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1982 His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (or Punditji, as he was known then) teaches a small gathering of fifteen people in Shimoga, India. This was the first Art of Living Course.
1983 The first Art of Living Course outside of India is held in Montreux, Switzerland. Today the course is taught in over 140 countries and has benefited more than 20 million people worldwide.
1986 The first Art of Living Courses in North America are taught in Apple Valley, California and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1989 The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) is established as a non-profit organization in the United States
1992 Women's empowerment programs are launched in India.
1993 The first Art of Living Course designed specially for cancer patients is held in the United States.
1994 The first Prison SMART program is launched in India, helping prison inmates rehabilitate to re-enter society. Today over 120,000 prison inmates from countries across the world including the U.S., South Africa, India and the United Kingdom - have participated in this program.
The Art of Living Foundation is certified as an official United Nations NGO.
1997 The 5H Program, an initiative promoting sustainable rural development in the form of Health, Hygiene, Homes, Human Values and Harmony in Diversity, is launched in India.
The first ART Excel (All Round Training in Excellence) Course for children is held. Today, the Art of Living youth program has touched the lives of thousands of youth through ART Excel (ages 8-13 years), the Youth Empowerment Seminar (ages 14-18 years) and YES+ (18+ years).
1999 The International Association for Human Values (IAHV), the sister organization for the Art of Living Foundation, is created. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (or Sri Sri, as he is now affectionately called) and His Holiness The Dalai Lama are two of the co-founders, among several former heads of state.
Sri Sri gives a talk on the healing power of Sudarshan Kriya to scientists at the National Institute of Health in Maryland.
The Youth Leadership Training Program is launched, to empower the young people of rural villages to improve the quality of life in their communities.
The first Tribal School is opened.
2000 Sri Sri gives the keynote address at the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in New York City.
2001 AOLF offers free programs throughout New York City to help the city heal from the trauma of the 9/11 attacks.
2003 Sri Sri addresses NASA in Washington D.C. Volunteers from the Art of Living Foundation conduct trauma relief programs in Iraq.
2004 Sri Sri is welcomed in Pakistan as he embarks on a historic four-day peace mission. He is the first spiritual leader from India to ever visit Pakistan on such a mission.
Through AOLF and IAHV's worldwide efforts, 400 tons of supplies are collected within days of the tsunami in Asia. Together the organizations initiate a trauma relief program to heal the emotional trauma of the tsunami survivors and prepare them to rebuild their lives.
2005 AOLF volunteers initiate trauma relief programs for Hurricane Katrina survivors in New Orleans.
On the other side of the world, AOLF volunteers are among the first to provide relief for survivors of the India-Pakistan earthquake.
2006 AOLF celebrates its 25th year of service with a Silver Jubilee Celebration and Global Peace Conference in Bangalore, India. Over two million people from around the world attend, including Indian President Abdul Kallam and heads of state from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The APEX (Achieving Personal Excellence) Program is conducted at IBM's Watson Research center and met with resounding success. This corporate training program has also benefitted such organizations as NASA, Capital One, and Juniper Networks.
AOLF and IAHV plan to scale up their humanitarian efforts with comprehensive plans for Hurricane Katrina relief, the adoption of 75,000 villages in India, trauma relief programs in Iraq, and much more.
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