Mentors and school teachers from across the North West came together to celebrate at a special event to mark the completion of the Mosaic programmes in schools in the region for the academic year.

Aaqil Ahmed, Mosaic Board Member and Head of Commissioning – Religion TV and Head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC was one of the speakers at the event held in Manchester and thanked everyone in the region for their support.

Aaqil grew up in Bolton and attended Ladybridge High School, which was then known as Deane School and so it was a great honour for him to pay tribute to the students at Ladybridge High School for their achievements this year as runners up in the Apax-Mosaic Enterprise Challenge.

He congratulated Saira Hassan and David Rams and who were crowned Mosaic Heroes of the Month earlier this year and we went on to thank all the mentors and teachers in the region for their support and dedication in delivering Mosaic’s Primary School and the Mosaic Secondary Group Mentoring Programmes in the region over the academic year.

“We have a duty to help others, so we become the giants whose shoulders others stand on.”

Commenting on the importance of mentoring, Aaqil said:

“We have a duty to help others, so we become the giants whose shoulders others stand on.”

David Rams is a lead mentor for Mosaic at William Hulme’s Grammar School in Manchester and an Inspector at British Transport Police and was chosen for Hero of the Month Award in February.

David said:

“I have learnt that each interaction with a young person or student is so important. Taking the time to engage and talk to young people can provide them with interaction and engagement that could potentially change the course of their lives.”

Read about why David was chosen for a Mosaic Hero of the Month award.

Saira Hassan a mentor for Mosaic on the Primary School Programme at Heathfield Primary School in Bolton and a student of religion, culture and society at the University of Central Lancashire, Administrative Assistant at a law firm and was chosen for a Hero of the Month award in April.

Saira said:

“A good mentor must be able to listen carefully as well as speak confidently. I also believe a good mentor must show their mentees that they were once young and through working hard they are now pursuing their dreams. Positive thinking and knowing where I want to be in the next 10 years got me through all my GCSE and A-Level exams, I illustrated this to my mentees in order to show that no hurdle is too big for us.”

Read about why Saira was chosen for a Mosaic Hero of the Month award.

Read more about the schools we support in the North West and why not sign up as a mentor for one of our programmes starting in the Autumn.