History
Background
The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education is a charitable organization based in Vancouver, Canada that educates the heart and fosters compassion through creative learning, facilitating and applying research, and connecting people and ideas.
Founded in 2005 as a charitable trust by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan, the Center is a secular and non-political organization that embodies His Holiness' lifelong commitment to compassion and inner well-being.
After an overwhelmingly well-received trip by the Dalai Lama to Vancouver in 2004, Victor Chan proposed this vision of a Center to His Holiness.
Recognising Vancouver as a multi-ethnic city, a place of peace and compassion, the Dalai Lama endorsed this concept and inaugurated the Dalai Lama Center during the Vancouver Dialogues in 2006.
The Center holds the prestigious honor of being one of the very few institutions to which His Holiness has lent his name. It builds upon the Dalai Lama’s unique and compelling appeal as a world figure who reaches out to all people with a message of compassion, kindness and mutual understanding.
Although the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, as well as the future physical site that the Center plans to establish, is located in Vancouver, its message will be highly visible on the world stage. Using modern technology and acting as a beacon of inspiration, as well as drawing visitors from around the world, the Center will be an emblem of a peace-minded, compassionate city.
2012
The Dalai Lama Center unveiled a Bold Vision for BC's Children and Youth. The plan sets out to answer the Dalai Lama's question: "How can we educate the heart's of children?"
2011
Sir Ken Robinson, world renowned educational expert, spoke to a sold out Vancouver Playhouse for Educating the Heart and Mind.
2010
The DLC named Lynn Green, formerly Associate Superintendent with the Vancouver Board of Education, as President and CEO.
2009
The DLC hosted the Vancouver Peace Summit: Nobel Laureates in Dialogue in Vancouver in September 2009.
2008
The DLC sponsored several events in 2008, including a weekend with Daniel Goleman, author of the New York Times bestsellers Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence.
2007
The Dalai Lama Center presented a number of events, including several 'Connecting for Change' dialogues.
2006
At the invitation of the Center, the Dalai Lama agreed to host the first Vancouver Dialogues in September 2006 and committed to regularly visit Vancouver to further the work of the Dalai Lama Center, including participating in a series of lectures with Nobel Laureates, educators, scientists, business leaders and visionary thinkers.
An Open Space Dialogue with interested members of the public was held in April to examine the role of the Center in the local community.
2005
The Dalai Lama Peace and Education Center was established as a Charitable Trust on September 21, 2005.
A board of International Advisors was established. The Dalai Lama articulated his vision for the Center in meetings with Victor Chan and others in Gothenburg, Sweden; Wiesbaden, Germany; Tucson, Arizona; and Dharamsala, India.
Initial funding was secured to proceed with the establishment of the Center.
2004
The Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, visited Vancouver to give two public talks and to participate in a roundtable dialogue with other visionary thinkers and Nobel Laureates. He also received honorary degrees from both UBC and SFU.
As a result of the overwhelming public response to the visit, the vision of a Dalai Lama Center committed to educating the heart was conceived by Victor Chan and endorsed by the Dalai Lama.
