The Mosaic Project

The positive impact The Mosaic Project has had is evident in the stories that students tell. The experience provides them with lasting skills and confidence. It is truly a valuable organization!

I understood a lot more about Mosaic until after I participated in the virtual tour last year--and I have been very impressed. As an educator, I appreciated the organization and clarity of their very important message. I liked how they incorporate music and creative expression to make students feel included and capable. I'm also so glad they have a well thought out curriculum that they follow. I think it speaks volumes that school systems are returning year after year to have their students participate. Educators respect what works!

I have experienced the impact of the The Mosaic Project myself, and seen it in children, adults, my own family, and the larger community. They are not only a much needed example of peace building in action, but they are also a "go to" source for education and resources as well as connection and hope.

The Mosaic project first came into my daughter's life when she was in 4th grade and changed her life but Mosaic has changed my life as well. As a peace building project, they are so right to start kids early, but they clearly teach in ways that can also have an affect on any adult who is willing to examine their own bias and lens. Mosaic teaches far beyond the idea of tolerance and instead provides peace building tools that celebrate difference and diversity while encouraging us to learn from one another with respect and dignity. If every school adopted their curriculum as part of their culture, I've no doubt we would see a new generation emerge that could end much of the division and violence we witness today. Thank you Mosaic for all your years of determination and passion.

What great values and tips to use… everywhere! …with everyone! Amazing experience! Highly recommended.

Amazing work! The Mosaic Project is truly making a difference in our communities. This is the first nonprofit that I can confidently say fully addresses inclusion and equality issues. 100% effort is shown through their youth and professional development programs. We need many more agencies like them!

The Mosaic values changed the perspective I had and encouraged more diversity and peacemaking ways of thinking. So grateful to this organization and all it does for the community!!

I first came to The Mosaic Project in 2006 as a fifth grader. Though I was slow to embrace it that first week, since then, Mosaic has been a central part of my life. I experienced personally, as a kid, how important it is to start addressing issues of difference and systemic inequality as early as elementary school, in a diverse, supportive community. Mosaic gave voice and context to divisions that I observed around me but were rarely acknowledged by my family or others in my community. It continued to be that space for me as I grew up, not just for understanding the systems that constrain us, but for imagining and creating the community and world we wish to see. I'm 26 now, and I'm still realizing how special Mosaic is. Especially these days, I feel like it's very common to be talking about and thinking through the complexities of these issues and how to be in community. But the joy, warmth, positivity, and love Mosaic pours into this work and the community is something I haven't seen or felt anywhere else. I'm so grateful and honored to be involved and give back.

They gave me a home. They gave me more than that-- they gave me a family! Mosaic does good work. The work of the people! So inspired to see an organization showing up with love in these times.

I first attended Mosaic's outdoor school back in 2008 when I was in 4th grade. When I was 9-years-old, I was given the unique gift of learning important peace building skills in a diverse setting. I was so excited and eager to turn 15 so that I could return to Mosaic as a Youth Leader. I am now 22-years-old and this nonprofit is still a major part of my life and I continue to come back and volunteer frequently.

One of the most profound experiences I had as a Mosaic Youth Leader was truly coming to understand the concept, “hurt people hurt other people.” At Mosaic, we use the term “hurt people” instead of the term bully. We do this because we believe that the term “bully” is a stereotype, and when we stereotype others, it is like we put a box over their head which prevents us from being able to connect and empathize with the other person.

In most institutions, when disciplining students, the common response is to punish them. Yet this just pushes students away and prevents us from understanding and supporting students who need extra support in changing their behavior. At Mosaic, when someone hurts another, we stop and become curious, and then we empathize.

I felt the incredible power of this at Mosaic when a fellow Youth Leader and I sat down to talk with a student who had been hurting others. We told him that we cared about him and that we were proud of the work he had done at Mosaic. My fellow Youth Leader shared that he had a similar background to the child and could relate. We both told him we were doing our best to empathize. The boy broke down into tears and explained to us how he himself had been hurt many times. After then, his behavior shifted.

This is the kind of love and understanding between people who do and also do not look like one another that I experienced as a student at Mosaic as well. It’s what I believe the world needs.

I grew up in Marin County, in a very white homogenous and privileged area. Mosaic was the first time I had the opportunity to connect with peers who didn't look, talk, or act like me or my friends and it was the first time I had the opportunity to learn about the challenges and joys of our wide diverse world. This was life-changing for me.

Throughout my childhood, Mosaic continued to have a major impact on my life. I quickly found myself incorporating Mosaic lessons on the playground. I was a Mosaic Peace Ambassador at school and taught younger students what I had learned. I made friends with people different from me. It makes me wonder... if I had not participated in The Mosaic Project, the fear I would be living with towards people who look, talk, and act differently from me; a fear where I could not empathize or become friends with them.

When we are young, our experiences can shape who we will be for the rest of our lives. Mosaic is a part of me, and I can’t stop talking about this non-profit and how it has changed not only my life, but Mosaic has given thousands of kids for the past 20 years the confidence, love, assertiveness and conflict resolution tools they need to bring out the good that is in everyone.

Mosaic helped my boys grow to know themselves, be themselves, express themselves, and stand up for themselves with the strength of assertiveness instead of aggression. I cannot praise The Mosaic Project enough for enabling my sons to put into practice the life-saving skill of non-violent communication at Mosaic Camp and later in their daily lives. As a single mother of two black boys, one a teenager and another a pre-teen, I am constantly aware that they are using skills they learned in The Mosaic Project to navigate their world with grace and wisdom beyond their years!

I am so grateful I was able to experience The Mosaic Curriculum first hand at family camp. Mosaic Family Camp was life-changing for our entire family. The wild and beautiful setting of the camp and the "gametivities" helped us focus on each other - really hear and see each other. There were many times when I was moved to tears just hearing my sons express their feelings deeply and clearly. I am amazed that since attending The Mosaic Camp my children can genuinely appreciate that, even though I am their mother, I am also human and deserve empathy. This education in practicing empathy along with a 20-year-strong anti-racism curriculum makes The Mosaic Project unparalleled in non-profit organizations for children or adults.

Too rare are the communities of people who create space for growth and learning. Even more rare are those communities who respectfully allow young people to be themselves as they learn and grow. The Mosaic Project is more than just an inclusive community dedicated to growth and learning, it is a collection of healers.

The Mosaic Project's outdoor education program creates space where both students and teachers play and learn. It is a space where feelings are acknowledged, bias is interrogated and conflict is settled through mutually respectful communication.

I often find myself thinking on the experiences I had at the outdoor program. I consider how my work in professional settings, my personal relationships and my own struggles with my identify have all been impacted by the tools Mosaic helped me hone. I can only begin to imagine how the lives of 4th and 5th grade students have been shaped by Mosaic's powerful curriculum.

I am filled with hope for the future by the knowledge that there is a place where learners of all ages are being empowered to be respectful, open minded and assertive. A place where the challenges of our world are faced by diverse communities coming together. That kind of love and strength cannot be contained. Those who are touched by it become agents of change, making the world a more peaceful place for all of us.

The Mosaic Project is such a great nonprofit that really makes me good about human kind! They help teach children how to interact , be themselves and treat people how they should be treated. Their curriculum seems like it should be common sense, but there is a lot to how they deliver their messages and it changes how kids view the world!

I honestly think that if every child had the opportunity to attend a week of Mosaic, the work would change in a huge positive way (there woudl not be hate in the world, conflicts would be handled in an appropriate manner and we woudl learn how to respect one another.)

The Mosaic Project has never been more important that it is today with all of the racial injustice becoming clear across the country. Mosaic does a beautiful job of bringing together 4th and 5th graders of diverse backgrounds so that they can get to know each other before deep-rooted stereotypes can take hold. Mosaic is truly impacting the lives of all of those they touch, and not only the 4th and 5th graders, but also the youth leaders and their greater community.

I've been engaged with the Mosaic Project going on 4 years now and it has been one of the most uplifting and inspiring organizations I ever had the pleasure to encounter. Their mission and message of inclusion, diversity, change and the understanding and mending of the differences and conflict that exist in our communities is absolutely invaluable. The Mosaic Project staff and supporters are passionate for this cause. And the impact they have on the participant kids lives and communities that are touched by their efforts are needed now, in this state of our nation, more than ever. There is so much that the Mosaic Project is accomplishing and so much more to do. The thought of what could be achieved if their efforts were expanded exponentially is incredibly inspiring. May this ship continue to sail on the sea of success.

Experiencing the Outdoor School at the Mosaic Project made a meaningful impact on my life. I learned to see people not based on my preconceived notions of who they were, but truly listened to their story. Everyone has a story to share. The coaching staff at The Mosaic Project are well trained and versed in how to work through the myriad of issues that children and adults are facing. The Mosaic program is unique and very engaging - it gives a framework as instruction and goes through very creative and well-formulated exercises that help draw out underlying issues and biases to the surface. Engaging with children from other backgrounds in a setting that puts everyone on the same playing field is eye-opening. The Mosaic Project makes my heart sing.

My daughter attended the Mosaic project through her school and it was a very positive and impactful experience for her. She came back from the program with a greater respect for people that are different from her and and a genuine enthusiasm for the beautiful and diverse world we live in. Since her attendance I have spoken to many other parents in our school community who all have had similar comments and positive reviews of Mosaic. I have also come to know the leadership of this organization and they are truly amazing people with a passion and drive that is changing the world everyday for the better.

The Mosaic Project was the first organization I've been a part of that is truly dedicated to making the world a better place. Not only do they change lives through social justice education at the outdoor school and corporate trainings, they seem to have a way of touching hearts everywhere they go, with their energetic and fun loving personalities, Mosaic songs, and campfire stories. They certainly have made a huge impact on my life, showing me so much love, allowing me to share my skills and talents, and inspiring me to grow more in this field. Mosaic is family!

I am a youth leader with Mosaic because I want to empower another generation of peacemakers and to pass down the lessons that inspired me when I was young. Mosaic helped me realize I have the power to make real change in my own communities and inspires me to speak up for what I believe in.

I first heard about the Mosaic Project about 20 years ago, at a family event, from a friend of my daughter-in-law.  As graduates of Stanford, they had both been on a tour of Germany as descendants of Holocaust victims sponsored by the German government. This trip is what inspired the friend, Lara Mendel, to undertake the Mosaic Project.  She felt that children needed to learn about overcoming differences at an early age, 4th and 5th grades, just before middle school.  At the time I thought it was the answer to all the world's problems, and still do. My children were already grown, but my husband and I went up to the camp, at least once a year to see how it's goals were being accomplished.  We took part in some of the children's activities, which I can only describe as magical. We had a wonderful time. All the 'teaching' is through games, songs, age-appropriate discussions, and just living together.  We learned a lot ourselves, and found it much easier than the 'non-violent communication' courses we had been taking. However, getting it out into the world was not as easy as getting 10 and 11-year olds to 'get it'.  So, hopefully, this will help in that regard. Tari Nicholson, Martinez, CA

I have been involved with the Mosaic Project for almost 20 years. It's been a core part of building an inclusive and open community or all in the Bay Area. The people in the organization are one of a kind - hopeful, passionate, and the most dynamic changemakers in the world. Highly recommend people check out their grassroots approach to making the world a better place.

I started with The Mosaic Project as a high school youth leader. I went to a very diverse high school, but it was very separated by race. Mosaic was the first time I saw people of all different backgrounds who seemed to genuinely love and support one another. I learned so much about assertive communication and conflict resolution. I still use my Mosaic skills almost every day even though I'm 30 years old now. It's pretty amazing that they have created a program that supports children as young as elementary school students to communicate across lines of difference and feel empowered to help create the peaceful world they want to see. Issues of race and culture can be difficult to talk about but Mosaic works because it is so infused with joy and magic and music. Many of the kids I worked with at Mosaic told me their time at Mosaic's residential outdoor project was the best week of their lives. Thinking back on it, those were some of the best weeks of my life as well.

I am thrilled with the game changing work of The Mosaic Project. My favorite organization to donate to, as they are creating the change we need to see in our world. By bringing together students from schools from different neighborhoods, united across race and class---uncovering unconscious bias and building bridges, and creating authentic relationships across difference.

I also admire the work they do with corporations to dismantle racism and help improve company practices building positive and inclusive company culture.

The best organization of our time.

The Mosaic Project is a gift to our Planet. I taught 4th grade in deep east Oakland for five years and had the opportunity to bring four of my five classes to the camp. It is absolutely life changing. My students and I learned so much from their curriculum and gametivities and influential soundtrack. From my knowledge, Mosaic is the only organization addressing and explaining prejudice and segregation with 4th and 5th graders (most organizations gear their programming to older students -when the world has already tainted their beliefs). Talking about these real, systemic issues at this age will assist children in navigating through complex situations in a more positive and confident manner, which will ultimately change our world for the better. If you are a parent or a teacher, please look into bringing your child(ren) to the Mosaic. You will NOT regret it. Love you, Mosaic. Forever.

High impact, unique, and very well thought out program. Provides a powerful and valuable model and camp to help raise up humanity. I have seen the impact on my children having attended when young as campers, and participating as counselors when they were in high school.

I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people striving to bring peace to our chaotic world. Mosaic teaches the most valuable, essential, and dishearteningly rare skills to people of all ages and backgrounds, and I am so lucky to be a part of the amazing work they’re doing.

Mosaic has been the most influential program in my life. Everytime I come back from Mosaic I am closer to the person that I want to become. Mosaic gives me hope and motivation to work towards a more just and inclusive world.

My children have attended the Mosaic camps and it has been incredible to see the change in behavior in the household! I have also had the pleasure of attending camp for a night.

In this tumultuous time where people seem to have stopped talking and started judging based on race, creed, color, gender, and gender identity, it is comforting to see a group that is striving to create understanding and eliminate racism.

As an emergency physician, when I am dealing with a trying patient, fellow physician or nurse, I find myself singing some of Mosaic's songs in my head to help me problem solve. We are never too old to learn new ways to communicate respectfully!

I first got involved with Mosaic when I went as a fifth grader. It is was a life changing experience. The last night at the program, we did a solo walk in the dark and then all gathered around to look at the stars. I remember looking up and seeing more stars than I ever had in the city, and this feeling of hope and confidence taking over me. I felt like I could do anything because I now had the tools to communicate with others. When I got into high school, i jumped at the opportunity to go back as a Youth Leader. I have since spend countless hours up at the Camp and time in the office and at events. The Mosaic community is so strong and welcoming, and I have made so many friends and mentors through it.

This organization is extremely impressive! Leadership is thoughtful and strategic, planning is great, but the most impressive thing to me is the quality of the programs and the staff. Lara has assembled a diverse, talented, energetic, creative, committed and loving staff to work with the children, and she inspires them to come together to work harmoniously as a united team. The curriculum is well thought out and effective, and the results are clear. The Mosaic Project is making the world a more peaceful place.

Every walk of life has experienced the feeling of wanting to belong and fear of being left out. The Mosaic Project motivates youth to reach to the core of this feeling and learn to embrace self while having empathy towards others. Every walk of life. "It takes a village to raise a child". I will not hesitate to continue to spread the greatness of this organization.

Through my daughter's work with The Mosaic Project, I have seen how it allows a person to find the best in themselves, to bring this to the community, and affect genuine and needed change. As a psychologist who has worked extensively with children, I appreciate the organization's ability to create a safe place for children to examine their beliefs, explore their hurts, and feel supported by a diverse community.

The Mosaic Project is by far the most effective community working towards social justice that I have ever seen. Children are the ones who will grow up and affect how the world works. I often think about how Mosaic will affect the world, or even the bay area, twn years from now. When I imagine any situation that I am in, and how it plays out now, I compare it with how it would happen if even half of the people involved went to Mosaic when they were ten. It would change things immensely. Important tools are shown and made available in a way that is creative, not preachy. Reaching children at this age, when small seeds of peace can be planted in their lifeskills garden, is infinitely important. Mosaic does it beautifully.

The Mosaic Project is undoubtedly the most inspiring community I have ever been a part of. I first became involved as a high school youth leader about five years ago, and I haven't been able to stay away since. The Youth Leadership Project provided me with the incredibly unique experience of living and working within a community that was more diverse, supportive, and open than any I had ever seen in high school or in the world around me. That experience continues to remind me that a different kind of world IS possible - one in which people from every walk of life can work together authentically and respectfully. Not only did my first experience with The Mosaic Project inspire the 4th and 5th graders that I was mentoring, it was one of the most formative moments in my life.

I am a teacher that brought my 4th grade students to the Mosaic Project camp in Napa and was blown away by how together the program is. After five days and four nights at Mosaic, my kids came home singing songs like "Fighting is not the solution..." and "We can live in equality, embracing our diversity...." They seemed to have really taken in lessons from games and activities they did on topics like prejudice & stereotyping, conflict resolution, assertiveness, and what it means to be an ally. Not only did the students have a great time, it seems to have made a significant impact on the atmosphere at our school. I would recommend this experience to any teacher and wish all elementary school students could attend Mosaic.