Coinciding with the Lunar New Year, January 27 and 28, 2017 heralded the
1st Annual Earth Citizen Festival in Kerikeri, New Zealand. About 1000 people in all, from 11 different countries, attended the three events of the festival.
This gathering of people passionate about being responsible for the earth was initiated by
Ilchi Lee, author of
Earth Citizen and
Earth Management, founder of ChangeYourEnergy.com, and orchestrator of the Earth Citizen Movement. Called Kia Ora! Let’s Inspire the World, the festival celebrated and shared Earth Citizen values of unity and harmony between all people and the earth, regardless of culture or beliefs. As the Maori greeting “kia ora” implies, it wished for everyone to “be well” and showed how Earth Citizen values are being expressed in ways of living mindfully, sustainably, and naturally to create health, happiness, and peace for all.
Here are some highlights from this exciting event:
Opening: Kia Ora Night
Local New Zealanders and visitors from abroad gathered on the lawn of Kerikeri Domain on a summer evening to enjoy food and fun, see
Earth Citizen artwork, win raffle prizes, and learn Belly Button Healing. They watched two hours of performances by amateur and professional groups from New Zealand, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Japan that expressed peace and fulfilling your potential. The show ended with a bang as a traditional Korean drumming group weaved through the crowd and inspired people to get on their feet to dance with joy to the beat.
Professional breakdancing crew "Gamblerz" from South Korea get the crowd excited.
Students from the Benjamin School for Character Education share their enthusiastic dance with the Belly Button Healing wand.
Martial arts demonstrations displayed the power of unity of mind and body.
Hip hop dancers from a local New Zealand girl group showed their powerful passion.
Participants from the UK and Europe cheer for the performances.
Traditional Korean drummers take their music to the audience . . .
. . . and get the crowd dancing along.
Main Event: Earth Citizens Come Together
The next morning, participants went inside the Turner Centre in Kerikeri for the main event of the festival. The event began with musical performances by a Maori performance group (the native people of New Zealand), a traditional Korean drumming group, and a breakdancing crew.
Congratulatory messages were sent from government officials, media industry professionals, celebrities, and other VIPs from South Korea, Canada, and the United States. The Deputy Mayor of the Far North District Council, Tania McInnes, touched the audience with her heartfelt congratulatory address, expressing her support for the Earth Citizen Movement and the Earth Citizens Organization becoming active in the Northland of New Zealand.
Ilchi Lee then gave a friendly keynote address, emphasizing the importance of knowing your own value, having hopes and dreams, and remembering to use your inner spirit, which are vital for living as an Earth Citizen. Helping people achieve these is one purpose of the Earth Citizen Movement and the Brain Education method of self-development that Ilchi Lee has created and taught.
The main event ended with representatives from the US, South Korea, the UK, Japan, Canada, China, Belgium, Poland, and New Zealand (in English and Maori) took turns reciting each point of the Earth Citizen Declaration.
Earth Citizen Declaration
- I am an Earth Citizen who loves and cherishes all humans and all life as someone who has found my value and recovered my character.
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I am an Earth Citizen who contributes to making a healthy and happy family and a peaceful community.
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I am an Earth Citizen who lives for an Earth Village where all of humankind lives as one family beyond nationality, race and religion.
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I am an Earth Citizen who acts to protect and restore the global ecosystem so that the earth recovers its original beauty and vitality.
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I am an Earth Citizen who takes part in the work of developing 100 million Earth Citizens for the evolution of human consciousness and the advent of a new era of civilization on earth.
Symposium: The Brain, Earth Citizenship, and Our Global Future
Seven experts in their fields from South Korea, the United States, and Japan shared their work and views on how natural healing and self-growth techniques, like Brain Education, have been or could be successfully used to develop a healthy body, mind, and spirit and live according to Earth Citizen values.
Ilchi Lee: The brain and the value of the Earth Citizen
Dave Beal of Brain Power Wellness, United States: Brain Power Classroom for empowering future leaders
Naok Kim, PhD of the Benjamin School for Character Education, South Korea: Success stories from the Benjamin School for Character Education
Juhun Yeon, PhD of the Korea Institute of Brain Science, South Korea: How natural compounds prevent cancer metastasis and improve our gut health
Emeran Mayer, MD, PhD of UCLA, United States: How the mind-gut connection impacts our choices
Reed Tuckson, MD of Tuckson Health Connections, United States: How Brain Education can improve public health
Lily George, PhD of Massey University, New Zealand: Healing intergenerational trauma through Brain Education
Dr. George finished her talk with a Maori song performed by members of the Body & Brain Yoga center in Auckland.
The symposium ended with the founding of the Global Scholars Society for
Earth Management, of which the presenters became the first members.
Participants remarked on the positivity of the festival, and many were motivated to bring the Earth Citizen Movement to their own communities. They were happy to be a part of something larger than the borders of their own town or region and said they gained a wider perspective on their everyday lives. The Earth Citizen Peace Festival will be an annual event. Its hosts, the
Earth Citizen Organization (ECO), the
International Brain Education Association (IBREA), and Meditation Tours Ltd, hope it grows so that the Earth Citizen spirit and values spread across the globe.