By Heidi Majano and Julian Antonio Carrillo

The Peaceful World Foundation featured in our Grantee Spotlight series with the MOSAIC Project, one of our long-time grantees. We were honored to share a conversation with Lara Mendel, the organization’s Co-Founder and Executive Director as well as – among many things – an anthropologist, experienced backpacker, and dedicated promoter of cross-cultural communication.

Together, we create microcosms of the just, diverse, inclusive world we envision; demonstrating that peace is possible and inspire action.

Lara Mendal, Executive Director of the Mosaic Project

MOSAIC is an acronym for: Mutual respect; Open mindedness; Self-respect; Attitude; Individuality; and Community. Since 2000, this organization located in Northern California has been putting its values into practice as they seek to combat fear, prejudice, discrimination, and violence by cultivating peace in the broadest sense of the word in the next generations. 

For over 20 years, Lara hasn’t just thought about the options and societal pathways children must navigate, she has also been asking society to re-evaluate the dominant choices and environments we give schoolchildren.

For instance, she has said: “Look at what we do to our children, look at what they are experiencing, look at the models that we’ve given them…in terms of violence. There is not a child on this planet that does not deserve to experience a little peace on earth.”

With her team, she has created alternative models that provide children with choices and experiences that are in direct response and opposition to the dominant structures of violence and systems of prejudice.

Their mission to is unite people of diverse backgrounds, providing them with essential community-building skills, and empowering them to become peacemakers.

Importantly, the MOSAIC Project chooses to work with schoolchildren in elementary school in part because it’s a prime time to work on empathy.

As was shared in our Grantee Spotlight, humans start to exhibit prejudice between 2.5 and 8 years old so, waiting to address it until High School or beyond does not make sense because by that time those fears around our differences has already been ingrained.

The organization works with 25 Bay Area schools and develops a long-term relationship with them. Over the years, the Peaceful World Foundation has funded one of their main programs, the outdoor project which brings children from diverse backgrounds to engage and foster relationships in a camping life experience.

It is truly incredible work, and we invite you to listen or watch the conversation as well as visit the MOSAIC’s website to learn more about their programs or support them directly.

Peace Building starts with you!