The Art of Living Foundation offers programs to uncover the strength, peace, and joy that lie at the core of every human being. By nurturing the spirit and compassion of every individual, the Foundation seeks to help build a global society that is free of stress, violence, and misery - and full of service, wisdom, and celebration. The Art of Living Foundation was inspired by the programs of spiritual leader and humanitarian His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that began in 1982. It has been a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian organization in the U.S. Accredited as a United Nations Non-Governmental organization in 1996, it is now one of the UN's largest volunteer-based NGOs. It works in special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council, participating in a variety of committees and activities relating to health, education, sustainable development, conflict resolution, and disaster relief. The Foundation engages in a wide array of educational and humanitarian programs that uplift individuals, make a difference in local communities, and foster global change. Often working in association with its sister organization, the International Association for Human Values, Foundation volunteers have brought both physical and trauma relief to several regions of conflict and natural disaster around the world, and, in one region, contributed to the cessation of decades-long violence. The Foundation also offers programs for youth and teens, business, law and government, prison inmates and staff, trauma survivors, people with depression, and programs for people living with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. So far, the Art of Living Foundation’s service projects, trauma relief, and stress-reduction and self-development programs have benefited more than 100 million people on six continents, in more than 156 countries around the world.
