For your children - All Round Excellence.
Art Excel - Africa.
Art Excel - Friendliness.
Art Excel. The Art of Living program for children.
Art Excel - Russia.
Children
The best introduction to the Art Excel program for children aged 8 to 14 is from the kids themselves – our course graduates!
“In this course I made new friends, played games and learned Yoga and some breathing techniques. The breathing made me think in the present moment more. Now I feel more relaxed and happy and find myself to be in a better mood most of the time. This course is definitely an experience I will never forget because it taught me a lot about many things in life.”
Kayla, age 13.
"Before I came here I was really stressed out. Little things made me angry. I learned to get rid of the anger and free my mind from all the clutter. If I get angry I just do the breathing and it makes me feel better."
Matt, middle school student
‘Art Excel’ stands for All Round Training in Excellence.
This course was born out of the realisation that though we teach our children many important things, we usually miss out teaching them how to handle emotions, how to cooperate, work in a team, how to be a leader. These skills make their childhood happier and their future brighter. Hence the name: All Round Training in Excellence.
Art Excel Course Outline
During the initial 18-hour program our young participants learn the six ‘gold keys to success’ through innovative games and interactive processes that reinforce human values. Through fun and laughter, children learn valuable lessons on how to share with others, work and play in harmony and develop a sense of belonging. Children become more self-expressive and comfortable and natural even with diverse groups of people. Students are also taught yoga and effective breathing techniques which help to eliminate fear, anxiety, depression and other negative emotions. Meditation, being an important tool to tap the children's hidden potential, forms an integral part of the program.
After undergoing the program, children demonstrate enhancement of creative skills, improved memory and concentration, development of leadership qualities and the ability to handle emotions, clarity of mind as well as improved interaction with their peers. Take a look at our FAQ section for courses, to learn more about how Art of Living programs support children in their development.
Sign up for an Art Excel program near you here.
If your son or daughter is aged 15 to 19, take a look at the YES program for teenagers.
- Optionen
Sichuan
Sichuan Earthquake (May 2008)
On May 12, 2008, the northern region of the Sichuan Province of China was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, the worst natural disaster in its history. The calamity left nearly 70,000 dead and over 350,000 injured. The loss of every aspect of a secure life - loved ones, homes and infrastructure caused a complete human breakdown, both for the victims and the relief volunteers.
An international team of Art of Living teachers and volunteers assisted in the immediate search and relief operations, at the same time beginning trauma-care, reaching out to over 2,000 people.
“Please thank those teachers for me. After doing the exercises, I feel my inside is freed. I feel so much more comfortable now.” -A 14-year-old girl, survivor of Shifang school tragedy
Bihar
Bihar, India (September 2008)
An estimated 3.5 million people were affected by the flood caused when the monsoon-driven Kosi River changed its course, following a breach in a dam upstream in Nepal. Around 1,600 villages in the region have been marooned resulting in enormous loss to life and property.
The Art of Living volunteers and its team of doctors have reached out to 5,000 people in the Jankinagar Phulwari camp, providing food, clothes, essential supplies, medical aid and training them on hygiene and sanitation. Water purifying machines are being installed to provide clean drinking water and help check the spread of water-borne diseases. Art of Living has shipped 1,000 life-jackets to help the rescuers and is assisting the Indian Army in rescue operations.
In addition, volunteers have been conducting stress elimination programmes which include pranayama and meditation sessions, providing thousands of survivors much needed relief from fear and anxiety. This two-pronged approach is aimed at offering them holistic rehabilitation.
Art of Living has conducted relief work worth Rs 100 million (US$2.2 million) to Bihar. It proposes to raise another Rs 400 million (US$8.7 million) for the rehabilitation of the victims.
Surat
Surat, India (August 2006)
In August 2006, heavy floods ravaged the city of Surat, Gujarat, claiming the lives of hundreds and affecting thousands more. Water levels were as high as 22 feet in some parts of the city, causing an estimated economic loss in excess of US$500 million.
More than 1,500 volunteers of the Art of Living provided drinking water, food, medicines and other essentials. Several medical camps were conducted throughout the city, providing aid to more than 11,000 people. The Art of Living also worked with the Surat Municipal Corporation to urgently clean up flood-affected areas and prevent any outbreak of disease.
Subsequently, they moved into the second phase of relief work by conducting trauma relief programmes. The volunteers worked closely with local government officials, the army, other NGOs and service organisations, to extend assistance to the affected, including people trapped in remote areas.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina (August 2005)
In Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the United States witnessed the most devastating hurricane to hit its shores in recent times. Art of Living volunteers immediately launched trauma-relief programmes.
More than 400 refugees - adults and children underwent trauma-relief workshops in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Baton Rouge. By March 2006, Art of Living Breath-Water-Sound workshops were offered in New Orleans full-time and they became key source of stress and trauma relief for its citizens.
"While charitable organizations have provided Hurricane Katrina victims with essentials, such as food, clothes and shelter, the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values offered emotional support." -The Daily Texan
Kashmir-Pakistan
Kashmir-Pakistan (October 2005)
On October 8, 2005 a massive earthquake in Kashmir and vast areas of northern Pakistan took the lives of over 75,000 people, left many more seriously injured and over 3.5 million homeless.
Within 48 hours of the earthquake volunteers of the Art of Living and its sister organisation, the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) started relief operations followed by trauma relief programmes in some of the worst affected areas of Kashmir. Around 2,000 children and adults experienced health benefits after undergoing these workshops.
“Until we did the breathing exercises my heart had not stopped pounding, not since the earthquake. Now at last I am at peace, I will tell my neighbours.” -Begum Azie, Shaalkot village, Baramullah, Kashmir, October 20, 2005
“Every morning I used to wake up with a jolt, my whole body used to ache and at night I used to be very scared of noises and I missed my mother who died in quake. Now I am feeling very relaxed and no longer afraid of noises.” -Arshad Khan, aged 14, Gabra village
Mumbai
Mumbai, India (July 2005)
Soon after Mumbai was submerged by the floods in July 2005, Art of Living volunteers rushed to the worst-affected slums of Agripada, Dharavi and Kalwa in spite of chest-high water levels. Volunteers distributed large quantities of food packets, home essentials, water purification satchets and medicines and ran a community kitchen that fed 2,000 people per day. In order to maintain hygiene and prevent spread of disease, they cleaned toilets, sprayed disinfectants and removed truckloads of garbage from the slums.
The volunteers subsequently started counselling sessions and trauma relief programmes which helped people overcome the fear of rains and get over sleepless nights.
Appreciating the humane way in which the volunteers offered relief, the State Government appointed the Art of Living as a nodal agency in the worst-affected areas of Mumbai.
Government showers praise on The Art of Living:
"We found the work done by Art of Living volunteers more than up to the mark. Not only were they sincere and transparent, but they were also very compassionate. They willingly went to difficult areas, visited more than 10,000 households and talked to people about their needs and problems. What was more impressive was that they were quick in action, which is needed at such times." -Satish Tripathi, Principal Secretary to Government of Maharashtra who coordinated the relief work between the government and NGOs .
Tsunami
Tsunami (December 2004)
On December 26, 2004, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 shook the western coast of Northern Sumatra. The earthquake spawned a series of tsunamis that travelled across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Africa’s Eastern Coast leaving over 30,974 dead, 4,698 missing and 553,287 displaced in Sri Lanka. One-third of those affected are believed to be children, many of whom have been orphaned.
The Art of Living embarked on a major initiative to help the victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami reclaim their lives. Within hours of the disaster, more than 500 volunteers swung into action distributing food, clothes, medicines, and other relief material in areas affected by the devastating tsunami, including Indonesia. Art of Living provided around 250 tons of relief supplies and 100,000 litres of drinking water to Sri Lanka. In coordination with the ASPIC Benevolent Foundation for Children, food, water, clothing and blankets were distributed to the affected children.
What the deadly tsunami washed away was not just homes and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of survivors, but also their sense of security, resulting in endless anxiety and related complications. Implementing trauma care as the most vital step for survivors, the Art of Living, along with its sister concern, the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), took up the major initiative of providing trauma care using traditional holistic techniques such as meditation and breathing techniques and processes.
In Nagapattinam, southern India, over 50,000 people have benefited from the program, 120 houses have been built, many vocational training centres have been set up including a primary school to provide free quality education to the tsunami-affected children. (See pictures.) The Art of Living Foundation was officially declared the head of trauma relief operations by the collectorate of Nagapattinam. In Sri Lanka, hundreds of Trauma Relief Programmes and counselling sessions were conducted providing relief to more than 25,000 people in over 20 cities in the country.
Almost four years after the disaster, the rehabilitation work still continues.
Guajarat
Gujarat, India (January 2001)
On January 26, 2001, the Indian state of Gujarat was hit by a devastating earthquake that wiped out cities and led to around 100,000 deaths. The Art of Living and its sister concern, the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) stayed on long after the disaster, helping survivors come to terms with the new reality.
Apart from providing relief material, Art of Living built a high school, a hostel and 15 temporary schools. Through its post-traumatic stress counselling and trauma relief programmes, the volunteers reached out to over 100,000 people in 120 villages. In Nana Dahishar, they rebuilt the village completely with 124 earthquake-resistant homes, a multi-purpose community centre, a primary healthcare centre, village government centre, a primary school, a place of worship, water tank, water supply system and drainage system.
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