Why – World Childrens Festival

Join or support the children to celebrate creativity, diversity, and unity.

WHY?

We employ the power of the arts for a two-phased intervention—first for children’s creative development through our school art program, the Arts Olympiad, followed by their empathic development at the World Children’s Festival (WCF) on the National Mall across the U.S. Capitol.

The three-day WCF is full of excitement, fun, and new learning. Young performers showcase their talents on the “World Stage” erected on the National Mall for the WCF. Subject matter experts host workshops, activities, and training based on the ICAF methodology developed and refined with each successive WCF since 1999.

The WCF provides students with a transformative experience, infusing their creativity with mutual empathy and aiming to:

Remediate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a root cause of nonsocial behavior, through a powerfully positive experience that blends art with empathy and leadership training.
Disrupt the transgenerational transmission of trauma and hatred that pits one group against another, this being achieved through co-creation and collaborative mural-making in an exemplary global community setting.
Empower children through their ownership of the WCF, which they emcee and where they can showcase their talents and creativity, and host workshops and activities for peer learning.
Foster critical, creative, and design thinking by engaging children in a nonpareil project; for example, at the 7th WCF they will co-imagine and co-create “Children’s Earth Flag” for NASA’s first human mission to Mars.
Inspire children to become creative-empaths, working together for a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.

The WCF paves the way for children to transform our wounded world into a wondrous one.

Invest in the future with your tax-deductible donation today.

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ICAF Flipbook: Transformative Experiences

ICAF Flipbook: Creativity, Diversity, and Unity

The WCF is free and open to the public from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The U.S. Park Police requirements about public health and safety can result in crowd control. You must register to attend the WCF, participate in free workshops and educational activities, and enjoy the electrifying performances.

Register here

Festival Music (3:42 minutes)

Collaborative Painting (1:12 minutes)

Festival Logo (0:47 minutes)

coverage (5:27 minutes)

Master Watchmakers (2:59 minutes)

Festival Address (4:20 minutes)