The LA County Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) sponsored a unique peacebuilding methodology developed by Cities4Peace (an initiative of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values) to empower community change-makers from across LA County to enhance their mental wellbeing and build their leadership capacity to develop innovative ways to promote peace and social harmony in their communities.

From March to June of 2022, the Cities4Peace team customized and delivered a two-step intervention. In the first step, nearly 40 community stakeholders were trained in an introduction to our SKY Mindful Leadership curriculum. The session provided participants with an understanding of our unique theory of change, as well as breath and meditation exercises to experience healing and transformation.

From this introductory session, 20 participants, including OVP staff and community intervention workers (CIW’s), were then selected to attend the full SKY Mindful Leadership workshop, which provided them with a deeper experience. The SKY Mindful Leadership training program consisted of IAHV’s evidence-based breath and meditation practices to develop inner resilience and improve mental wellbeing.

In addition, through interactive discussions and group processes, the program enabled participants to develop systems thinking and build trusted networks. Each participant was subsequently inspired to create and deliver a service project that would further promote peace and social harmony, and make a positive difference to at least 50 individuals using the wisdom that they gained during the training.