The Mosaic Project

The M in Mosaic stands for Mutual Respect! We ask people to not put down or hurt one another. If we have mutual respect for people, we can recognize, accept, and celebrate our differences! #mutualrespect #celebratedifferences #peace

The O in Mosaic stands for Open Mindedness. We encourage people to see each other for who they are and to not judge one another. When we have an open mind about new things, we are able to accept things that are unfamiliar to us. Having an open mind helps us create a peaceful environment! #openmindedness #openminded #acceptance

The S in Mosaic stand for Self Respect! Sometimes, we get really mad or disappointed at ourselves for believing that we are not doing our best or that we had made a mistake. At The Mosaic Project, we encourage people to stop and take a deep breath whenever we get frustrated at ourselves, and understand that we all make mistakes. We encourage people to show themselves some love and respect in order to find inner peace! #selfrespect #selflove #innerpeace

The A in Mosaic stands for Attitude (an awesome one)! We encourage people to love themselves and to stay positive. With a positive attitude, we can be open to trying new things and spread peace to one another! #awesomeattitude #positiveattitude #spreadpeace ... #loveyourself See more

The I in Mosaic stands for Individuality! At The Mosaic Project, we encourage people to feel free to be who they want to be. We are all the many tiles, so different and unique. Mosaic recognizes, accepts, and celebrates our differences! #individuality #celebratediversity #embracedifferences

The C in Mosaic stands for Community! When we form connections with the people around us, we can listen and empathize to others. We believe that when we come together in the places we live to form communities, peace is possible! #community #connection #peaceispossible

Millions of Americans have voted early! Make sure to join them by voting early or voting on November 3rd! Vote, vote, vote! #vote #votelove #love

"The Mosaic Project changed me because I never really was somebody that would try to make friends with different people from different schools but now I am. I never knew the meaning of words like stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, ally assertiveness etc. Now I know the importance of these words. -Ella, Age 10. #makenewfriends #celebratediversity #assertiveness

The Pyramid of Peace starts with connection, and builds with respect; recognition of others’ perspectives; empathy; assertive communication and conflict resolution; and peace: Connection: Whenever possible, we begin our work by bringing people together to build connection. Research shows, however, that if we are to address the prejudice and violence that stem from segregation, it is not enough simply to bring diverse individuals together. If we are truly to unite to build equ...itable, just, inclusive communities, we must be extremely intentional about it. When we come together, we must work toward common goals, address issues of prejudice head-on, and learn skills for authentic interaction and assertive conict resolution. Respect: Re-spect means to look again. When we build inclusive communities, we continuously look again to see all members of the community as fully human, and to unlearn the biases and stereotypes that we have been socialized to see. Recognition of others perspectives: Next, we acknowledge others’ perspectives. We listen for understanding, and take others’ experiences at face value, as their lived truth. Empathy: When we empathize, we try to put ourselves in others’ shoes. We will never know exactly what it is like to be another person, but the more we try to understand, the more we can build strong, authentic relationships. Assertive Communication and Conflict Resolution: In order to sustain mutually respectful relationships across lines of difference, we need to practice the skills of conflict resolution and assertive communication. These skills allow us to dismantle hierarchy; get our needs met; hold power with, rather than over, others; and support one another in working together towards peace. Peace: Peace is a process, not a destination. It is the constant act of connecting, respecting, empathizing, and building systems and communities that are inclusive and caring of all people and the environment. #pyramidofpeace #peacefulcommunity #peaceispossible

Mosaic Project gave me many reasons to make friends more often and it taught me how to resolve problems/conflicts. -Mosaic Student, Age 9. #conflictresolution #friends #mosaicproject

The Pyramid of Violence The systems that are set up to make us feel we are separate are very powerful. The Pyramid of Violence illustrates how they are created and sustained. At the Mosaic Project, we work to dismantle the Pyramid of Violence and build the Pyramid of Peace (coming in the next post) in all we do. These Pyramids are a visual summary of our curriculum.... The Pyramid of Violence starts with segregation, which leads to ignorance and fear, which leads to prejudice and discrimination, which leads to violence and even genocide: -- Segregation. The systems that are set up to make us feel separate start with segregation. We are segregated into different neighborhoods, schools, jobs, and communities. Segregation can also occur within a community or organization, such as when a rigid hierarchy or ingroups and outgroups form. We can even be separate from the person sitting right next to us because we have not formed an authentic connection. Within ourselves, segregation starts from the simple belief that we are separate from others, rather than interconnected. -- Ignorance & Fear. This separation leads to ignorance and fear of the other, which can lead us to dehumanize that person. -- Prejudice. When we prejudge individuals without actually knowing them, we form our judgements based on stereotypes from our culture, family of origin, and the media.In this way, we fail to see them as human. -- Discrimination. When we take action based on stereotypes, we uphold systems of discrimination. These systems treat people differently on the basis of race, education, income, culture, gender, sexuality, body type, age, ability, or characteristics that are beyond our control. -- Violence. Systems that discriminate based on prejudice allow some groups to hold power over other groups because. The act of using power to keep others down hurts everyone. -- Genocide. Systems of violence can even lead to genocide, as we have seen in the colonization of the Americas, chattel slavery in the United States, and the genocide of Jewish people in the Holocaust. #Segregation #Systemicracism #Systemicoppression #Caste #Stereotypes #Prejudice #Racism #Violence #Genocide

New Mosaic Challenge See how YOU can win The Mosaic Project is challenging YOU to REGISTER TO VOTE!!! ... To enter you must: - Follow @mosaicproject - Text VOTE to 504-09 - Tag three friends in the comments By texting VOTE to 504-09, a personalized voterbot will guide you through voter registration and any other info you need prior to Election Day! Prizes include: - Mosaic merchandise - A virtual escape room for you and your friends - A personalized song written for you or friend/family Let’s get out the vote! #getoutthevote #yourvotematters #registertovote

New Mosaic Challenge Let’s get out the vote! In order to win new prizes, you must: 1. Follow @mosaicproject. 2: Be a register voter.... 3: Tag 3 friends in the comments and encourage them to register to vote! The announcement of prizes are coming shortly! #getoutthevote #registervoter #iwillvote

"Mosaic Project taught me that life is not just about you and everybody has their own point of view. They taught me that there are a lot of ways to spread peace, not poison. They taught me that gratitude feeds your attitude, but most of all to have fun!" - Sonali, 10-years old. #gratitude #positiveattitude #perspective