Youth Model Democratic Processes
Residents in north Lebanon villages vote on community improvement projects.
Political decision-making processes in Lebanon provide young people with few opportunities for meaningful participation. For example, citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 were unable to cast ballots in last year's municipal elections because the Parliament failed to adopt a law that would have given them the right to vote.
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| A young man casts a ballot for his favorite youth-initiated community project.
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However, young people from Minieh, Deir Aamar, Beddaoui, Mohammara, and Bhannine—five of north Lebanon's most underprivileged villages—were not to be deterred: they are expressing themselves and demonstrating that they can be advocates for the democratic process in their communities.
The Lebanese NGO Mosawat, with support from USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), hosted a series of workshops on municipal roles and responsibilities, advocacy, citizenship, and conflict resolution. Following the workshops, young people from the villages carried out community projects that reflected their aspirations for beautifying their communities and for challenging
the status quo.
"We wanted to show our community that [young people] are not troublemakers and prove to the municipality that, no matter how little the resources are, one can achieve good results. [Lack of] resources is just an alibi," said Mahmoud Bikai, 18, who helped paint a mural in Bhannine.
Once the projects were complete, Mosawat held an election so residents from the five villages could vote for the most inspiring project. The election let the region's youth—even those under 21—participate in a democratic balloting process. A poster on a local bus read: "Did you know that you can now vote? If you are more than 16 years old, vote for the best youth project."
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"When electing our representatives, we should put family considerations aside and base our choice on qualifications. I would choose a young and experienced candidate with whom I share the same aspirations."
—Nabil Sobhieh, 23
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Mosawat's young associates were excited about promoting the balloting. "Although we know that there is a tendency for each one of us to vote for his or her village, at least we started considering the public interest as compared to the usual consideration for family and political affiliations," said 20-year-old Fawaz Jajya.
The project participants demonstrated high levels of sportsmanship, and the Beddaoui project eventually topped the polls.
"This is a good starting point…if each one of us starts with his village, soon we could effect a larger-scale change, not only in infrastructure but also in minds," Oussama Sobhieh, 18, said.
For further information, please contact:
Marialice Ariens, Program Manager, 202-712-4031, mariens@usaid.gov
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