Malik Karim, founder and Head of Fenchurch Advisory Partners and Mosaic Board member, led a group of business leaders at the invitation of HRH The Prince of Wales to three different Mosaic programmes in London yesterday so they could examine the issues facing young people from disadvantaged communities and consider how they and their organisations might make a positive difference.

The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme was set up in 1990 to enable senior corporate leaders to see how they can put their skills to use to help others. The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme encourages senior corporate figures to leave their desks and get into the community, spending time in inner city schools, homeless hostels, prisons and housing estates.

Yesterday, the group visited the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Youth Offending Team, the Westminster Academy School and Gatehouse Bank to observe Mosaic’s mentoring and youth leadership programmes, with delegates drawn from businesses including Marks and Spencers, Conran and Partners and Blitz Communications

The day started with an inspirational visit to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Youth Offending Team that boasts a multi-agency team comprising police officers, probation, social services, health and education workers. The delegates got to meet the Youth Offending Team staff that work to reduce offending by children and young people. Mosaic has conducted a ground-breaking project with this Youth Offending Team this year, providing individualised mentoring for each young offender and working to positively inspire them through targeted activities over a six-week period.

The visit continued to the Westminster Academy, a key secondary school within the Mosaic Secondary School mentoring programme, with students engaged during the academic year in enhancing their study, motivational and life planning skills. Delegates had the opportunity to meet with students participating in the mentoring programme and from an impressive array of Mosaic’s volunteer mentors, who spoke passionately about the opportunities the programme provides to give back to society through supporting young people.

The day ended with a motivating visit to Gatehouse Bank to observe a Mosaic Stars Leadership morning. Welcomed by Richard Thomas, CEO of Gatehouse Bank, the group joined students selected for the Mosaic Stars scheme, where Mosaic recognises those students that have made the most of their support from Mosaic mentors and demonstrated clear leadership potential. The Leadership morning came on the back of Gatehouse staff’s support of Mosaic’s mentoring programme over the last 18 months.

Malik Karim, leader of the visit, said “This was an instructive visit, bringing home to all of us not just the very real difficult issues affecting young people growing up in our inner cities but their desire to change their lives for the better. The support of those who volunteer their time, through Mosaic’s programmes, clearly makes a difference in helping these young people realise their ambitions.”

Business leaders who have led and attended The Prince’s Seeing is Believing visits will report back to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales the impact that the programme is having on some of the most pressing social issues in the UK’s most deprived inner city and rural areas.