Friday, June 17, 2016, the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) and UNICEF Lebanon arranged a thank-you Iftar for the participants in the Youth-Led Initiatives program. The event that was attended by Tanya Chapuisat, UNICEF Lebanon Representative, was an opportunity to know about the youth’s contribution to Baalbeck-Hermel’s needs and how they can be innovative when capacitated.
An introductory speech was delivered by Dr. Ramy Lakkis, the founder of LOST. He highlighted the role of youth in the public life and the importance of understanding their dreams. “Whenever youth achieve a dream of theirs, their fingerprint starts to be evident, and their feeling of belonging to their region is enhanced,” he said.
Chapuisat, in her speech, expressed how pleased she feels when she listens to youth in Baalbeck. She revered the sense of responsibility they have shown in finding creative responses for some public needs. She ended her speech with a promise that UNICEF Lebanon will be a partner in achieving the dreams of youth as a part of hope revival in the society.
The youth-led initiatives were demonstrated by the participants who showed unique eagerness to prove their commitment and dedication toward public life. Equipping parks and hospitals, maintaining water springs, cleaning-up campaigns, planting trees, establishing pavements, providing public lighting, renovating playgrounds, distributing waste bins, and many other activities were amongst what youth decided to add to their communities.
The chance offered by LOST and UNICEF Lebanon for the youth in Baalbeck-Hermel with relatively limited resources prove a key fact; the more youth are capacitated, the more productive they are, and the more development can be achieved.
