Saturday 12 June 2021 will mark the 10th annual Global Wellness Day (GWD) which will be celebrated with a 12-hour free virtual live stream in tandem with safe, public events and complimentary educational wellness offerings around the world.

Event founder Belgin Aksoy has announced GWD 2021 will be themed on ‘Protecting Mental Wellness’ for both children and adults during and after the pandemic.

“In a world where one in 10 people live with a mental health disorder, necessary steps to protect our minds must be taken,” said Aksoy, explaining the inspiration behind the theme.

Last year, she pivoted plans for an in-person GWD 2020 into the event’s first-ever 24-hour free live broadcast, after the pandemic broke out.

The year’s celebrations will illustrate the value of being proactive and taking responsibility for your own physical and mental health with 10-minute segments on topics ranging from nutrition and exercise to scientific breakthroughs for fighting pathogens.

Aksoy and her team have curated a dynamic line-up of guest speakers including:

• Dr Alex George – UK’s youth mental health ambassador within the Department for Education
• Andrew Sealy – Celebrity yogi and Yoga Revealed founder
• Dr Andrea Sgoifo – Neuroscientist and head of the stress physiology lab at Parma University, Italy
• Deborah Szekely – 99-year-old philanthropist, co-founder of Rancho la Puerta and the “Godmother of Wellness"
• Fred Maxik – Biophysicist and former NASA scientist
• His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – Humanitarian, spiritual leader and ambassador of peace, who will lead the global meditation session
• Kimberly Snyder – New York Times best-selling author and wellness expert for the mind, body and soul
• Louie Schwartzberg – Award-winning cinematographer, director and producer of Moving Art
• Said Taghmaoui – International actor and screenwriter
• Susie Ellis – Chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute
• Steve & Dave (The Happy Pear) – Irish twins and vegan nutritionists

A number of other wellness professionals will also feature during the event on GWD’s YouTube channeland Facebook page.

Since its inception, GWD has grown from being celebrated in one country in 2012 to being celebrated in 170 countries in tens of thousands of locations.

New to the roster of countries this year are Barbados, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Malaysia, Venezuela and Indonesia.

Among many other international brands, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Accor are once again supporting and making GWD a part of their corporate-wide wellness campaign with initiatives for both staff and guests.

“I believe living well is a simple necessity for every human being on the planet and that wellness is not a luxury but the inherent right of every individual,” explained Aksoy, who is a cancer survivor.

“The past year has given us the opportunity to take a step back and really think about life and how we want to live it. Most importantly, although GWD lasts for 24 hours, our message is intended to last a lifetime and the day,” explained Aksoy.

“Our goal is for GWD to help support individuals and societies to maintain a better lifestyle amidst these unprecedented times.”

Aksoy shared that her long-term target is for GWD to be officially accepted into the United Nations’ Official Calendar.