UNICEF and LOST have initiated the Youth Innovation LAB Program in order to help youth acquire a form of education and life skills so that they can later be able to open their own businesses and maintain a decent socio-economic status amidst the economically deteriorating Lebanese host community.
For this purpose UNICEF and LOST organized a preliminary meeting for over 120 talented Lebanese and Syrian youth from Baalbeck–Hermel region on Friday May 13th 2016 to introduce the Innovation Lab concept. The program aims to involve 400-500 youth beneficiaries, who are undertaking vocational orientation classes, in three-day training sessions concerned with innovation techniques and entrepreneurship skills, in order to help the most qualified among them manage their own businesses in the future and outstand in the marketplace with innovative ideas and customer service.
In the first stage of the program, LOST will organize training for facilitators and coaches who will clarify the concept of the three-day activity to beneficiaries and deliver a clear idea of the significance of the Innovation Lab on their future careers. In the second stage, beneficiaries will gather and take innovation workshops. It is worth noting that the selection of beneficiaries will be based on the criteria of gender, nationality, and region.
Through this program, better job opportunities will hopefully be available for Lebanese and Syrian youth in order to get the maximum out of their jobs and reach decent life standards. It’s also a chance for them to implement their creativity and innovative ideas so that they can develop their societies and economies, and provide a better future for the coming generations.