Agoras of the World
Where the first fire is born
A guide for leaders, volunteers, members and host cities: how to join, how to activate an Agora, how to measure what changes and how to replicate the model coherently anywhere in the world.
Updated in October 2026 · v2
“An Agora begins with an action, a conversation, a shared intention.”
An Agora is a living local space where the global vision of the World Happiness Foundation becomes everyday practice: a laboratory for well-being and purpose, a civic meeting place and an anchor of consciousness for its host city. In ancient Greece, the agora was the place where the city remembered itself. Today, Agoras are the capillaries of the body we are building: the way consciousness becomes local.
It upholds three foundations: freedom (dignity and participation), consciousness (listening, conscious leadership, responsibility) and happiness (shared well-being). It is measured not by the number of events, but by the coherence of the system it sustains.
The place where the world we want becomes a habit
Agoras are the activation layer of Happytalism, the civilizational paradigm the Foundation proposes beyond GDP. They translate vision into action in a square, a school, a health center or a neighborhood, and bring their stories, data and learning back to the network in pursuit of the full mission: 10 billion free, conscious and happy people by 2050. Each Agora embodies at least one of the 17 Happytalist Goals in its local area.
The 17 Happytalist Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals name the world we do not want. The Happytalist Goals name the one we do: each goal is reframed from scarcity toward the abundance we can build together. The first three have already been published on worldhappiness.foundation; the rest of the framework is being co-created with the Happytalist community, and Agoras are part of that co-creation.
| SDG | From (UN) | To (Happytalist Goal) | In Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Poverty | Prosperity for All | Prosperity for all published |
| 2 | Zero Hunger | Nourishment for All | Nourishment for all published |
| 3 | Good Health and Well-being | Holistic Health & Happiness for All | Holistic health and happiness for all published |
| 4 | Quality Education | Conscious Education for All | Conscious education for all |
| 5 | Gender Equality | Gender Harmony | Gender harmony |
| 6 | Clean Water and Sanitation | Living Water for All | Living water for all |
| 7 | Affordable and Clean Energy | Clean Energy for All | Clean energy for all |
| 8 | Decent Work and Economic Growth | Meaningful Work for All | Meaningful work for all |
| 9 | Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | Conscious Innovation | Conscious innovation |
| 10 | Reduced Inequalities | Universal Belonging | Universal belonging |
| 11 | Sustainable Cities and Communities | Cities of Happiness | Cities of Happiness |
| 12 | Responsible Consumption and Production | Mindful Abundance | Mindful abundance |
| 13 | Climate Action | Planetary Regeneration | Planetary regeneration |
| 14 | Life Below Water | Thriving Oceans | Thriving oceans |
| 15 | Life on Land | Thriving Earth | Thriving Earth |
| 16 | Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | Fundamental Peace | Fundamental Peace |
| 17 | Partnerships for the Goals | 10 Billion Happy | 10 billion happy |
The three foundations form a single geometry
Freedom · less self-referential rigidity: not being trapped in the story we tell ourselves.
Consciousness · flexible attentional control, without effortful suppression.
Happiness · emotional coherence across different states of the self.
Compassionate self-awareness · the bond that holds the three vertices together.
This is the Peace Triad. Its three vertices are the three foundations of the Agora and, at the same time, the measurable components of Fundamental Peace (FP20 scale). That is why the mission and the measure are one and the same: ten billion free, conscious and happy people are ten billion human beings in Fundamental Peace.
“Fundamental Peace is not the absence of pain… it is the transmutation of its energy into love and compassion.”Luis Miguel Gallardo · canonical quote, retained in English
Three planes that align
1 · Frequency
The energy, care and intention with which we come together.
2 · Action
The concrete events, programs, dialogues and partnerships we create.
3 · Connection
How the Agora participates in the global network, contributes to collective learning and draws nourishment from it.
Where the fire comes from
Anyone who opens an Agora enters a story that began before them and will continue after them. Knowing that story avoids reinventing what already exists and gives each team the significance of belonging to something greater.
The World Happiness Foundation is born as an idea: a platform for Happytalism, conceived to “create anchors for the system.”
The United Nations opens the door. Bhutan champions Resolution 65/309, “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development” (July 19, 2011); this is followed by the High-Level Meeting on Well-being and Happiness (April 2012) and Resolution 66/281 (June 28, 2012), which proclaims March 20 the International Day of Happiness.
The first World Happiness Summit in Miami (USA). The movement becomes visible.
The first World Happiness Fest and the launch of the global Agoras: online worldwide and in San Miguel de Allende (Mexico). This is where Felicia is born, the mascot the community named in a brainstorming session.
Gross Global Happiness is created at the United Nations University for Peace (UPEACE, Costa Rica), twenty years after the founder graduated in Peace Studies.
More than 80 Agoras pulse with life around the world, and the movement's community reaches more than 450 cities and 10,000 people, from Madrid to Miami, from Buenos Aires to Kolkata, from Bhutan to Pinecrest. On the horizon: 800 active Agoras, the first City of Happiness in every country.
Anchors the Foundation helped create
One fire, five hands, five ecosystems
Center: five conscious leaders (Catalysts) who sustain the Agora.
Extended team: volunteers, Happiness Agents and Ambassadors.
Community and ecosystem: people, institutions, businesses and organizations in the city.
Ecosystems for action: Cities, Schools, Businesses, Health, Culture. The five Happiness Ecosystems.
WHF: sustains structure, training, measurement and coherence across the entire network.
A chessboard for the soul of a city
The five hands at the center are the beginning. The Agora matures into a full board: eight power pieces and eight pawns that care for every domain of city life. Each piece is chosen for its frequency, not its résumé. The five marked pieces form the five-person rule.
Founder or lead organizer. Trained as a Catalyst. Connects all the pieces, sets the tone and represents the Agora within the network.
An elder, a grandmother, a contemplative, a spiritual or Indigenous leader. They do not need to be famous: they need presence. The piece the Agora protects.
Researcher, psychologist or analyst. Establishes the baseline, measures before and after, and feeds data into the Observatory.
Therapist, hypnotherapist or coach trained in Shadow → Gift → Essence. Holds healing circles and tends to trauma, not just theory.
Entrepreneur, technologist or creative. Finds ways to reach those who would never attend a summit.
Artist, filmmaker, musician or writer. Turns the Agora’s work into stories and experiences. Storytelling is frequency.
City councilor, urban planner, public health official or NGO leader. Brings the Agora into municipal policy.
Community organizer, social worker or neighborhood leader. Carries the Agora’s frequency into every corner.
The eight pawns · domain champions
From first contact to a registered Agora
This is the complete journey followed by any person or group wishing to open an Agora. Each step has someone responsible and a concrete outcome, so no one loses their way.
Expression of interest
The person contacts Global Leadership or their Regional Coordination team and shares their city, their motivation and who else might join them.
Outcome: conversation scheduledPurpose and values conversation
The conversation explores alignment with Freedom, Consciousness, Happiness and Fundamental Peace, the territory and the group’s actual capacity. This guide and the Participation and Training Programs document are provided.
Outcome: green light for the Seed phaseFoundational training
Enrollment in Happiness Agents (free) and, for those who will lead, in Conscious Catalysts of Well-being and Happiness (by invitation). Anyone who has already completed Catalysts does not need to take Agents first.
Outcome: team enrolledAgora Founding Agreement
The agreement is signed, authorizing the use of the name “Agora + city,” setting the network’s standards and declaring the founding triad and the initial ecosystem.
Outcome: Agora in the Seed phaseActivation in 8 weeks
The proven rhythm is followed: foundation, team, first gathering, visibility and connection with the global network. The first measurement is taken at the first gathering: how we feel before and after.
Outcome: first gathering held and measuredRegistration and mentoring
The Agora sends the date, topic and photo of its first gathering, is registered in the network and joins the mentoring rhythm for new Agoras.
Outcome: Agora registered in the global networkCoherence review at 6 months
An honest conversation about the team, activity and frequency. It determines whether to move to the Structure phase or follow a support plan.
Outcome: phase progression or a 90-day planExpress your interest in opening an Ágora
The first 8 weeks
A proven rhythm to give the Agora a strong start. It is not a rigid prescription.
| Weeks | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Foundation | The Host Leader and Wisdom Anchor meet. The purpose is agreed upon, the official WhatsApp group is opened and the team enrolls in Happiness Agents. |
| 3–4 | Team | The team of five is completed and roles are assigned: coordination, communication, events, partnerships, integration. The monthly alignment session is scheduled. |
| 5–6 | First gathering | First community gathering: a circle, a talk, a bē Happiness Walk or a happiness dinner. It opens with the Five-Step Practice, includes measurement before and after, draws on the Activities Manual and is recorded in the activity form. |
| 7 | Visibility | Social media profile with the official logo, named “Agora + your city.” Publish 1–2 pieces of content introducing the team and its purpose, in collaboration with the Foundation’s global accounts. |
| 8 | Connection | Registration in the global network, a note to Coordination with the date, topic and photo of the first gathering, and participation in the next mentoring session for new Agoras. |
The volunteer system
This is the mechanism that allows a network of eight hundred nodes to remain as coherent as one of eighty. Local adaptation in language and ritual is welcome; the five elements are always maintained.
1 · Entry
Invitation from the host team and approval by the Catalysts following a conversation about values, with a declared area of contribution.
2 · Commitment
Two-page Volunteer Agreement: role, approximate time commitment, suggested minimum duration of six months, ethics, brand use and safeguarding.
3 · Training
Introductory Happytalism manual and free Happiness Agents training, to be completed within the first 90 days.
4 · Boundaries
They do not lead an Agora without Catalysts, represent WHF independently, speak to the media or sign agreements on its behalf.
5 · Growth
Each step is a visible and accessible invitation, supported by an onboarding buddy and an annual review.
Safeguarding
Every activity involving minors, vulnerable people or healing practices follows the WHF Code of Ethics: consent, confidentiality and referral to professionals when appropriate.
Foundation programs
All are delivered through the World Happiness Academy and its university partnerships. The Agora is the local gateway to all of them.
| Program | What it is | Who it is for within the Agora |
|---|---|---|
| Happiness Agents | Free training that fosters alignment with the vision, mission and values. | Volunteers, committee members, collaborators, advisors, affiliates, promoters. |
| Conscious Catalysts | The deepest phase of training and co-creation, by invitation: Foundational Journey and specialization in ecosystems. | Agora Host and host team, committee leaders, festivals, Fire Keepers. |
| Happiness Ambassadors | Training open to the public, tailored to each ecosystem, without professional certification. | The wider Ágora community. |
| Fire Keepers | Guardians of the mission's flame. A deeper, sustained role. | Stewardship of the mission and its frequency. |
| Happiness Activists | Free registration and a toolkit for taking action in your immediate surroundings. | No formal requirement. |
| Happiness Teachers | Schools of Happiness program: more than 60,000 teachers trained in Latin America. | Education Pawn; partnerships with the city's schools and universities. |
| CBL and CWO | Workplace Well-Being Certification (with AENOR) and Chief Well-Being Officer, with more than 900 certified CWOs. | Business and Work Pawn; business ecosystem. |
| Transpersonal Coaching | An Academy program aligned with the ICF (through the ACC and PCC pathways) that integrates coaching, hypnotherapy, NLP, and Shadow → Gift → Essence. | Healing Bishop; the Ágora's coaches and therapists. |
| Heal the Healers | WHF's mental health program: a network of networks for those who care for others. | Health Pawn; the Ágora's healthcare professionals, psychologists, and caregivers. |
| Research | Partner doctoral programs and academic chairs (Shoolini, UPEACE, University of Zaragoza) and the WHF Research Lab. | Science Bishop and Research Pawn. |
What makes an Ágora visible
They emerge from experience in Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, A Coruña, Lisbon, Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima, Jaipur, Miami, London, and many other cities. They are all social technologies: simple, repeatable, measurable.
The practice shared across the entire network
Every Ágora gathering, in any city in the world, opens with the same five-word practice. It is the daily driving force of Fundamental Peace, portable and free of charge. Three minutes are enough.
It is grounded in conscious breathing. Box breathing (inhaling, holding, exhaling, holding for equal counts) is enough to settle the group before beginning.
bē Happiness Talks
Talks lasting 20 to 40 minutes in which someone shares something they have learned. Free of charge, with dialogue.
bē Happiness Walks
Mindful walks with a purpose: gratitude, listening, shared silence.
Dinners and Circles
Intimate gatherings around a table, with questions that open up deep conversation.
Local festivals
Connected to World Happiness Fest, where the Ágora opens its doors to the city.
Schools and organizations
Brief Happiness Teachers, CWO, or CBL experiences in partnership with institutions.
Collective coherence
Monthly meditation or shared intention practices, measuring how we feel before and after.
Emotional Alchemy Circles
A trained Catalyst guides the Shadow → Gift → Essence journey through an emotion: naming the shadow, feeling before narrating, discovering the gift, touching the essence, committing to a micro-action.
Families and Meta Pets
For children and families: the 64 animal allies of the Meta Pets Method, with Felicia as a guide. The most joyful gateway to the Ágora.
Sea and nature
Coastal Ágoras can incorporate the Mindful Diving Institute (Before · Below · Between · Beyond); inland Ágoras can offer mindful immersions in forests, rivers, or mountains.
What is not measured cannot be cared for
Every Ágora is also a small laboratory within the network. Measuring is not bureaucracy: it is how we know whether the fire provides warmth. Four levels, from the simplest to the deepest, each with a tool that already exists within the Foundation.
One question on a scale from 0 to 10 upon arrival and departure (“How do you feel?”) on the activity form. This is the minimum impact snapshot.
The 20-item Fundamental Peace scale measures the three vertices of the Triad and their connection. The Science Bishop administers it to the team and regular participants.
The Happiness Ecosystem Assessment evaluates the city across its five ecosystems. It is the same tool used by Cities of Happiness.
Aggregated data feed into the WHF Observatory and the Global Pain and Trauma Map (7 domains, 196 countries). FPI = 100 − GPTM.
Publishing what we learn
An Ágora with a year's worth of data can write a case study for the WHF Research Lab and its journal, the Journal of Happytalism and Fundamental Peace: open access, peer-reviewed, free of charge for authors, with the Foundation's own DOI. What one city learns becomes knowledge for all.
Data ethics
Informed consent, anonymity, and use exclusively to improve the Ágora's activities. Studies involving participants are designed with WHF's research ethics committee. Individual data are never published.
A mature Ágora is the seed of a City of Happiness
When the board is complete and the Policy Rook opens the door to city hall, the Ágora can propose the next step to its city: becoming a City of Happiness, with an assessment, a plan, and institutional commitment. Pinecrest (Miami) was the first in the United States, with a report built on more than thirty focus groups and a citizen survey.
1 · Assessment
The Ágora conducts the Happiness Ecosystem Assessment with the city council and the city's organizations.
2 · Proposal
Global Coordination develops a City of Happiness proposal with the Ágora, following the same model as cities already participating.
3 · Happiness Diplomacy
Institutional partnerships (governments, universities, educational groups, embassies) are channeled through the Foundation's Happiness Diplomacy initiative.
Five phases, always in the same order
Understanding them helps us avoid asking a young Ágora to do what only a mature Ágora can.
| Phase | What we do | Board | Criterion for advancement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Seed | Found with integrity: host leader, wisdom anchor, first gathering. | Queen + King + 1 Bishop | First gathering held and measured; founding triad declared. |
| 2. Structure | Complete the team of five Catalysts and establish a monthly rhythm. | The five pieces | Five leaders in place; monthly rhythm active for 60 days. |
| 3. Activate | Schedule activities regularly, mobilize volunteers, establish an FP20 baseline. | Eight power pieces | Programming active for 90 days; first impact snapshot recorded. |
| 4. Resonate | Become visible, build partnerships, hold monthly coherence practices, conduct the Ecosystem Assessment. | Eight pawns | Measurable change in at least one local indicator; one institutional partnership. |
| 5. Replicate | Train at least two new leaders capable of founding neighboring Ágoras (mother Ágora) and propose the City of Happiness. | Complete board | At least two new Ágoras seeded in 24 months. |
The Ágora Model: replicable in any city
An Ágora is not a commercial franchise, but it is replicated with the same precision: a standard package of identity, methodology, training, support, and standards that WHF provides and that each Ágora commits to upholding. What travels is the system; what adapts is the language, the ritual, and the territory.
The nine components of the package
The name “Ágora + city,” the official logo with the complete lockup (including the bē CREATION line, which is never cropped), Canva templates, and usage guidelines.
Authorizes use of the name and sets standards, duration, renewal, and exit terms.
This guide: structure, board, roles, volunteering, phases, and monthly rhythm.
Happiness Agents, Conscious Catalysts, Ambassadors, Teachers, CWOs, and Fire Keepers.
Proven social technologies (Talks, Walks, Dinners, Circles, Festivals) that each Ágora uses and enriches.
Monthly alignment, mentoring for new Ágoras, Regional Coordination, and network-based governance.
Activity form, FP20 baseline, Ecosystem Assessment, impact snapshot, and quarterly note to Coordination.
Thematic committees, other Ágoras, World Happiness Fest, Cities of Happiness, and action ecosystems.
Official group, “Ágora + city” accounts in collaboration with the global accounts, the ecosystem's YouTube channel, and shared hashtags.
Three packages, according to maturity
The package grows with the Agora. Each level is unlocked by meeting the advancement criterion for the previous phase.
Ignite
- Onboarding Guide and brand kit
- Access to Happiness Agents
- Official group and mentoring for new Agoras
- Activity Library (starter formats)
- 8-week plan and Five-Step Practice
Contributes: founding triad, first measured gathering, registration in the network.
Sustain
- Invitation for the team to join Catalysts
- Volunteer system and template Agreement
- FP20 and baseline tools
- Assigned Regional Coordination
- Connection with Commissions, Heal the Healers, Schools and CWO
Contributes: five Catalysts, 3–4 activities per year, quarterly report.
Replicate
- Training to mentor neighboring Agoras
- Role as a regional point of reference
- Visibility in the global network and the Fest
- Ecosystem Assessment and pathway to becoming a City of Happiness
- Participation in the evolution of the model · pathway to Fire Keepers · case study in the Research Lab
Contributes: two new Agoras in 24 months and new activities for the Library.
What carries over and what adapts
- Minimum team of five conscious leaders
- Training: Agents and Catalysts
- Volunteer system with its five elements
- WHF values, Code of Ethics and safeguarding
- Five-Step Practice at the opening of each gathering
- Measurement before and after each activity
- Correct use of the name and brand
- Regular reporting to Coordination
- Language and ritual
- Starting ecosystem
- Schedule and frequency of gatherings
- Types of activities suited to the area
- Wisdom tradition of the King (Anchor)
- Local partnerships
- New activities for the Library
Who does what
| Area | Global Leadership (WHF) | Regional Coordination | Agora host team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Safeguards the name and logo | Validates local use | Uses the brand according to the guidelines |
| Training | Designs and certifies the programs | Guides learning pathways | Completes and promotes training |
| Method | Maintains the Manual and the Library | Shares best practices | Implements, adapts and contributes activities |
| Measurement | Maintains FP20, the Assessment and the Observatory | Consolidates regional data | Measures each activity and conducts quarterly measurement |
| Support | Onboarding and mentoring | Monthly follow-up | Participates in the regular rhythm |
| Quality | Defines standards | Coherence review | Reports and self-assesses |
| Representation | Speaks on behalf of WHF | Regional liaison | Represents the local Agora |
Minimum network standards
Team
Five trained conscious leaders, or a visible plan to reach five within a reasonable timeframe.
Activity
Between three and four activities per year, with an absolute minimum of two, recorded and measured using the form.
Coherence
WHF values, Code of Ethics, volunteer system and correct use of the brand.
Agreement lifecycle
To be defined with Global Leadership: exact renewal and pause timelines, and whether there will be any financial contribution per package.
A shared calendar for eight hundred cities
Each Agora sets its own monthly rhythm. These are the dates when the whole network beats as one and when an Agora, however small, can open its doors to the city.
International Day of Happiness. World Happiness Fest around the world. The main date of the year for every Agora.
Summer Fest. The network gathers in one location in the world, and each Agora celebrates in its own.
International Day of Hope. A gathering about what is yet to come.
Global Happiness Forum in Jaipur (India) and Gross Global Happiness Summit at UPEACE (Costa Rica): where mother Agoras share what they have learned.
Team alignment session, mentoring for new Agoras and monthly collective coherence practice.
Active Agora checklist
Check off what is already underway. It is saved only in your browser.
The words we share
So that a Catalyst in Lima and one in Jaipur are talking about the same thing.
The Foundation's civilizational paradigm, beyond GDP: freedom, consciousness and happiness as the measure of progress. Agoras are its activation layer.
The 17 SDGs reframed from scarcity to abundance (Prosperity for all, Nutrition for all, Holistic health and happiness for all…). Each Agora embodies at least one.
A measurable state of integrated regulatory capacity under changing conditions. It is neither affective neutrality nor positive appraisal: it is the transmutation of pain into love and compassion.
Freedom · Consciousness · Happiness, united by compassionate self-awareness. The three foundations of the Agora and the components of FP20.
A 20-item scale that measures Fundamental Peace. It is the Agora's quarterly measure.
Cities, Schools, Businesses, Health and Culture. Every Agora chooses one as its starting point and grows toward the others.
WHF's tool for assessing a city across its five ecosystems. The gateway to the City of Happiness pathway.
The Foundation's data platform, where the network's measurements are aggregated alongside the Global Pain and Trauma Map (GPTM) and the Fundamental Peace Index (FPI).
The Foundation's transformation model: every shadow holds a gift, and every gift points to an essence. The basis of healing circles and Emotional Alchemy.
Conscious leadership model: Relationships, Openness, Understanding, Self-awareness, Empowerment, Reflection.
Settle · Focus · Set an intention · Witness · Choose. The network's daily practice, used to open every gathering.
A conscious leader trained in the Conscious Catalysts of Wellbeing and Happiness program. Five Catalysts sustain each Agora.
The King on the board: the person of local presence and wisdom whom the Agora protects and learns from.
Guardian of the mission's flame. Not appointed, but recognized.
An Agora in the Replicate phase that has seeded at least two neighboring Agoras and mentors them.
A city that, with an assessment, a plan and institutional commitment, adopts wellbeing as policy. Pinecrest was the first in the U.S.
The rural version of Cities of Happiness: the same assessment adapted to the village, underway starting in Manpura (India).
A compassion movement that the Foundation promotes with leaders such as Kailash Satyarthi. Txai, in the Huni Kuin language, means “my other self.”
The network’s governance model: nodes collaborating as a network, not a hierarchy. Regional Coordination and Global Leadership support, rather than command.
The mission: 10 billion free, conscious and happy people by 2050. Ten billion human beings in Fundamental Peace.
Resources and links
Running the Ágora
Activity formShare every activity your Ágora holds, along with its before-and-after measurements↗Activity ManualA living library to consult and contribute to↗Global Onboarding GuideFull document in Drive↗Logo and templatesOfficial “Ágora + city” identity↗Training
Happiness AgentsFree registration, required within 90 days↗Conscious CatalystsHost team training↗Heal the HealersA network of networks for mental health↗Measurement and cities
Happiness Ecosystem AssessmentThe city assessment tool↗Villages of HappinessThe village-scale model, originating in Manpura↗WHF Research LabWhere to publish your Ágora’s case study↗worldhappiness.foundationCities of Happiness, Observatory, programs and news↗The ecosystem’s YouTube channelTalks, festivals and conversations from across the network↗