Lebanon has been an active participant in YouthCaN and has hosted a yearly YouthCaN Med regional conference with regional and international participation, including a live video-conference with the NYC YouthCaN conference participants, since 2001.
YouthCaN is a project for students to engage in and discuss environmental issues and solutions. Students select topics of their choice to research and implement local action to address those issues from awareness campaigns to river cleanups and recycling programs. They discuss and collaborate with their peers in Lebanon and around the world throughout the year and present their projects at the annual conference.
In 2006 we are planning to restart some of the ongoing activities, especially the hikes, which were disrupted by the Cedar Revolution and instability that dominated the country throughout the last year.
The YouthCaN Med online course began in January and will run through March 16th. I am participating in the course, which has 22 active participants, and I have also met with several of the teachers at their schools. Many schools that have been participating in YouthCaN for years are continuing to be active this year and quite a few new teachers and schools are planning their first projects. The combination offers a great dynamic; and if the enthusiasm of the teachers is any measure the projects are going to be excellent.
This year’s annual conference will be on April 10 at the American Community School in Beirut. I am in charge of facilitating the event, which is entirely coordinated by the students, and the first major planning meeting for is Friday, February 17.
Bush is forever saying that democracies do not invade other countries and start wars. Well, he did just that. He invaded Iraq, started a war, and killed people. What do you think? How does that work in a democracy again? How does being more threatening make us more likeable?Isn’t the country with
the most weapons the biggest threat to the rest of the world? When one country is the biggest threat to the rest of the world, isn’t that likely to be the most hated country?
What happened to us, people? When did we become such lemmings?
We have lost friends and influenced no one. No wonder most of the world thinks we suck. Thanks to what george bush has done to our country during the past three years, we do!