 2023, culminating with two grand finale global festivals on September 29-30 2023 at the National Mall in Washington, DC and at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Join Us During September 29-30 2023, we will host the global World Culture Festival at the National Mall and at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, preceded by 10 state level World Culture Festival events across the US, where you’ll be able to •

Showcase the rich diversity of culture and artistic expression from within and across our communities.

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Create space for reflection and healing, through meditation and dialogue.

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Honor local leaders who have helped make our communities more harmonious and resilient in the face of our challenges.

By coming together to celebrate our humanity and our rich cultural diversity, we can tap into our curiosity, empathy and compassion across our differences, and find strength in a sense of oneness that unifies us all.

The Inspiration

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is recognized globally as a spiritual leader, humanitarian and peacemaker. He has touched the lives of more than 450 million people around the world by resolving conflicts through dialogue; teaching powerful breathwork and meditation practices to alleviate stress and anxiety and build resilience; and by his example of selfless service.

Gurudev’s vision of a violence-free world is drawn from the foundational values underlying all faith traditions. His message is universal, touching people of all religious beliefs and practices. His many friends among the leaders of the Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish communities are a testament to the recognition he has received for his work and message.

Gurudev has created trauma-relief and meditation programs for at-risk youth, war veterans, prisoners and survivors of disaster. He is also engaged in peacemaking efforts internationally and in conflict-affected areas such as Colombia, Venezuela, and Iraq. In addition to his 21 honorary doctorates, he has also received 38 governmental awards, including the highest civilian awards in Colombia, Mongolia and Paraguay. The President of India has also bestowed him with the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s highest annual award of exceptional and distinguished service. In the United States, he has received the International Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He has been an invited speaker at the United Nations, the European Parliament, the World Economic Forum, TED, and the Israeli Presidential Conference, as well as many think-tanks and universities such as the Atlantic Council, American Enterprise Institute, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, and The Wharton School.

World Culture Festival

About Us For the past 40 years, Gurudev

Service Highlights:

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and global

450 million+

volunteer networks in 156 countries from the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values have led programs, platforms and initiatives to strengthen inner peace and resilience, inspire service, and foster empathy and harmony across our differences.

lives touched

100 million+

virtual meditation views during COVID

700,000+

inmates’ lives transformed

5.6 million+

trauma-relief beneficiaries

70,000+

students educated

81 million+

trees planted globally

7,400+

fighters who have laid down arms

THE ART OF LIVING Operating in 156 countries, the Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) is a nonprofit, educational, and humanitarian organization founded in 1981. AOLF offers numerous highly effective educational and self-development programs and tools that facilitate the elimination of stress and foster deep and profound inner peace, happiness, and well-being for all individuals. These programs have helped millions around the world to completely transform their lives.

The AOLF community is diverse and attracts people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and religious orientations.

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN VALUES The International Association for Human Values (IAHV) offers programs to reduce stress and develop leaders so that human values can flourish in people and communities. IAHV’s programs enhance clarity of mind, shift attitudes and behaviors, and develop leaders and communities that are resilient, responsible, and inspired.

Building Peace and Resilience across the US Cities 4 Peace

works to promote peace and reduce violence in cities worldwide. Our programs create, for the first time ever, the much needed personal transformation upon which city officials, law enforcement agencies and community activists come together and devise customized plans to mitigate violence and promote sustainable peace.

SKY Schools

is an evidence-based social emotional learning program dedicated to providing youth with the skills and knowledge to achieve all-around health and success, including a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a healthy lifestyle. This is done by offering youth, educators, and communities practical tools and life skills to increase self awareness, manage stress and emotions, and make responsible life choices.

Project Welcome Home Troops

offers veterans and their families breath-based meditation tools that decrease stress, anxiety, and sleep problems; restoring well-being, mental focus, and a renewed sense of connection and purpose.

Research shows that these powerful techniques provide relief from the extreme stress of military life, including multiple deployments, traumatic events, and reintegration with family and community.

The IAHV Prison Program

is a US Federal Bureau of Prisons approved, evidencebased rehabilitation program that effectively transforms the mindsets, attitudes, and behavior of offenders, thus supporting breaking the cycle of violence in our societies at the root and reducing reoffending. It also offers crucial stress management and trauma relief for correctional staff and victims of crime.

The cornerstone of the four programs above is the SKY Breath Meditation, which is also offered to the general public across the US and to students, faculty and staff in more than 70 university campuses in the US. During COVID, over 1000 trained volunteer instructors in the US put in more than 50,000 hours of their time to deliver SKY workshops that provide stress relief, enhanced immunity and mental wellness to over 25K people. Additionally, volunteers donated over $170K in PPE to hospitals in New York and California as well as 10 prisons across the United States, and provided free SKY workshops to more than 1,700 frontline healthcare professionals in collaboration with Children’s National Hospital, Washington DC.

World Culture Festivals

Previous Programs World Culture Festival III New Delhi, India, 2016 • •

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3.75 million people attended and 36,000 artists from 155 countries performed 25,000 religious and spiritual leaders from Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Islam, Jain, Native American, and Tribal faiths Presidents, Prime Ministers, and political leaders from all continents

World Culture Festival II Berlin, Germany, 2011 • • •

50,000 people from across 151 countries 6,000 artists and dignitaries including ministers and members of parliament Performances from Europe, Japan, Argentina, Russia, Cyprus, Cuba, Ukraine, the United States, and many other countries

Inaugural World Culture Festival Bangalore, India, 2006 • • • •

2 million people attended the inaugural World Culture Festival Performances, including a gathering of more than 3,800 musicians 750 political and business leaders 1,000 spiritual and religious leaders from all the ten major religions of the world

World Culture Festival

Recognition “Ancient Indian psychology is advanced and profound. Tibetans, as students of the Nalanda tradition, have derived great benefit from it. In ahimsa and inter-religious harmony, India sets an example for the rest of the world, and I believe the World Culture Festival is taking place in that spirit.”

THE DALAI LAMA

“The World Culture Festival allows people from all across the world the chance to experience and celebrate diverse cultures in a respectful and positive atmosphere.”

MR. JUSTIN TRUDEAU Prime Minister of Canada

“The World Culture Festival is a celebration of our common humanity that brings together thousands of participants to work to create a violence free, stress free society by honoring and valuing all traditions and cultures.”

CONGRESSWOMAN NANCY PELOSI

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

“This unique confluence of art, music, culture and thought is a great celebration of diversity among cultures from across the world, even as it showcases the oneness of mankind.”

MR. NARENDRA MODI Prime Minister of India

“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living Foundation are heralds of peace in a planet tormented by conflict and violence. He teaches us that happiness and peace dwell inside us and that we only need to connect with them in order to live our true essence.”

MR. JUAN MANUEL SANTOS President of Colombia

World Culture Festival

Past Host Commitee Members Partial list of Host Committee Members from previous World Culture Festivals: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, March 28, 2007 Olympia Stadium, Berlin, Germany, July 2, 2011, New Delhi, India, March 13, 2016 (in alphabetical order)

Former and Current Heads of State

The Honorable Dr. Abdelsalamal-Majali, Former Prime Minister, Jordan The Honorable Prof. Janez Jansa, Prime Minister, Slovenia The Honorable Prof. Xavier Betel, Prime Minister, Luxembourg The Honorable Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, Former President, Lithuania, and Member of the European Parliament The Honorable Prof. Ruud Lubbers, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Honorable Prof. Alojz Peterle, Former Prime Minister, Slovenia and Member of the European Parliament The Honorable Jacques Santer, Former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Former President of the European Commission

Additional Host Committee Members

The Honorable Gary Ackerman, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Melissa Bean, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations The Honorable Ms. Katherine Clarke, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Joseph Crowley, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Mr. Nirj Deva, Member of the European Parliament The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, United States Senate The Honorable Phil Gingrey, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, United States House of Representatives The Honorable Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, 9th Secretary-General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation The Honorable Jerry Lewis, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Ms. Erika Mann, Former Member of the European Parliament Dr. John C. Mather 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics, Senior Project Scientist, JWST (NASA) The Honorable Jim McDermott, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, Judge, Iran-US Claims Tribunal The Honorable Frank Pallone Jr., U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Tatyana Poronova, Deputy Governor of Murmansk, Russia The Honorable Tim Ryan, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Jan Schakowsky, U.S. House of Representatives Dr. Myron Scholes, 1997 Nobel Laureate in Economics Chairman, Platinum Grove Asset Mgt His Excellency Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the United States The Honorable Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Culture, India The Honorable Mr. Hakubun Shimomur, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, Japan The Honorable Chris Van Hollen, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Joe Wilson, U.S. House of Representatives