Celebrating the successful completion of the “Skills for Active Youth” projects funded by UNICEF in Baalbeck-Hermel for the year of 2018, the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) held a commemorative closing ceremony. The ceremony took place in Tammouz Hall in Baalbeck and was attended by 550 youth who participated in the project, in addition to social figures and stakeholders. After initiating the ceremony with the Lebanese national anthem, a video was displayed summarizing the initiatives that included 30 different community services and covered 30 villages in Baalbeck-Hermel region.
Dr. Rami Lakkis, the founder of LOST, delivered a speech and greeted the youth participants, for they are society’s strength and future. “You have conquered many obstacles and barriers, starting from the belief that you can give more and therefore make a difference. You have proved to yourselves and everyone, through the projects you were parts of, that you are the change. Moreover, you have demonstrated that there is no coincidence in development, it’s all a matter of choice, decision, and hard work”, stated Dr. Lakkis. The result of hard work, as Dr. Lakkis explained, was effective implemented projects that assisted in resolving many issues, with low to modest budgets.
During the ceremony, LOST honored the mountaineer Nidal Solh for being a role model to youth. Finally, to conclude the ceremony, the Messages Through Arts (MAT) students performed guitar and piano solos, and a few group musical recitals, in addition to an active play dealing with women rights, dropouts, and other social issues.
