Architect of the First Earth Run and Creator of “Peace on Earth by 2030” & Peace Game: Meet David Gershon
This December we feature the luminaries, the light bearers, the peace-makers and those who give us hope as we approach this season of short days and long, dark nights. Join us to meet the people and organizations who can unify, uplift and inspire you this holiday season and in the year ahead.
Tell us about your personal journey and what pivotal experiences shaped your path.
My path as Co-Founder and CEO of Empowerment Institute and architect of the Peace on Earth by 2030 Moonshot was irrevocably shaped by the 1986 First Earth Run.
Orchestrating this event, which engaged 25 million people, 45 heads of state, across 62 countries and was witnessed by a billion people, proved the efficacy of collective global peace efforts and demonstrated humanity’s agency and capacity for transformation. This experience provided the seven strategies that evolved into the Peace Game and is combined with robust
social change tools honed over four decades.
What drives your desire to contribute and make a difference?
The central drive is the conviction that peace is inevitable when enough people experience the well-being offered by the Peace Game and Peace Zones. The moonshot is a call to action rooted in the belief that we collectively possess everything needed to create Peace on Earth by 2030. The work is urgent, as the period 2026-2030 represents a pivotal timeframe that will lead either toward civilizational breakthrough or breakdown. By focusing on systemic change and activating tipping points, we aim to ensure the former.
What are your highest hopes for unity to uplift and inspire?
My highest hope is for the successful achievement of the tipping points—40 million engaged individuals and 10,000 Peace Zones—which will fundamentally change the global baseline condition. When peace practices become the norm, we achieve a threshold of collective self-awareness where humanity remembers that we already belong. This shift will foster a worldwide atmosphere more optimistic about solving global challenges and more inclined toward collaboration over competition.
How can GlobalMindED support leaders like yourself in achieving your goals?
Organizations like GlobalMindED can collaborate by helping to ignite the global movement. The plan requires partnership-driven scaling to reach the necessary critical mass. Support can involve mobilizing civil society organizations and leveraging your networks to engage citizens to play the Peace Game and embody its seven unitive actions in their communities. This collaboration accelerates the movement toward activating the tipping points by 2030.
Contact David Gershon and learn more about the Empowerment Institute:
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