“What good deed are you going to do today for someone that will make their life better”… Dr Maki Mandela

As part of the Acts of Kindness week this year Mandela8 and Liverpool BID Company are asking corporate organisations to take part in Mandela Day, as part of Mandela Week to do an act of kindness to commemorate Nelson Mandela, acknowledging his values and dedication to the service of humanity and struggle for international democracy and peace throughout the world.  We also want you to sign up to our Corporate Giving Programme to offer your organisations skills, expertise or time to help them. The theme this year is ‘Celebrating Communities’.

The 18th July is Nelson Mandela International Day, now more widely known as Mandela Day and was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, during Mandela Week, Monday 15th July to Sunday 21st July.  We celebrate both Mandela’s birthday and the week as it gives flexibility to schools to take part in our activities before they close for the Summer holiday period, and it enables those who cannot commit to Mandela Day the opportunity to still be involved. 

Social Media

We encourage those who take part to promote and celebrate their work in advance and on the day through promotion on social media by linking it to the international social media campaign for Mandela Day using the following hashtag: #AoKcelebratingcommunities and linking us in at @mandela800 @mandela8_liverpool @LpoolBIDcompany

Further information and photos can be found at https://www.mandela8.org.uk/my-67/

The Corporate Giving Programme Ask

Mandela8 are looking for one company per month to sign up to supporting a voluntary or community group with their skills, experience or time to support an area of need identified.  The types of activities you can support can be found in our Acts of Kindness brochure here.

How this will work:

  1. Nominate your organisation outlining you offer, and the month you are wishing to do this by emailing [email protected].  Months available are outlined here.
  2. Once all organisations are signed up over the 10 month period we will promote the programme across the community voluntary sector indicating the types of support on offer, asking groups to sign up to the programme to get support
  3. We will match your organisation to a group in need of support to enable you to fulfil your act of kindness and put you in touch
  4. You can then discuss the detail, undertake internal risk assessments and arrange for you act of kindness to take place during the month you offered.
  5. Promote your activity using the hashtags

Register interest here

Background to Acts of Kindness

Nelson Mandela inspired the idea for Mandela Day at his 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London when he said: It is time for new hands to lift the burden.  It is in your hands now”.  The idea of Mandela Day is that everyone has the ability to make an impact and do something in their own way to change the world and the world of those around them.

The day remembers Mandela’s achievements in working towards conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace, and reconciliation.

Madiba – as Nelson Mandela was fondly known – was one of South Africa’s greatest heroes. Not only is he loved and respected as one of the greatest leaders in South Africa, he is also admired and respected around the world.  Liverpool has its own special relationship and connection with Nelson Mandela.

When Liverpool became aware of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s incarceration, community activists, Unions and the City came together to support the Free Nelson Mandela Campaign and took a solid stance against Apartheid.  Liverpool is built on strong political and social values and has experienced oppression but not on the scale of South Africa.  So, when awareness of the brutality of Apartheid in South Africa became known in Liverpool the City united to support Mandela, the ANC and South African people.  Nelson Mandela was gifted the Freedom of the City in 1994 and a Civic Reception held in his honour 20 years later in 2014.

A trip to South Africa in March 2018 by Mandela8 and City representatives saw the group gifted a set of prints called ‘The Struggle Series’ by Dr Maki Mandela.  The prints depict the history of South Africa’s struggle through a series of drawings of hands by Nelson Mandela. These prints now take pride of place in St Georges Hall, one of the City’s iconic Civic buildings and are the first Black artwork to be permanently displayed in the Hall.

We also now have the permanent legacy to Nelson Mandela, the Memorial installed in Princes Park, Liverpool 8, endorsed by Dr Maki Mandela and Tukwini Mandela, his eldest daughter and granddaughter, with whom Liverpool now has a special relationship.

Whilst in South Africa in 2018 Mandela8 heard about the programme Mandela established to pass the baton, and brought it back to Liverpool, and launched our Acts of Kindness Programme (formally called My67 Minutes) that same year. 

So Why Mandela Week?

Nelson Mandela’s fight for justice began in 1942 and for 67 tireless years he continued to fight for social justice and human rights and the Mandela Week programme is designed to enable you as an individual, or collectively as part of a group or organisation to give 67 minutes of your day, 1 minute for every year, to help someone else, ideally on Mandela Day or in that week. A week gives schools, groups and organisations more time to do activities and as the day sometimes falls on a weekend it means they can continue to do activities during school term time or office working hours.

It is a day where Nelson Mandela’s life’s work is celebrated annually through acts of kindness, and 67 ways for people of all ages to get involved are suggested in the Mandela Week Resource Pack.  You can also download a range of resources for all ages to get involved on the Nelson Mandela Day website