Human Values Festival, Austin, TX
The Institute of Sathya Sai Education (ISSE) - USA with support from our organization’s public outreach mission initiated a new community outreach platform titled Human Values Fest: A family-centric festival expanding the awareness of the five human values and the practice of love and service in the community.
The first annual Human Values Fest took place in Austin, Texas on Saturday November 4th, 2017, at the Don Tew Performing Arts Center. The event, supported by our local partner schools, drew hundreds of families and nearly 500 people, mostly members of the general public. The event featured a human values art, music and creative writing exhibition displaying 150 pieces by Primary and Elementary children (and their families), various value-based activities and crafts for children, an Elementary art and music contest and a display of community work by local service organizations. The day was capped by an exhilarating evening concert with International Rhythm Masters and a soul-stirring performance by international hip hop, MTV, humanitarian and value-focused artist, Nimo and Empty Hands Music. The highly uplifting concert ended with an evening awards ceremony to recognize the efforts of all participating children and artists.
The first ever Human Values festival was so well-received by the community that many individuals, schools and service organizations expressed an enthusiastic interest in participating in the next Human Values Fest in 2018. Above all, it was the practice of these very human values by all volunteers that moved all attendees. The building manager said: "I have worked with many groups over my 15 years here, you are among the very best I've ever seen. Your group worked in harmony, asked for nothing and responded so graciously to facility issues. The message and event theme were also like nothing I've seen before. I will definitely let the school district know about this and hope we can see you again in the future." Other attendees rated the event as “unique”, “moved to tears” and “very impactful”.
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