Building Alternatives for the Youth of the Beqaa - October 2011
Local non-governmental organization Forsa is providing construction skills training to at-risk young people in Baalbeck. The OTI-supported project is allowing the trainees to channel their energies into gainful pursuits in the economically and politically marginalized area.
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Restoring Freedom Street - September 2011
Young people in North Lebanon mobilized and took a stand against racism and discrimination. Members of the civic group Ataouna, an OTI partner, worked with a small but active youth group in Hosh l Aa'beed to renovate the neighborhood and bridge divides between communities.
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Giving At-Risk Youth an Edge - July 2011
The Association for Development in Akkar provided skills training to young people in the region and organized an exhibition in Beirut to showcase local products and crafts. The project engaged youth from marginalized communities on a number of levels and exposed them to new opportunities.
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Providing a Stage for Youth Advocacy - July 2011
Young people in Nabatieh are challenging the closed and conservative nature of their city with help from the Youth Network for Civic Activism. Following training on advocacy, the local NGO's youth membership produced and staged performances focusing on community concerns as well as the principles of good governance.
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Lebanese and Palestinian Youth Forge Bonds - June 2011
A group of young people in the southern Lebanese city of Saida are working with local NGO Shajar w Bashar to improve Lebanese-Palestinian relations. The activities have allowed participants to explore their preconceptions through art and take their art to the community.
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Racing for Their Rights - June 2011
Civil society groups across Lebanon, with OTI support, have sponsored road races to promote their causes and encourage young people to advocate for their rights and against violence, corruption, and sectarianism.
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Training Strengthens Youth Voice in Toura - February 2011
The Toura Youth Club empowered its members with training on municipal governance and communication. The OTI-supported activity gave the young activists the knowledge and confidence they needed to credibly discuss community needs with the village mayor and council.
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Youth Model Democratic Processes - February 2011
Despite having few options for meaningful engagement through existing political structures, young people from five underprivileged villages in northern Lebanon are finding ways to express themselves and advocate for democratic processes and positive change in their communities.
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Young Actors Challenge Negative Perceptions of Youth - January 2011
While a group of young actors in Tripoli were developing a play on democracy and independence, violent demonstrations broke out in the area. The group quickly staged the production to counter the idea that all young people are looking to make trouble.
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Youth-Led Book Drive Tells a Different Story - January 2011
Driven by the urge to "reject the tribal reputation that is haunting us," youth from the Hermel Association for Development, with OTI support, launched a book donation campaign to stock the association's library and demonstrate their commitment to improving the community.
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Campaigning for a Cleaner Future - December 2010
The League of Independent Activists, an OTI partner, coordinated a National Day of Action to protest government plans to install environmentally harmful waste incinerators. Youth and community groups initiated more than 175 activities across Lebanon to raise awareness of waste management issues and the concept of zero waste.
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Youth in the Beqaa Claim Their Rights - December 2010
To commemorate International Human Rights Day, the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training, an OTI grantee, organized celebrations in four Beqaa villages to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The events showed how young people can form a united force for goodwill and bring about greater tolerance and respect—even in closed communities.
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Youth Stand Up for Environmental Reform - October 2010
Young people from the Toura Youth Club are making their voices heard. The group has mobilized to raise awareness of environmental problems and met with local government officials to suggest solutions and initiate change.
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A Campaign to Help Clean Up Communities - October 2010
Young people from the Yammuni Cultural Club (YCC), with OTI support, partnered with local government in four villages in northern Beqaa to hold "activism days," which gave them an opportunity to clean up their communities and work with municipal leaders.
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Youth-Shot Videos Pave Way for Road Repairs - April 2010
In the run-up to the May elections, young people in Baalbeck and the southern suburbs of Beirut have created videos to highlight poor road conditions and spur local decision makers to implement repairs. The push for improvements followed training offered, with OTI support, by the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training and Lebanon Youth.
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Youth in Saida Advocate to Increase Library Access - March 2010
In their first experience with civic advocacy, members of the Saida youth club approached and convinced the municipality to extend hours at the public library. The effort, which followed civic education and advocacy training organized by local NGO Blue Moon and supported by OTI, gives students improved access to the institution.
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Event Promotes Municipal–Civil Society Collaboration - March 2010
Young people and members of civil society from across Lebanon gathered in Beirut to talk about strategies for improving collaboration between civil society and municipalities. The precedent-setting event was sponsored by Nahar Ashabab, a youth-focused organization, with OTI support.
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Youth Speak Out in New Publication - March 2010
Young people across Lebanon are sharing their ideas, articles, and artwork through an independent youth-run media outlet called Hibr Lubnani, or Lebanese Ink. With support from OTI, the group's newspaper and Web site are providing Lebanese youth with a nonpartisan space where they can express their views.
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Lebanese and Palestinian Youth Perform for Peace - March 2010
Young people from Lebanese and Palestinian backgrounds came together for a cultural celebration in Akkar, the first of its kind since regional conflict inflamed community tensions in 2007. The event was organized by the Welfare Women Association, an OTI partner, to help change perceptions and give local youth an opportunity to display their artistic talents.
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Youth and Civil Society Advocate for Electoral Reform - February 2010
On the eve of parliamentary deliberations on Lebanon's electoral law, OTI partners coordinated a number of public events to debate proposed reforms. The events highlighted how civic activism has spread to the local level and gave young people a chance to demonstrate their interest in participating in the decision-making process.
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Youth Activists Bring Peace to Majdel Anjar - January 2010
A group of 80 young people in Majdel Anjar has embraced activism and started to change the Beqaa village’s reputation for violence and tense relations with the military. Working in conjunction with the local Association for Working Women and with OTI support, the young activists are spreading a message of peaceful coexistence throughout the community.
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Youth Lead Momentous Independence Day Events - December 2009
On November 22, young activists across Lebanon joined forces to lead their communities in Independence Day celebrations to demonstrate their commitment to constructing a sense of national identity. OTI supported 12 youth organizations with event coordination and advertising and helped foster a sense of solidarity among the groups.
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Shooting Hoops for Peaceful Coexistence - December 2009
GAM3, a nonprofit working to empower Lebanese youth and in partnership with OTI, recruited more than 500 participants from conflict-affected Beirut suburbs to receive basketball coaching combined with conflict resolution training. The group then organized tournaments that eschewed the normal political overtones.
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Youth Municipality Revives Bint Jbeil's Heritage - November 2009
An independent group of young people has turned a page in the history of Bint Jbeil by hosting the community's first apolitical cultural activity in more than a decade. The group organized Cultural Heritage Day after attending a series of civic education workshops offered, with OTI support, by the Lebanese Sports and Cultural Club, a Bint Jbeil-based NGO.
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Young Activists Tap Power of New Media - November 2009
A group of young activists in Lebanon recently completed an intensive five-month program on the use of new media tools. Designed by Social Media Exchange and supported by OTI, the training is helping young people make their voices heard and connecting them to civil society actors and citizens across the country.
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Theater Group Bridges Lebanese-Palestinian Divide - October 2009
Lebanese and Palestinian youth from marginalized communities near Tripoli are using theater to spread messages of tolerance and peace. With support from OTI, the Ribat Association, a Beddawi-based NGO, is fostering youth engagement on civic initiatives in these mixed communities and encouraging young people to act as voices of peace.
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Youth Reclaim Village as Cultural and Tourist Center - October 2009
The youth-oriented Yammouneh Cultural Club is sponsoring a wide a range of projects that are reviving the Beqaa village's reputation as a hub of cultural and tourist activities, and OTI support provided the impetus for the Club to begin its work with youth interested in addressing community needs.
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Youth and Government Officials Debate Openly - August 2009
Young people from southern Lebanon had a rare opportunity to voice their opinions in a series of high-profile debates with politicians. The events were organized by local NGO Shu'on Janoubiya in the run-up to the country's parliamentary elections and focused on issues of concern to youth.
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Sewing the Seeds of Opportunity in Beqaa - June 2009
Fifty-six young people from the Beqaa improved their chances for employment through a unique vocational training program offered by the Baalbeck Association for Environment and Culture, with support from OTI. The program provided instruction in sewing techniques, and the participants are reviving and taking pride in the traditional handcraft.
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Youth in Tripoli Vote to Make Their Voices Heard - June 2009
Nearly 2,500 Lebanese youths "voted" for the first time in a mock election and, if an election law is enacted, will vote for real in the 2010 parliamentary elections. The youth organization Shabab al Balad, partnering with OTI, staged the election to engage young people in the democratic process and prepare them to take part in their country's future.
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Youth Clubs Foster Activism in Ouzai Neighborhood - May 2009
The Youth Committee in the Beirut neighborhood of Ouzai has formed seven clubs focusing on a variety of interests to give young people an opportunity to explore their talents. With support from OTI, and using an innovative curriculum produced by local NGO Jouzour, the committee is linking the concepts of citizenship, conflict resolution, teamwork, and nonviolence to club activities.
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National Bus Tour Links Youth to Promote Peace - May 2009
Lebanese youth activists commemorated the anniversary of the end of the country's Civil War by spreading messages of peace during a "peace bus" tour. The diverse group was brought together by Zico House, a local arts organization, and linked OTI partners working on dialogue and peace-building initiatives throughout the country.
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Citizenship Clubs Unite Students in Baalbeck - April 2009
The "citizenship academy"—designed by the OTI-supported Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training—seeks to empower youth with skills that open doors to civic activism. And when more than 2,000 students from Baalbeck took part in a recent academy, their lives began to change as they became more active in their communities.
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Youth Group Makes Headway in Resolving Conflicts - April 2009
In Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, youths from two remote villages have been sparked into community activism at their new youth center—supported by local NGO Sanabel al Ataa (Grains of Giving) and OTI. The youths started discussions on the roots of violence, such as revenge and violation of property, and devised an innovative campaign to beautify the village of Nabha.
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Theater and Dialogue Inspire Youth Activism - March 2009
A new and innovative Lebanese NGO, with support from OTI, is helping youths from different educational and sectarian backgrounds to develop creative, communication, and critical-thinking skills. The youths are exploring theater and engaging in journalism and dialogues, gaining valuable skills and building trust within the group and bonds between each other.
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Vocational Training Helps Youths Find Jobs in Akkar - March 2009
In the economically depressed Akkar region of northern Lebanon, the Women's Charity League—with a grant from OTI—is offering the next generation of Alawite, Christian, and Sunni children a chance to learn a practical profession.
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New Youth Clubs Connect Communities in the South - February 2009
Three new youth clubs in southern Lebanon are embarking on new and constructive efforts many thought were not possible. At the instigation of Blue Mission, a peace-education organization, and with assistance from OTI, the youths made improvements in their communities, including a public garden, a clock tower, and covered bus stops, and coordinated health-awareness events and a sports competition.
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Youth Campaigns Model Active Citizenship - January 2009
Beirut youths are mobilizing others for positive action through unconventional advocacy campaigns, street performances, and by working in schools, thanks to the League of Independent Activists (IndyAct), a youth-led organization partnered with OTI. NGOs in Jordan and Egypt are now interested in replicating this success.
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Hip-Hoppers Become Advocates for Peace - January 2009
Using art as an advocacy technique, Lebanese youths from the Permanent Peace Movement, supported by OTI, capitalized on the country's growing hip-hop scene to spread messages of peace and nonviolence to their peers who are typically uninterested in conventional peace-building dialogues.
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Youth Remake Park as Multiuse Civic Space - December 2008
Youth in Hermel, Lebanon, have taken the initiative-supported by Development Culture and Giving and OTI-to take back, renovate, and manage their community's only shared, nonpolitical space, or Minshiyeh, for recreation and cultural activities.
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Accessibility Study Contributes to Electoral Reform - November 2008
Using the accessibility issue as a doorway to electoral reform dialogue, the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union (LPHU) is helping to ensure maximum community participation in upcoming elections. With support from OTI and in partnership with the Youth Association for the Blind, LPHU surveyed and mapped the accessibility of designated polling stations in Beirut.
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Mixed Community Celebrates New Park - November 2008
The mixed Lebanese-Palestinian community of Burghliyeh in southern Lebanon has been celebrating its new community park, the culmination of several small-scale infrastructure improvements. Part of a larger OTI-funded project, the park provides a common meeting point for Lebanese and Palestinians, as well as a social outlet for youth in an area where youth-friendly spaces are limited.
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New Web Site Brings Diverse Community Together - November 2008
A diverse group of youths from the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon have developed an online platform, supported by the Tyre Cultural Foundation and OTI, to offer the public a nonaligned space for dialogue while also publicizing nonpartisan activities and events.
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Youth Develop Independent Voice in Nabatyeh - November 2008
Members of the nonpartisan Youth Network in Nabatyeh, a stronghold of extremist political parties, literally stopped traffic on Independence Day, grabbing the city's attention with street-side activities that included a "wall magazine" on which passersby were asked to write their personal definitions of true independence.
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Activists Use New Media for Advocacy and Education - October 2008
Social advocates across Lebanon have begun applying powerful "new media" methodologies to advance a spectrum of causes, thanks to resources being provided by the Social Media Exchange project at RootSpace, a local NGO, and support from OTI.
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Palestinian, Lebanese Youth Forge New Friendships - October 2008
A nascent, youth-led organization has helped break down barriers between Lebanese and Palestinian youth near the Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon. With OTI support, the group is challenging stereotypes fueled by a history of tensions.
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Youth Join Forces to Improve Their Communities - October 2008
Youth in Al Villat, a mixed Lebanese-Palestinian community deeply affected by recurring violence in the nearby refugee camp, applied newly learned leadership skills by organizing a one-month children's program to promote nonviolence through recreational, educational, and artistic activities.
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High School Students Experience Democratic Process - September 2008
Led by local nongovernmental organization 05Amam, with support from OTI, students from three Lebanese high schools experienced the democratic process firsthand, electing an interscholastic student council to come up with ideas for a community development project.
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Community Theater Harnesses Youth Talents - August 2008
A bit of Broadway came to Lebanon recently, as youths staged their own contemporary theater productions through a project led, with OTI support, by Lebanese NGO Zico House and designed to encourage youth participation in creative activities instead of divisive politics.
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Conservation Project Unites Neighboring Villages - August 2008
Two villages are overcoming religious and political differences through a project designed to mitigate conflict by preserving an environmentally significant wetland in the Beqaa Valley. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon is heading the project that encourages residents from both villages to work together.
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Southern Lebanese Farmers Find Common Ground - June 2008
Lebanese farmers shared stories of their agricultural successes and challenges in a series of workshops led by local NGO Scientific Research Foundation and designed to improve cross-confessional cooperation in the segregated region.
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Youth Network Spreads Message of Tolerance - June 2008
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives is supporting a network of 180 youths from all regions of Lebanon to engage in civic activities through community-based initiatives.
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South Lebanon Villages Exposed to New Ideas - May 2008
A series of workshops in southern Lebanon run by the Partnership Center for Development and Democracy, with support from OTI, is introducing villagers to democratic principles and challenging traditional ways of dealing with community-level conflicts.
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Music and Song Urge Lebanese To Take a Stand - April 2008
Music was the language of choice for Nehna Kelna's public appeal for peace and unity on the 33rd anniversary of the start of Lebanon's civil war. With OTI support, the activist youth group, whose name means All of Us in Arabic, recorded and broadcast a song, "Take a Stand," from a convoy of cars during a 14-hour musical advocacy tour of Beirut and Saida.
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Enough of Hiding in Bathrooms: 600 Toilets Make a Dramatic Point - April 2008
"Haven't 15 years of hiding in the toilets been enough?" This was the question posed by Lebanese artist Nada Sehnaoui at a two-week exhibit of 600 toilets. The exhibit, supported by OTI, served as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by political stalemate and polarized rhetoric.
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Improving Conditions in Underserved Communities - April 2008
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), with OTI support, is helping to improve the quality of life in areas housing a mix of Palestinian refugees and low-income Lebanese citizens. ANERA is working with local partners in Tyre, where successive waves of Palestinian refugees have created pressures on cash-strapped municipalities and tense relationships with neighbors.
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NGOs Make Inroads Despite Political Crisis - March 2008
Despite a volatile situation and an uncertain future, Lebanese NGOs continue to act as service providers, voices of change, and consensus builders. Since September 2007, OTI has built ties with diverse partners through small grants and technical assistance to help diffuse the tensions exacerbated by polarized political rhetoric.
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Youth Advocacy on Environment Demonstrates Shared Vision - March 2008
Youths with differing political backgrounds from across Lebanon have joined forces to publicize air pollution studies, encourage government officials to adopt stricter measures to control air pollution, and demonstrate that Lebanese people can work together to address critical issues affecting the country.
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Teams Seek Consensus on Development Priorities - March 2008
With OTI support, Catholic Relief Services is working in Lebanese villages to build consensus among different community and religious groups to identify development priorities and draw up strategic plans for each locale.
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