Last night the Mosaic Initiative hosted its Inaugural Iftar at Westminster Academy, with guest of honour Rt Hon. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London.
The evening featured a special interview of the Mayor by two year 9 Westminster Academy students – Omar Popal and Lucy Lahai – who have both benefited from Mosaic mentoring programmes. They were joined on stage by Mosaic Ambassador and BBC News Presenter, Asad Ahmed. Guests also had the opportunity to hear this year’s winning pitch from the girls collectively known as Team Ed-Wise from Eden Girls, Waltham Forest who were crowned national champions of the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge competition earlier in the month.
“I was so nervous beforehand and couldn’t believe it when they told me I’d be getting to interview the Mayor of London! I’ll never forget it”
– Omar Popal, Westminster Academy
“It was really interesting getting to hear about what it’s really like being the Mayor of London – and as a South Londoner, Sadiq Khan really makes me believe I can be Mayor one day”
– Lucy Lahai, Westminster Academy
The intimate evening saw Mosaic supporters, patrons and special guests gather for the event themed around ‘relatable role models, a mission core to the founding of Mosaic by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2007. The evening included The Mayor meeting Mosaic’s Advisory Board, who continue to help and guide the work of Mosaic within The Trust. Shabir Randeree CBE, Chairman of the Mosaic Board said afterwards: “It has been a great pleasure to welcome our incredible supporters from across Mosaic and The Prince’s Trust to this very special evening at The Westminster Academy. They have seen first-hand the impact our programmes can have on the young people that joined us today, and hopefully we have inspired more Mentors to get involved with our important work”.
The Prince’s Trust and Mosaic seek to demonstrate the power of relatable role models to promote success in young people from all backgrounds. As the Mayor of London perfectly encapsulates, relatability is a multi-dimensional notion that can touch many elements of a person’s identity and upbringing; as such, we welcome professionals from all backgrounds to sign up as mentors on the Mosaic programmes. For more information, please visit www.princes-trust.org.uk/mosaic.
“For many young people across London, having a Mayor who is the son of a bus driver with parents born in Pakistan, just shows them that anything is possible. The significance of relatable role models in shaping the mindset and raising the bar on aspiration, is so important in inspiring young people to not only dream of but also create a better future.”
– Nick Stace, CEO of The Prince’s Trust
I have long believed in the power of role models and it is heart-warming to see the vital work Mosaic is doing. I hope more young professionals across the country sign up as mentors and see Mosaic as a way to inspire others to follow in their footsteps....