Origins of 11 Days of Global Unity

Since 1981 the UN celebrated the International Day of Peace on the opening day of each new General Assembly Session in September. In 2001 that Session was scheduled for September 11th. So that year the International Day of Peace actually coincided with the tragedy of 9/11. A U.N. resolution permanently placing the International Day of Peace on September 21st went into effect in 2002.

In 2004 We, The World brought together global partners to launch 11 Days of Global Unity September 11-21 symbolically marking that transformative global journey from fear (Sept 11) to hope (Sept 21). Since then, 11 Days has become a worldwide platform for changemakers with 11 Campaigns for the promotion of peace, justice, sustainability and transformation. Participants have included: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Daniel Ellsberg, Hazel Henderson, Bill McKibben, Eve Ensler, Ralph Nader, Vandana Shiva, Arun Gandhi, and many others.

Meet the WE, the World Founder & Director

Rick Ulfik is the Founder of WE, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net and Co-Creator of the annual 11 Days of Global Unity September 11th to September 21st whose participants and supporters include: Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, Bill McKibben, Marianne Williamson, Ralph Nader, Eve Ensler, Daniel Ellsberg, Hazel Henderson, Arun Gandhi and many others.

For over 30 years Rick has been a member of hundreds of creative teams producing network television shows, feature films, national commercials, hit records and other media. Rick has worked with many of the world’s largest Ad Agencies writing and producing music for commercials: BBD&O, Young & Rubicam, Grey Advertising, Ted Bates, J Walter Thompson and many others.

Rick Ulfik and Roland Marconi co-produced the popular Visual Voices a 13-part TV Series that was broadcast on the Dish Network, available in over 15 million homes. Rick Ulfik is also an award-winning composer and keyboard player who has written music for ABC TV, NBC, CBS, the Olympics, feature films, commercials, records, and has performed with Queen Latifah, Phoebe Snow, Carlos Santana, Judy Collins, and Bernadette Peters. Rick serves every year as an Emmy Awards Judge for News, Documentaries, and Music.

The Mission, Vision, Values and Guiding Principles of WE

Mission

The mission of WE, The World is to maximize social change globally – until we have a world that works for all.

Vision

Our society’s collective wellbeing depends on the health and wellbeing of each person, as well as the wellbeing of the plants, animals, other life and eco-systems that we are part of and that sustain us all. The concurrent pandemics of COVID-19, Intolerance, Inequality and Environmental/Climate Degradation have made this interdependence crystal clear.

Consciously acting on this interdependence is the essence of a WE based culture. WE can no longer afford to live in a ME-based society where people’s actions don’t consider the consequences for others. Rather, we wish to achieve a cultural shift towards “WE Consciousness” where, from individuals to CEOs, from politicians to all forms of Media, people begin to expand their circles of caring, concern and empathy, and prioritize the Common Good and the wellbeing of all.

It’s All About WE

🌏 WE is a Consciousness
The idea is to promote the shift from “I” to “WE” in our individual actions and attitudes as well as in our societal priorities and policies. WE is about expanding our circles of caring, concern and empathy to the entire Web of Life, including eco-systems, to prioritize the Common Good.

🌏 WE is a Collaboration
Our ever-expanding WE Change Agent Network (WE CAN) includes some of the world’s largest transformative organizations, networks and movements, plus 1000s of smaller socially conscious groups, as well as the millions of people that are the constituents of all these groups

🌏 WE is a Campaign
Ongoing coordinated awareness and action activities, such as 11 Days of Global Unity, and our 11 Campaigns For Change are designed to build a Movement of Movements with millions of Change Agents. We anticipate that this unprecedented cooperation and coordination, along with prioritizing making the cultural shift towards WE Consciousness and the Common Good, will result in societal transformation for a Livable Future.

Values & Guiding Principles

WE, The World seeks to help usher in a new era of planetary consciousness and conscience, in which people individually and through their institutions make life-affirming choices understanding their impact on the world’s social, economic and environmental systems – which in turn affect all life on Earth. Ways to accomplish this include:

How We Think
As much as possible, we use holistic global thinking in organizing, in issues analysis and as a perspective to be promoted to the public, especially in the countries that control the most resources.

Responding to what some people fear may become a “Post-Truth Society”, Leaders and Volunteers working with WE, The World assume the responsibility of being well-informed on the major issues that affect People and the Planet.

As leaders, we understand the power and importance of our everyday conversations, of our media broadcasts, of our postings on social media, and as role models in general – being the change we wish to see in the world.

This means that we make sure that we receive our news and issue information from a variety of sources that do not have monetary, political, ideological, religious, spiritual or other reasons to falsify information.

These sources do NOT engage in hate speech, sensationalism or advocate violence in any way. Usually that means they are non-profit, listener or reader-sponsored, and do not take political or corporate advertising.

What We Do
We seek to address the causes as well as the effects of poverty, violence, damage to our environment, and other problems that plague our planet by promoting visionary solutions – from other groups and from us.

We provide programs and other strategies such as 11 Days of Global Unity and 11 Campaigns to Transform Our World that foster collaboration between visionary efforts worldwide and which get many people involved, especially in the countries that control the most resources and power.

How We Treat Ourselves and Others
We seek to adopt modes of working and being together which foster a spirit of collaboration, creativity, excitement and fun for all who are working with WE, The World.

And at all times, we would like our actions to reflect a core of ethics and principles that models our vision for the world.

Our Principles and Values Include:

THE PERSONAL AND GLOBAL SPHERES OF LIFE ARE COMPLETELY INTERDEPENDENT
Each individual’s actions impact the world’s social, economic and environmental systems, which in turn affect each of us. As long as suffering exists we are all diminished. The well-being of everyone depends on the well-being of each person, as well as that of the plants, animals, other life and the eco-systems that that we are all a part of.

THE MEANS ARE THE ENDS
We seek to reflect our goals and vision in all our actions. Ethics is our bottom line.

NONVIOLENCE
From personal to international relations, consistent nonviolence will establish and maintain the trust necessary for a peaceful world. Practicing Nonviolent and Conscious Communication can help prevent or resolve conflicts that otherwise might escalate.

IN WORKING TO HEAL THE PLANET, WE HEAL OURSELVES
When we heal ourselves, society benefits.

OTHER CORE PRINCIPLES
Concern For the Entire Web of Life
Holistic Approaches to Problem Solving and Prevention
Idealism
Compassion
Collaboration Not Competition
Going Beyond Blame to Recognize Our Collective Responsibility
No Effort Is Too Small To Be Recognized For Its Importance

We strive to integrate these into our lives as much as possible.

Participants in past 11 Days of Global Unity have included:

Visionary Leaders
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, Daniel Ellsberg, Amy Goodman, Bill McKibben, Eve Ensler, Tavis Smiley, Ralph Nader, Arun Gandhi, Marianne Williamson, Patch Adams, Neale Donald Walsch, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Robert Thurman, Hazel Henderson, H.H. Sheikh Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi (the Green Sheikh), Ocean Robbins, Riane Eisler, James Twyman, Helen Caldicott, Jonathan Granoff, Lynne Twist, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Indigenous Grandmother Agnes Pilgrim, Deborah Moldow, Kurt Johnson, Monica Willard and many others.

Global Organizations
Amnesty International, Oxfam America, United Religions Initiative, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, Earthdance, 9/11 Families For Peaceful Tomorrows, The Shift Network, The Compassion Games, The Charter For Compassion, Oprah Winfrey’s Belief Team, Unify, Pathways To Peace, Culture of Peace Initiative, World Peace Prayer Society, Peacelights, Children of the Earth, Peaceday TV, Unity Foundation, Ecofest, Benjamin Barber’s Interdependence Movement and thousands of other socially conscious organizations around the world.

Registration is Closed for 2022