A warm hello to all our supporters. We’ve been busy at Project Mosaic (www.projectmosaic.net) pursuing our goals of teaching people to be more tolerant of those from different backgrounds. I’d like to share with you news of our latest initiatives:
YOUNG FILMMAKER YOUTUBE COMPETITION
Project Mosaic is shortly to launch a competition for young filmmakers on YouTube, called “We are Britain". We are creating a space for young people to express their ideas on combating prejudice and building social cohesion in the UK and beyond in our increasingly globalised world. There will be prizes for the best two-minute film posted on YouTube that shows original thinking about the importance of tolerance and celebrating diversity. The competition is open to British nationals and UK residents aged 16 to 25. Technical expertise is not required and films made on a mobile phone are welcomed. We'd love it if you would spread the word and forward this mail to any eligible young person with something interesting to say. For information on how to enter a film, please email [email protected].
PROJECT MOSAIC'S DEBUT ON YOUTUBE
Project Mosaic recently made its own debut on YouTube with the first of our Global Citizen interviews. Since 2009 we have introduced "Global Citizens" into schools and youth clubs in London to share with young people their experiences of making successful integrated lives in Britain. More than a dozen of these talks and interviews have been filmed, with help from Westminster Council funding and a Grassroots Grant from the Capital Community Foundation. The speakers, from immigrant and other international backgrounds, have offered young people from disadvantaged communities practical advice about job hunting, continuing education and setting up in business. Their stories have been inspiring on the importance of tolerance, helping create positive social change and the need to combat group hatred. The Global Citizen talks empower young people and help them to realise their potential by providing tools to create supportive networks, build confidence and develop a fulfilling career.
Our warmest thanks go to our speakers and interviewees, including Ahmed Abd-Elghany, David Allen, Shola Coker, Dr Surinder Hundal, Esther Hyman, Carol Isaacs, La-Fleur Jack, Sheida Jaffer, Seja Majeed, Farah Mihlar, Hassan Serdoud and Aseem Sheikh. Excerpts from several of these talks and interviews can be found at www.YouTube.com, where you should search under “projectmosaicnew”. Or copy and paste into your browser the link here below:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PROJECTMOSAICNET&aq=f
To see the full-length interviews, copy the links below into your browser:
Dr Surinder Hundal
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/d498d2bb1417e2c55c
Esther Hyman
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/4c98d2bb1411e4c3c4
Carol Isaacs
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/4898d2bb1411e6c4c0
Sheida Jaffer
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/d498d2bb1417e1c65c
Seja Majeed
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/1c98d2bb1416e1cd94
Farah Mihlar
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/e898d2bb1411e6cc60
Aseem Sheikh
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/a098d2bb1416e1c628
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We recently celebrated Project Mosaic’s second anniversary. With amazing support from individuals like you, in this very short time we’ve brought together many people from across a spectrum of backgrounds and persuasions. At any single gathering you would have seen individuals who might never have found themselves together in the same room. We have listened to challenging speakers, discussed hot topics and tasted cultural experiences that crossed boundaries of their own. Let me tell you a bit more about some of our activities.
BOLLYWOOD BASH WITH PAKISTANI PIZZAZZ
In July 2010 we hosted a riveting evening of Indian Classical Dance, Punjabi Bhangra and Bollywood hip hop by Maria Khan & Co. This fundraiser, dubbed "Bollywood Bash with Pakistani Pizzazz”, held at The Gate, Notting Hill, was entirely conceived and organised by young volunteers from the UK, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sweden and Poland. Our thanks to Maria Khan, her dancers, DJs and volunteers who helped raise funds for Project Mosaic.
BRIDGING THE ATLANTIC TO CONNECT WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITIES
In June 2010 our first Roundtable Discussion was led by Dr Emile Nakhleh, an expert on Islamist extremism who presented a paper urging grassroots non-profit organisations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and beyond to combat radicalism by connecting with Muslim communities. The 30 
participants included businesspeople, students, religious leaders, police, community workers and members of local government. A Christian Palestinian-American, Dr Nakhleh is the author of “A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World”.This was his second event with us. In November 2009 he gave the inaugural Project Mosaic Lecture to a packed house at the London Marriott. In his talk about “Changing the Conversation Between America and the Muslim World”, he shared his 30 years’ experience travelling around the Arab and Muslim world, and described an important erosion in support amongst young Muslims for Al Qaeda.
ISLAM AND FEMINISM
In April 2010 Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning writer on Arab and Muslim issues, gave a thought-provoking Project Mosaic Lecture on “Islam and Feminism” to a full audience in London. Describing herself as a proud liberal Muslim Egyptian feminist, she shared insights on the raging debate within Muslim communities around the world about the role of women and urged recognition and celebration of the huge diversity of views within Islam.
JAMMING MUSLIM-JEWISH STYLE
In Dec 2009 Project Mosaic held a “Muslim-Jewish Music Jam” in London. Young Jewish and Muslim British performers explored a repertoire of traditional and original music spanning rap, hip hop, poetry and Klezmer at The Gate bar and restaurant. Our thanks to Poetic Pilgrimage, Kavona, Yalla! and Lines of Faith for an exciting evening that got everyone dancing.
BEHIND THE SCENES
We are delighted to have Sehr Sarwar on board. She joined Project Mosaic in June 2010 as a part-time project manager to work on our YouTube competition, our Gift Aid programme, forging relationships with individuals and other organisations, and capacity building. Sehr is a dual national British-Pakistani raised in the United Arab Emirates who is completing her undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She previously worked as a TV reporter for a news channel in Dubai. Sehr’s languages are English, Urdu and Arabic.
Project Mosaic is able to do its work thanks to volunteers who serve as advisers, “Global Citizen” speakers and event organisers. I must give a special mention to Hana Ahmed, a young London resident from Somalia who has put in long hours to help us to organise, publicise and hold several events. To enable more people to get involved at Project Mosaic, we are recruiting a Volunteer Coordinator.
We plan to launch Project Mosaic USA, a non-profit (501(c)3) in New York, that will be a sister organisation to Project Mosaic in the UK. If you know anyone in the New York area that would like to get involved, please ask them to contact us at [email protected].
It has been uplifting to make so many connections across communities and to receive warm words of support as I, my fellow trustees and volunteers have grown Project Mosaic these past two years. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has given us encouragement or volunteered their time and expertise in the interest of tolerance. Last, and by no means least, we wish to thank everyone who has helped us with funds. In this uncertain funding climate for voluntary organisations, every donation counts. To help us develop these crucial conversations between people of differing backgrounds and to reach more people, please visit www.projectmosaic.net and click “Make a Donation”. Thank you.
With best wishes,
Kat Callo
Trustee, Project Mosaic