Honoring teachers at LOST-Hermel

Hermel Branch hosted an eminent ceremony on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. This event was part of the “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work” program that LOST is implementing in its four branches in Baalbeck-Hermel. Several social, political and academic figures attended the event with massive participation of youth and their parents.
The exhibition included graphics, handicrafts and poems created by talented students for the occasion.
The event ended by presenting a short film on social media to spectators and distributing flowers to all teachers.

It was an event of special taste in Hermel. It was a chance to express gratitude to all teachers who play an indispensable role in educating youth and developing society.

Celebrating Teachers’ day at LOST-Baalbeck

“We highly estimate your crucial role in educating youth and developing our society”. By this expression, The Academy of Municipal Work in LOST addressed the teachers of Baalbeck-Hermel by celebrating teachers’ day on March 15, 2011 Baalbeck. More than 400 teachers attended the celebration in addition to Academy members, friends and parents.The exhibition included different graphics, poems and handicrafts prepared by talented students for the occasion. LAS and LYN youth members participated in this event. Some talented students from LAS presented a catchy musical recital. Moreover, the LYN trainees presented a parade of defensive and combative arts and a wonderful gymnastic show.

The event ended by a splendid folkloric performance presented by Hayakel Baalbeck group.

It was an event to remember. Students were happy mixing informally with their teachers in a very rare occasion. It was a chance to say “thanks” for all teachers whose role is indispensable for developing our society.

Youth are planting trees in Hermel

Despite the cold and rainy weather, young participants of the Academy of Youth and Municipal Work insisted on carrying on the forestation campaign in Hermel. The campaign started in the morning of Sunday the 27th of February with remarkable participation of students’ parents and local inhabitants who showed up to offer help and support. Mr. Mokhles Amhaz , Hermel High school’s director, was planting trees alongside with students.                 
The Youth of the Academy of Hermel enjoyed the participation in the forestation campaign as their friends from LOST did in all branches. Mohamad Jawhary from Kasr- Sahlat Al May high school said “this event is wonderful; it teaches us the real meaning of cooperation”. Rawan Hamadeh, a youth club member confirmed that “this campaign is one of the most remarkable activities that LOST is doing in Hermel. So we, the lovers of environment and trees, thank LOST for this voluntary work which urges cooperation among youth to support and preserve the environment.”
Marleine Dandach from Namouzajiya Technical Institution felt very satisfied to be an active member of her community, she enjoyed planting trees but what she loved most was the sense of cooperation and responsibility that her friends in the Academy were showing during that day. She thanked LOST by saying “I cannot imagine that LOST let us plant 104 trees today.”

Planting trees has a special taste for youth. It helped them work together to protect the environment and serve their community.

Accepting each other by visiting one another

As part of the “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work” program Lost organized the Hosting program for more than 100 youth from diverse villages in Baalbeck-Hermel region. The program started in Baalbeck and it will reach the other three centers of LOST. In this program students visit each other from different sects to break ice and reduce sectarian divide.
This program aims at strengthening the social bonds among youth and breaking sectarian barriers. It assists youth to understand positively the confessional diversity of their country.
“Such activity has a special taste because it helps us accept our friends and partners from other sects” said Omar a youth club member.
Hussein Chouman, a youth coordinator from LOST, confirmed that “it is our mission to strengthen youth relationships, to help them understand each other and eventually empower them to work together to achieve a positive change in our society.”
The Hosting program is continuing throughout the month of March and it will involve more than 30 visits.

The forestation campaign goes ahead in Nabi Othman, Ein and Ras Baalbeck villages

In February 2011, the Youth Municipality of Fakeha started the forestation campaign in Nabi Othman, El Ein and Ras Baalbeck villages with remarkable participation of youth and representatives of actual municipalities.

The campaign kicked off in Ras Baalbeck where the director of Ras Baalbeck high school delivered a speech in which he expressed his gratitude to LOST for organizing this big forestation campaign to achieve environmental benefits and consolidate youth belonging to their community. While a group of youth was planting in Ras Baalbeck, other groups were planting in Nabi Othman and El Ein in the same day.

Abbas Haj Hussein, a youth coordinator from LOST said that this campaign aims at expanding the green areas in Lebanon due to the importance of forestation in purifying air.He added that such kind of activities helps in strengthening the spirit of cooperation among youth.

“This campaign is a chance provided by LOST to serve our community and to prove how much we love Lebanon” said Nibal Harba from the Academy of Youth and Municipal Work.

Launching NGOs Training Program in Bekaa

On Friday February 25, The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training launched in Baalbeck a specific training program for Bekaa NGOs in the presence of Mr Omar Yassin, the Kaemakam of Baalbeck and representatives of more than 40 NGOs from Baalbeck-Hermel region. After the Lebanese Anthem, Mr Ahmad Tfaily from LOST welcomed the audience and explained the program and its objectives.

“The purpose of this program is to empower local NGOs to become active agents and institutions in encouraging positive change in the region” he said.  Mr Tfaily’s welcoming note was followed by a speech delivered by Mr Omar Yassin who stressed the role of civil society organizations in promoting local development. He added “we are always used to creative and innovative programs and activities that LOST is doing in the region, however, this program has a special consideration because it involves more than 40 NGOs in the region. I believe that such projects can have a great impact on human development in Bekaa.”

 The objective of the NGOs Training Program is to empower local NGOs from Baalbeck-Hermel and to develop their managerial and technical skills. The program is made up of six training workshops as follows:

1. How to manage an NGO
2. How to write a project proposal
3. Two workshops on social media training
4. Managing communication and media relations
5. NGO Networking.

Mr salah Zaiter, LOST’s training director lead the first workshop on NGO Management in which he presented to participants different models of management, and he explained how to establish an NGO according to Lebanese laws. Mr Zaiter also distributed to participants different specimen that could be needed to uphold legally an NGO in Lebanon. At the end of the workshop LOST created a blog for the NGOs Training Program.

 The workshop was followed by a lunch at Baytna restaurant. The second workshop will be on Sunday March 6 at 10 am at the center of the Lebanese Youth Network in Ras El Ein, Baalbeck.

Youth are planting trees in Baalbeck

As part of the “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work“ program that LOST is conducting for the academic year 2010-2011 in the region of Baalbeck-Hermel, the Youth Municipalities of Baalbeck, Chmestar, El Fakha  and El Hermel  launched a forestation  campaign in Baalbeck on Saturday 19 February 2011.

Youth from the Academy of Baalbeck decided to launch the campaign in the campus of the Lebanese University-Faculty of Science in Baalbeck with a massive participation of youth from the Lebanese University, youth clubs and the Youth Municipality of Baalbeck. While a group of youth was planting trees in Baalbeck other group was planting in Iaat in collaboration with the municipality of Iaat. More than 75 trees were planted in the same day by more than fifty members of the Academy and their friends.
Such campaign aims at achieving environmental benefits and consolidating youth belonging to their country. “The involvement of youth in public work and their participation in such activities reinforce their patriotism and strengthen their relationship with the community” added Omar Bayan, a youth coordinator in Baalbeck.

Youth participating in the campaign carried different messages and believed that the event was more than planting trees. “I am here today to participate in protecting the environment and I work with other friends in the Academy to strengthen the spirit of cooperation and partnership among youth from different sects,” said Mohamad Othman a young member of the Academy of Municipal Work.
 
“We found out that the more we work together, the better we serve our community” was a statement repeated by many students of the Academy.

Youth from Chmestar visited the Municipality of Baakleen

 As part of the “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work” program that LOST is conducting for the academic year 2010-2011, the Youth Municipality of Chmestar visited the municipality of Baakleen where they met the mayor Dr. Noha Ghasini and other municipality members.

Dr. Ghasini stressed on the importance of local governance to promote balanced development in Lebanon. She discussed with youth the various projects implemented by the municipality in Baakleen such as the waste management plant and the agricultural research center. The mayor valued highly the role of LOST in helping youth to engage in municipal affairs and make them learn more about the responsibilities and authorities of municipalities in managing community affairs.

After meeting the municipality, the youth toured in Baakleen and visited the different sites of the city; they were impressed by the national library of Baakleen where they had the longest stopover.

At the end of this visit, the Director of Beit-Shama Branch Mr. Hussein Yazbeck handed a honoring shield to the mayor of Baakleen Dr. Noha Ghasini and thanked her on behalf of LOST for hosting the youth municipality of Chmestar.

Launching the Academy of Youth and Municipal Work for 2011

Under the auspices of Dr. Ali Abdallah, the Minister of Youth and Sport, LOST launched the “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work” for the first season of the year 2011 on January 15, 2011 at Tammouz Hall- Baalbeck. Several political, social and municipal figures attended the event with massive participation of youth and their parents in addition to remarkable presence of many Mukhtars and CSO representatives.
Dr. Ramy Lakkis announced the new programs offered by the Academy for the year 2011, and explained the importance of conducting such programs in Baalbeck-Hermel. In his speech, Dr. Lakkis affirmed that through these programs LOST aims at engaging youth and helping them to become active citizens capable of participating energetically in public life. “These programs, he added, have new methodological approaches that involve youth in instigating positive change in society.”
Dr. Lakkis added that the Academy of Youth and Municipal Work is part of LOST’s strategy in 1) helping people to participate in the development of their society, 2) in demanding national governmental institutions to perform their roles in solving various problems of a deprived region such as Baalbeck-Hermel, and 3) in cooperating with international donors in order to implement new developmental projects at grass-root levels.
At the end, Dr. Lakkis presented the general programs of LOST for the first season of 2011 which includes: women’s empowerment courses, English and computer training courses for youth and teachers, in addition to several social and developmental activities.
Dr. Lakkis’ speech was followed with a speech by the Minister of Youth and Sport Dr. Ali Abdallah who stressed on the role of LOST in developing the skills of youth in different domains. Dr. Abdallah thanked LOST for her generous efforts and hoped that “all the Lebanese ministries and institutions work in the same spirit.”
In his turn, the Kaemakam of Baalbeck Mr. Omar Yasin said that LOST goes ahead in its national course. He added “LOST launches today the project of the Academy of Municipal Work due to the significance of the municipal works in developing local societies”, and he hoped that the Academy can maintain itself as a long term project.
At the end, Dr. Abdullah, Mr.  Yasin and Dr Lakkis  handed “Thank You” letters to the journalists of Baalbeck-Hermel for their efforts in servicing their society.

“Learn by Visit”: Youth Municipalities of LOST visited 3 municipalities in Lebanon

As part of the program “Academy of Youth and Municipal Work” three visits were conducted by youth from three different Youth Municipalities in Hermel, Fakeha and Baalbeck in December 2010 and January 2011. The purposes of the visits were 1) to engage youth from Baalbeck-Hermel in municipal affairs outside their villages in order to help them know and learn more about successful municipal work and projects, 2) to help youth visit different places in Lebanon in order to understand positively the confessional diversity of their country.

The Youth Municipality of Hermel headed by the director of El Hermel Branch, Mr. Hasan Taha visited the municipality of Zahle where they met the mayor Mr. Joseph Maalouf .The youth discussed with Mr. Maalouf different issues focusing on the role of municipalities in promoting local development. After the meeting the Youth Municipality visited Joseph Skaff Park, the municipal library and the tour ended by a lunch in Anjar.

The Youth Municipality of Fakeha chaired by Mr. Abbas Hajj Hussein, the director of Al Ain Branch visited the municipality of Rashaya and met the mayor General Marwan Zaky on 28 December at 9 am.  After accepting the purpose of the visit, the Mayor estimated the essential role of LOST in educating youth on national values and in helping them to become Lebanese active citizens. Mr. Marwan Zaky explained to youth the role of the municipality in building a stable community on the basis of “equality, justice and tolerance”.

On January 7, youth from the Academy in Baalbeck visited the municipality of Tyre. They were welcomed by the Mayor Mr. Hasan Dbouk. After discussing the various municipal affairs with the municipal members, the youth toured in Tyre and discovered the archaeological sites and the waterfront of the city.

 

These visits had a special taste. They helped youth to learn about the importance of municipal work by discovering successful experiences and meeting peoples who had real success in the field. Moreover, the discussions made allowed youth to understand more about the powers and authorities of municipalities in managing community affairs.