Mosaic is honoured to team up with the Life is Wonderful Initiative, the Patchwork Foundation, UpRising and the Times Education Supplement (TES) to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 40 young people to meet with Nelson Mandela’s co-accused, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg and Andrew Mlangeni.​

‘Students must learn about the selfless characters who stood beside Mandela in the dock’ is the name of the TES article penned recently by Mosaic Board Member Harris Bokhari. It speaks about the unknown heroes who stood behind prominent figures including Martin Luther King Jr and Malala Yousafzai, and aims to let our young people know that change is just not about fame, but rather in the words of MLK himself, it is about sacrifice:

‘The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education’

In his article, Harris Bokhari writes: “It is often too easy to place the ground-breaking human rights achievements or struggles of nations on one or two charismatic individuals. But this misrepresents the collectivism of their struggles. For alongside the most famous names, hidden from view, are the equally important unsung heroes and invisible stars. They powered the movements that fought injustices. Yet for most of us, these are people we know too little about…

For young people, it is crucial they get to know them. This is not theory: they provide the real examples to young people that they can all be special, that they all have amazing talents that the world needs, and they all can play a powerful role to bring about positive change in society.

We must discover, highlight and celebrate the hidden heroes of the world. We must teach that change didn’t always come from one person but a movement of like-minded individuals campaigning together – be it for racial equality, education for all or the end of apartheid.”

Competition

The Life is Wonderful initiative and the Patchwork Foundation, together with TES, Mosaic and UpRising, are honoured to be providing the amazing life-time opportunity for 40 young people to meet with Nelson Mandela’s co-accused, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg and Andrew Mlangeni.​

A private meeting and Q&A will be held with these inspirational heroes. This will be chaired by Patchwork Foundation pPtron John Pienaar, BBC Radio 5 Live chief political correspondent, at a special venue in Westminster.

To be in with a chance of winning a place, young people should send a 200-word essay or a link to a two-minute Youtube video about the people who inspire them to think differently about the world and how or why to .

The deadline for the essay or video is 4 January 2016. Entrants must be aged 18-25 and able to come to London on 25 January 2016 at 8am.