“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” as Nelson Mandela once said. If only education was able to permanently abolish weapons used in the creation of wars, shattering of families, and dumping of youth dreams and aspirations. Reviving the will of life and change in youth is a process which calls for the time and effort of people with belief and vision; two qualities which UNICEF and the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) have in common and set their work upon.
“Skills for Active Youth” is a program implemented in collaboration between UNICEF and LOST, directed towards Lebanese and Syrian Youth aged between 14 and 24. These are traumatized Syrian youth who have fled the war and vulnerable Lebanese youth who live in deteriorating economic situations. This program is constituted of 6 training programs: YBLN (Youth Basic Literacy and Numeracy), LS (Life Skills), CBT (Competency Based Skills Training and Vocational Orientation), Innovation Lab (GIL), Message Through Arts (MAT) and Mentorship Training. The training programs extend all over Northern Beqaa area from Ersal to Bednayel.
The Life Skills program offers two types of training, Healthy Lifestyle Skills, and Civic Engagement and Social Cohesion training. Youth get to choose one of the two training programs and conduct a needs assessment to determine the community’s most urgent requirements. Once the assessment is finalized, youth participate in the design and implementation of a social project labeled “Positive Skill Engagement Initiative” at a cost of $1,600 per class. Raseel Debbs, a youth beneficiary who participated in the Life Skills program in Baalbeck, noted, “this was a life changing experience, the way I perceive society around me is not the same, I used to think that only governmental entities and institutions were able to execute developmental projects”. She further added, “we now know what we are capable of, and we will do more”.
Raseel is one of hundreds of beneficiaries who implemented social projects in Northern Beqaa; she participated in the rehabilitation of the Civil Defense/Fire Station department located in Baalbeck. The department lacked all necessary equipment, it looked like anything but a public service-providing facility. The paint was torn off the walls, there was no furniture, the available ones were torn and dirty, and the whole place looked like a junkyard. As if touched by a magic wand, the department became unrecognizable. The whole location was cleaned, walls were painted, bathrooms were provided with all necessary installations, wooden doors and windows were replaced with aluminium ones, electricity outlets and switches were replaced, electricity wirings were reinstalled, a refrigerator, an oven, couches, and sleeping mattresses were provided.
In Chmestar, another initiative was implemented where a group of 60 beneficiaries participated in the planning, design and renovation of the General Security Administration office there. The choice was set upon this project since many citizens, during the assessment done, complained that the office was not visitor-friendly. One of the citizens noted that paperwork needed time to be finished, and while waiting, there were no benches or chairs to sit on. Another one noted that the office was extremely hot, especially when it became crowded, there were no fans nor air conditioners.
With a sum of $1,600, 8 benches and an air conditioner were bought and offered to the General Security Administration office. Even the employees were satisfied with the delivered equipment because offices were less crowded, quieter, and work was more organized. “As a Syrian beneficiary, I visit the General Security office as much as the Lebanese citizens, it is more comfortable now to visit the office to finish our paperwork. Living in hard conditions taught me the importance of helping others. The skills I learned through the training such as empathy and human rights encouraged me to participate in community targeting projects no matter how insignificant the provided aid might seem,” noted Nasser Al Hammadi, a 17 year-old Syrian beneficiary who was enrolled in the Life Skills program.
Beneficiaries of the “Skills for Active Youth” program have greatly benefitted from the skills they acquired through the Life Skills training, and have gone through an internal transformation which shined bright around transforming the surrounding environment. For this and much more, youth cannot express enough gratitude for the continuous support and funding of the German, Netherland and UK Aid donors, who gave them the push needed to step up and be the well-educated, responsible peace-building leaders of the upcoming generations.
