For the second cycle of the Learning and Skills Program which targets Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Youth, youth beneficiaries of the program decide to renovate the villages’ streets as an implementation of the Youth-Led initiatives section of the program.
One of the main aims behind the initiation of the Life and Skills Program is to build the personalities of youth and prepare them for the new lives ahead of them from all individual and social dimensions. The skills they acquire from the training help them as well get decent education and fair job opportunities, to a certain extent, thus facilitating their already hard lives. Among the trainings offered by the program is the Youth-Led Initiative training in which youth are introduced to carrying out needs assessments, team work, project design, environmental and communication related skills. Later on, the acquired skills are translated into initiatives which serve the needs of the local community in cooperation and coordination with the municipal authorities. In the locations of Ersal, Fakiha, Brital, Nabi Sheet, Tarayya and Qsarnaba, the youth-led initiative projects were directed towards lighting up and rehabilitating streets in full coordination with the local municipalities.
In Ersal, the youth settled upon the plan of lighting up empty spaces in front of four local schools. Light posts that work on solar energy were purchased and installed in place. The light posts which operate on solar energy help spread the principles of energy preservation among local residents and creates a secure environment for them. In Fakiha village, the need assessments showed that the town lacked proper sidewalks and benches, so the youth decided to pave a sidewalk down the “Zeitoun Road” and place benches. The whole project which was implemented in 15 days vitally serves in decreasing accident rates and traffic problems. In similarly related initiatives, the youth of Brital, after multiple discussions with the municipality, decided to place light posts with batteries and a converter in a public space founded for town activities and gatherings. The light posts are fed by solar energy, thus they help preserve the environment and serve as an alternative electric power supply when electricity is off.
The town of Nabi Sheet was another target of the Youth-Led initiatives in which Youth worked on placing street mirrors along streets and joints. They also installed light posts with sensors. The executed initiative helps keep roads safer and increases energy preservation. On the move to Tarayya, the high way light posts were repaired and others were replaced with lights which work on solar energy. The initiative was accomplished after assessments were carried out and in collaboration with the municipality. The initiative carried out plays an essential role in lessening tension between Lebanese hosts and Syrian refugees especially after the three fatal accidents which occurred last year and tensioned the relationship between both. As for Qsarnaba, the conducted assessments resulted in an urgent need for a support wall on one of the town’s streets due to soil erosion problems which have recently led to many accidents. Youth cooperated with the municipality and a local club in the purchase and placement of three street mirrors as well.
Youth, through these activities, have built up their abilities and got more engaged in social and developmental matters within their communities. The implemented initiatives have also introduced the local community and municipalities to better energy preservative services and have secured the social build-up by decreasing accident rates and increasing cohesion among the Lebanese and Syrians, thus enhancing stabilization. The German donations provided through UNICEF constitute an essential factor in the achievement of such initiatives and ensure a successful continuous series of future youth-led initiatives which are yet to come.