The two-week Summit that kicked off Mosaic’s International Leadership Programme 2013, has now finished. And what a fortnight it was! Hosted at the University of Greenwich and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge from 8th – 21st September, all 80 delegates convened for intensive leadership skills training, and heard from diverse and high profile speakers including: Baroness Warsi, Deema Bibi (CEO, INJAZ), John May (Secretary General, The Duke of Edinburgh International Award), Saleh Saeed (Chief Executive, Disasters Emergency Committee), Stephen Howard (CEO, BITC) Khawar Mann (Chairman of Mosaic).
On the first day of the Programme, the delegates took part in a team building activity and created an artwork Mosaic in a traditional Islamic design. The activity was facilitated by The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and the final artwork was displayed in the reception at Clarence House with HRH The Prince of Wales in attendance.
During the two weeks, delegates travelled around London to see examples of leadership in action. These project visits included: Kids Company, Bad Boys Bakery at Brixton Prison, Citizens UK and Community Links to name but a few!
Each Summit ends with a formal graduation ceremony, to which we invite our special VIP guests, Mosaic Board members and volunteers. This year, the Summit formally closed on Friday 20th September with a dinner in Cambridge, hosted by Mosaic’s founder Chairman, HRH Princess Badiya bint el Hassan of Jordan.
During the graduation, each delegate and group leader was awarded with a certificate in recognition of their participation and hard work. The delegates also gave presentations in the eight study groups that they had been working in over the two weeks. Each group’s five minute presentation outlined what they had learnt during the Summit and how the Programme has impacted them.
Mosaic’s National Director, Jonathan Freeman commented on the end of the Summit: “The close of the Summit signals the beginning of the International Leadership Programme. This year we are very excited to be able to substantiate our belief that our Programme alumni really do take what they learn during the Programme and apply it in thier own communities.
We have just completed a process of independent evaluation of the International Leadership programme via think-tank Demos, who we commissioned to assess the long-term impact of the Programme on delegates and their communities. The research concluded that, amongst other key outcomes, the Programme encourages implementation of delegates’ ‘Action Plans’ and increases the amount of time delegates spend on voluntary work in their communities.”
The aim of the Programme is not just to enhance the leadership skills of leaders of the future from around the world, but to ensure that they can use those skills to make a positive difference to their local communities. During the Summit, delegates are encouraged to consider how they will apply their learning from the summit to be of use in their local community. Post Summit,with the help of volunteer mentors, delegates formulate and submit an action plan to map out their intended community involvement over the next 12 months of the Programme, including their three-monthly goals.
Jordanian delegate Omar Abdelhaq added: “I can’t believe two weeks have already passed! Thank you Mosaic for the wonderful experience. The journey begins now!”
Nurzulfikar Ali, a delegate from Malaysia commented: “Fifteen days have passed by in a blink … all of the memories from the Mosaic International Leadership Programme 2013 will remain in my heart for many, many years to come. Thank you to Mosaic staff, delegates, group leaders and everyone that makes this Summit such a wonderful experience.”
Saad Hammadi from Bangladesh commented: “It’s amazing how two weeks have nested a family so big, that it has members all over the world.” And Sabrina Aripen from Malaysia added: “We had the honour of having several outstanding speakers with us during our time there. I was completely blown away with some of the leadership tips that our speakers shared with us.”
A big thank you to our partners for 2013, without whom the Summit would not have been possible: Prudential Corporation Asia, Qatar Foundation, Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation, Etihad Airlines, Qatar Shell, Crescent Petroleum, Al Maktoum College of Higher Education and Pearn Kandola.
The seeds of Mosaic were sown a few years before the official launch in 2007, when I was amongst several people invited to listen to an idea. HRH The Prince of Wales wanted to find a way of getting young British Muslims, often living in disadvantaged areas, to fulfil their...