About this Award

MOSAIC is proud to annually present a Human Rights Award as an ongoing manifestation of our commitment to the values of cultural diversity.

This award is presented to a person who has made a significant contribution in the field of human rights and ethnic relations, and in the field of humanitarianism, and has not been already recognized.

Thank you for your interest in applying for this award. We are no longer receiving new applications. Only selected candidates will be contacted. We appreciate your participation and wish you the best of luck.

 

Read about the 2025 Recipients

Award Criteria

To be eligible for this award, recipients must meet the following:

  • Demonstrate activities in support of human rights, helping refugees and newcomers, volunteering, and more. 
  • Be altruistic (no personal gain)

  • Not necessarily have been recognized by other organizations
  • Accept personal risk helping others
  • Be a BC resident

  • Call for nominations is open to all individuals in BC
  • Show significant contribution in the field of human rights, humanitarianism, and ethnic relations

2025 Recipient

Manpreet Dhesi, Abdullah Sarwari
  • Abdullah is a former Hazara refugee from Afghanistan and co-founder of the Refugee Learning Center (RLC) in Indonesia, a community-based project offering informal education to over 300 refugee children. He was a TEDxUbud speaker, sharing his journey and insights as a refugee advocate. Since resettling in Canada, Abdullah has founded Northern Lights West to support refugees navigating Canada’s private sponsorship program. He is currently sponsoring two refugee friends and, alongside his sister, co-leads Parastoo, an initiative advocating for displaced people through shared lived experience. 
  • Manpreet is a Bachelor of Commerce student at UBC Sauder, passionate about equity, cultural connection, and youth empowerment. She is Director of HR and Financial Operations at GenConnect, leading initiatives that build intergenerational ties between youth and seniors. Manpreet also volunteers with the Kohinoor Folk Arts Club, supporting free Punjabi cultural programming. Her latest project is In Real Life, a podcast helping students navigate the transition to post-secondary through shared stories and practical advice.

 

Previous Recipients

  • Patsy George (2018)
  • Richard Stewart, Mayor of Coquitlam (2017)
  • Fikre Tsehai (2016)

Community Sponsor

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