Archive: My 67 – 2020 Programme

**PLATINUM SPONSOR:**
**Torus Foundation**

Mandela Day – Saturday 18th July, 2020
Mandela Week – 13th to 22nd July, 2020

2020 has been a year of significant world events so far and Mandela8 has been truly moved by the Country’s response to Covid-19 and the murder of George Floyd, an atrocity that has shown us all around the world that in many ways we still live in an Apartheid state. This also reinforces the need for us all to celebrate each other for our differences and contributions we all bring to society.

We extend our condolences to families and friends who have lost loved ones due to Covid-19, and we also want to extend, once again, our condolences to George Floyd’s family and friends, and all those families and friends who have lost loved ones to the atrocities of racism.

This year we had made the decision to extend Mandela Day – which falls on Saturday 18th July – to Mandela Week to mark the memorial opening and the planned visit by the Mandela family. As you are all no doubt aware, previously scheduled events had to change as the country went into lockdown in response to the pandemic.

As with all our plans, Mandela Week has also been adapted, and this year – as we are in unprecedented times – we want to recognise the pain and suffering our communities are going through. We recognise that people are grieving and are in pain and emotionally distressed and suffering and hope that people are accessing the range of support available to them and also talking to each other.

In the words of Madiba “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”.

So, this year, the Mandela Week My67 Minutes programme will be about enabling people to remember their loved ones lost to Covid-19, as well as providing a space for organisations to recognise the work their staff and volunteers have done to help people during Covid-19. This memorial space will be hosted on a dedicated page on our website here – mandela8.org.uk/covid-19-memorial-tributes

The week will also be a chance to reflect on current affairs, the rising tensions and the impact of racial hatred on our lives and enable people to celebrate the positive contribution Black people and people from other cultures around the world bring to society, and how we must work together to bring about lasting change and healing.

As we have said many times before ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants’ in our community and in times gone by, greats like Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King would have been a voice for Black communities, protesting for justice, speaking for those who live in daily fear, calling on leaders to ‘Do the Right Thing’. Our actions speak louder than words.

Aptly, Nelson Mandela himself was in lockdown for 27 years, and came out of it to ask for peace and reconciliation; our programme this year is one of remembrance, recognition, hope and healing.

We would like:

– People to post a tribute and picture on our dedicated website page of a loved one they have lost to Covid-19 and tell us something about them so we can remember them with you. Fill in the form here to submit a tribute.

– Organisations to celebrate the achievements of their staff and volunteers at this time.

– Over the next five weeks Mandela8 will be highlighting the Struggle series of sketches (above) produced by Nelson Mandela across their social networks, and are asking young people to express their feelings through a series of drawings depicting their views on what the prints represent to them and share them.

– Communities to come together. This could be through a whole host of activities, but here’s some ideas to get you started:

· Litter Picking

· Choirs – singing for residents in care homes during lockdown

· Quote for Mandela – post a quote from Nelson Mandela or another leader that has inspired them, using the hashtag #My67Minutes and #Mandela8My67Minutes

· Plant for Mandela – whether it’s a new tree in your community, a plant in your garden, or some veg on your windowsill, take a photo and post it using the hashtag #My67Minutes and #Mandela8My67Minutes

– Chalk a quote – an inspirational Mandela quote in a park or on a pavement in your community

Remember to take pictures of videos and post them to social media using the hashtags.

Please use our resource booklet on the website and give consideration to whatever you do complying with social distancing guidelines and digital solutions.

MANDELA Week will take place 13^th – 21^st July, 2020

My 67 Minutes Ideas Brochure Download

My 67 Minutes 2020 Poster Download

My 67 Minutes School Pledge Download