The Khalili Foundation and The Prince’s Trust, through the Mosaic Initiative, together launch an exciting new social integration and youth leadership project.
The partnership begins with a yearlong pilot programme which will enable young people and young professionals to co-design and co-deliver training and Prince’s Trust programme activity.
The pilot run with the Khalili Foundation will adopt the principles underpinning the Mosaic initiative to build cohesive societies through the power of relatable connection and aspirational mobility. Serving to help young people and young professionals to lead dialogue and discussion around global citizenship: issues of difference, intercultural relations and resilience to difference and change – particularly pertinent in a period of global social and economic uncertainty.
The Trust will identify and recruit young leaders – aspirational and role models in their own right – and will link them to the tried and tested international interfaith and intercultural citizenship programme developed by the Khalili Foundation. This content will also be the foundation for new modules that will be embedded across the range of Prince’s Trust educational, employability and careers programmes.
The partnership will see the embedding of intercultural training content within programme resources and will be trialled within the Mosaic mentoring programme, including through the training of Mosaic volunteer mentors.
Moreover, the partnership will seek to imbed the Interfaith Explorers programme – a pioneering digital learning resource for primary and secondary school children focused on building greater interfaith and intercultural understanding – into the Prince’s Trust network of schools and learning places.
The Khalili Foundation is a pioneer in the field of interfaith and intercultural education. The Foundation has partnered with the Commonwealth Secretariat to produce and evaluate learning methods and materials aimed at promoting global citizenship and religious and cultural literacy. Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili, founder and chairman of the Foundation, was recently recognised by Her Majesty The Queen with a knighthood in the 2020 Birthday Honours list for services to Interfaith Relations and Charity and referred to by HM Government as “the embodiment of interfaith harmony”.
Sir David said: “This partnership with the Prince’s Trust serves our longstanding mission to foster greater harmony between young people of different faiths and cultures. The Prince’s Trust is a global pioneer in youth engagement and development, and we are proud and excited to join forces with them to deliver grassroots education and training that has real impact.”
Commenting on the new partnership, CEO of the Prince’s Trust Jonathan Townsend said:
“We are delighted to be working with the Khalili Foundation on the exciting new global citizenship and youth leadership project, connected to Mosaic and the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”
The need for interfaith and intercultural education has never been greater, given recent events that have highlighted the importance of tackling prejudice based on faith, culture and race. Beyond the young leaders, volunteer mentors will now also have access to inter-cultural training that can link back to their communities and add value, whilst simultaneously connecting diverse communities deeper into the Trust.
Over the past three decades, the Khalili Foundation has been a global leader in promoting interfaith and intercultural relations. The Foundation has supported and driven a number of internationally recognised projects that use the power of culture and education to bring people together. These have included key partnerships with the Commonwealth and UNESCO.
The Prince’s Trust helps young people all over the UK to build their confidence and skills and supports them into jobs, education and training. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion.
Many of the young people helped by The Trust’s youth support workers and mentors are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law.
The courses offered by The Trust give young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.
The Trust has helped over a million young people to date. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.
Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2007, Mosaic formally joined The Prince’s Trust in 2016. Mosaic’s mentoring programmes create opportunities for young people growing up in our most deprived and diverse communities, with a vision that all young people be supported to realise and fulfil their potential whatever their circumstance or background.
With the help of volunteer mentors acting as positive relatable role models, Mosaic aims to bridge the aspirations-attainment gap. By linking young people with inspirational role models in this way, we boost their confidence, self-efficacy and long-term employability, helping The Prince’s Trust reach a million more young people.
At the Khalili Foundation, our mission is to foster hope, dignity, and unity across all cultures. That’s why we were honoured to collaborate with The Prince’s Trust on an impactful project amplifying youth perspectives on diversity and inclusion in the UK.
Through our sponsorship of “Our United Cultures,” we witnessed the power that comes when we create spaces for young people to be heard. In sessions held across Britain, 64 inspiring youth from over 25 countries shared what culture means to them – the pride in their heritage, the changes they want to see in the world.
Their voices illuminated how diversity can be a bridge, not a divide. Participants called for more compassion for refugees, more education on hate crimes, more unity. Their living experiences put faces to the challenges, while their words inspired solutions.
Now The Prince’s Trust will embed these lessons into programs nationwide, creating ripples of empathy and social conscience in thousands more youth. By supporting initiatives like Our United Cultures, the Khalili Foundation hopes to keep spreading lights of understanding – youth voice by youth voice, community by community.
Because we believe societies grow stronger when all cultures feel valued, all people feel safe, and young minds can dream without limits. Projects like these give us hope for a future where diversity is celebrated as our shared strength.
At the Khalili Foundation, we believe young voices have the power to build bridges between cultures. That’s why we were thrilled to partner with The Prince’s Trust on an exciting new initiative cultivating the next generation of leaders in diversity and inclusion.
Introducing the Prince’s Trust Young Leaders (UK) – a cohort of 11 dynamic youth aged 19-30, each with their own story of overcoming adversity. From scientists to activists, entrepreneurs to apprentices, these inspiring young change-makers have lived experiences that make them perfect guides for sparking thoughtful dialogue on issues affecting modern Britain.
Together with The Prince’s Trust, we’re empowering these youth to co-create training and programs focused on global citizenship, cultural fluency, and unity through diversity. They’ll pay it forward by facilitating conversations on complex topics like refugee integration, hate crimes, and celebrating heritage.
At the Khalili Foundation, we know societies grow stronger when youth can engage across cultures with open minds and open hearts. We’re proud to equip these promising Young Leaders with the knowledge and skills to lead towards that vision as allies and role models.
Because young people know best how to engage their peers. And when we lift up their voices, they lift up our communities. We can’t wait to see the impact these inspiring youth have in writing the next chapter of mutual understanding.
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