The “Youth Citizens of Today” is a partnership project between Masar Association and UNICEF. It has started in 2017 in 6 communities across Lebanon and has expanded into 20 communities in 2020.
The project aims at providing a space for youth from across Lebanon to get organized into youth- led initiatives, meet, interact, exchange experiences, and become familiar with diversity. The project aims also at empowering young people to become active in local development processes, as well as at encouraging them to establish sustainable communication and collaboration mechanisms with local authorities, and at strengthening their networking with relevant stakeholders over youth issues.
Project activities include:
- Organizing training workshops for youth on developmental concepts and skills e.g. human rights, child rights, development& youth development, citizenship, gender, community service, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution & transformation, advocacy…
- Organizing training workshops with youth on research tools following the “Participatory Action Research” (PAR) method and rolling it out among other youth through the “peer to peer” approach across the targeted communities.
- Organizing ongoing meetings between the youth- led initiatives and the municipal councils in their respective communities with the aim to strengthen a structured dialogue whereby youth can voice out their demands and influence the municipal councils to have youth friendly plans.
- Planning and implementing advocacy projects that address youth priorities identified in the need assessment or research phase.
In 2020, the “Youth Citizens of Today” project is being implemented in 7 governorates, as follows, whereby 180 young males and females have participated so far in its various activities.
Areas of implementation to date are:
- South and Nabatiyeh: Harouf, Hibbarieh, Nabatieh El Tahta, Old Saida,
- Bekaa and Baalbeck- Hermel: Hermel, Qaa, Ras Baalbeck, Fakiha, Jeb Jennine, Mansoura Qob Elias, Rachaya
- North: Beddawi, Tripoli
- Mount Lebanon: Aley, Baakline, Badghan, Chahime, Ketermaya, Mazboud