Prairie Summer

Sunday morning we went to the center to meet with MP Yassine Jaber. The Nabatieh native and former Minister of Economy and Trade has an office in the center where he can be found every Sunday, unless he is traveling, and welcomes people from the community to come speak with him. I think this is great. That kind of open accessibility (and time sacrifice) is impressive and can have a real impact on his ability to represent the interests of the region. I don’t know if this is common for Lebanon or not, but can you imagine if politicians in the United States did this?

He spoke about his desire to provide more opportunities for the local people, especially the youth, to learn tangible skills and be engaged in interactive activities. The community is dynamic and embraces opportunities when they are offered but until the center was created there were few options. His personal and financial commitment has made a real impact on the community and he sees the center having a growing presence. We talked about plans for our new joint project at the center, the long-term possibilities for the center’s development and he took the time to answer some of my many questions about the history of the region.

Unfortunately as we talked the rally in Beirut was turning into a riot, and my return to the city was delayed until the crowds subsided. Discussing the protests and the controversy surrounding the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad with some of the people at the center was an edifying experience and I think gave each of us a more informed and open perspective. It also reinforced the importance of dialogue. While the dialogue started and ended with some opposing views, I gained a greater understanding and respect for those stances through the discussion. It was a great dialogue. That is exactly what is so crucial and wonderful about the project we will be starting in Nabatieh, about all of the iEARN projects, is that they facilitate open dialogue, the sharing of ideas and a respect for the perspectives of others.

Project Overview:
Establish structured, after-school activities that empower youth and promote democracy in action. Projects will engage youth in collaborative projects structured, instructor-lead media literacy, Internet technology, environmental, social and communication arts activities. Provide alternative outlets and practical skills training for youth in the community as well as promote public awareness and involvement in current issues, build advocacy skills and empower youth to be active participants in civil society.

Target Population:
Youth ages 12-17 in the entire Nabatieh Mouhafatha. (Lebanon is divided into six governates, or mohafazat. Nabatieh is both the name of a governate and of a district village.) A total of 300 youth will be included in the initial phase of the project and from those, 40 will be selected to serve as youth leaders to work with the center’s summer programs. Applications will be distributed and project briefings will be held at all schools in the governate.

Planned Activities:
A training-of-trainers will be conducted to create a core of 16 dedicated and skilled local practitioners to work with the youth in Nabatieh. This team will include six trainers already actively engaged with the center.

Course materials and curriculum will be developed for the media and journalism training. The exact form of this training is still in development but will provide basic journalism training in the form of media ethics, writing skills, understanding what makes news, balance and objectivity, interviewing skills and research and fact-finding techniques. A section will also be devoted to blogging, including the differences between emerging and traditional media and training on how to create a blog. Depending on student interest this could also include basic HTML training. All of these materials will be developed in Arabic and English and students will be able to submit their work in either language.

Youth participating in this online course will write and publish reports on the other activities in the center and gain the skills and experience to be active participants in the evolving media sector. All of the materials and reports will be available online in both languages and the format of this training course also allows for its expansion to include students throughout Lebanon and the Middle East.

Youth involved in “environmental” activities will be invited to participate in the well-established YouthCaN Med program to discuss, explore, present and communicate with youth throughout Lebanon and around the world about environmental issues. (Another posting will be devoted to detailing the YouthCaN program and activities for this year.)

Seminars with themes designed to heighten awareness of children’s rights, peace education, communication techniques, and understanding, tolerating and respecting the other will also be held but I will not be working directly with these activities.

Goals and Outcomes:
1. Actively engage youth in civil society and democratization projects
2. Provide and develop valuable life and work skills training including, but definitely not limited to:
– critical thinking
– decision-making
– writing and researching
– communication and debate
– use of Internet, computers and new technologies
3. Foster community service projects and awareness campaigns
4. Produce news articles and blogs
5. Establish a network of youth
6. Help youth develop a broader worldview and become active participants in shaping their community and addressing the issues of the 21st century

Additional Comments:
I am enthusiastic and a bit daunted by the scope of this proposal, which has been submitted but not approved for funding yet. As the days pass it will be increasingly difficult to implement with the time I have left as a WEC volunteer. Although some aspects of the timeline can be altered, some dates, like exams, the end of the school year and the conclusion of my year of service, are non-negotiable. I hope we have an answer soon!

Creating the materials for the media training is a daunting task and I am really looking forward to starting. I want to create a new type of training style that will be fun and simple. Many of the youth in southern Lebanon are not accustomed to using computers or the Internet and I want them to embrace this opportunity and be excited about being able to share their news and activities with other Lebanese and the whole world. That is the great power of the Internet. More and more bloggers are emerging as the new cadre of journalists that can be the alternate media and the voice of the people in places where the traditional media is still restricted by the government. The evolving legitimacy and popularity of blogging makes for an exciting and industry-transforming new wave of media practices and practitioners.

I truly want to these students to understand that they can use news reporting and blogging as an outlet and to have a voice. They are the new journalists. Sharing their stories and lives online can generate dialogue and foster understanding with others across the globe and right here within Lebanon. This country is so diverse and remains in the midst of such rapid transformation that a greater level of open dialogue among people throughout Lebanon is critical. How the youth feel and what they have to say is important and this project has the potential to give them the skills and tools to make their voices heard. I think this is a key step in ensuring that everyone within the country is an active participant in shaping the future of Lebanon.

Looking out across the village of Nabatieh from a cafe on the hill.

As Maria and I sat having tea and discussing the center a storm rolled in, followed by a beautiful rainbow.

The road to the south of Lebanon winds along the coast with large portions of the landscape virtually undeveloped. Driving toward Nabatieh, Mediterranean Sea stretched out as far as I could see and to the east were lush lands comprised mostly of orange groves and lemon trees, dripping with fresh fruit, while the mountains loomed in the distance.

We arrived at Maria’s building on the outskirts of Ansar, my new home for a week, which has sweeping views of the mountains and surrounding lands. The area is inland from the sea and a short drive from the village of Nabatieh.

The view from Maria’s balcony:

After I got settled, Maria took me to the youth center in Nabatieh, which was established in 1996 and is so much more than I had expected! The huge two-story building has a library, several classrooms, offices and a basketball court out front. The staff is young and lively, speaks various levels of English and they all seem very energetic and dedicated. I am looking forward to working with them and getting to know them better.

The center has five computers with Internet access but they are not online all the time. Access can be granted as needed but this is an important aspect to think about when planning and implementing projects. Ideally, a simple and reliable connectivity schedule should be established so participating youth will know when they can come to the center to get online. I am sure we can come up with a reasonable schedule based on when students are most able to come to the center.

Since 1999 the center has been offering free classes in everything from ballet, jazz, and painting to marketing, languages and cosmetology. There is also a large performance hall and the center hosts an array of additional summer programs. The only downside is that the building has no heat, which I am sure most of the year is not a problem, but this week it is definitely a bit cold!

The project that we will be starting at the center, if the funding is approved, will be a major expansion and will involve the creation of several new clubs focusing on the environment, social and communication arts, journalism and media training and Internet technology. This new program will also include a training-of-trainers. I will give a more comprehensive overview of the project soon. I will be mainly involved in the development and implementation of the journalism segment of the project, which I am really looking forward to designing, although it will be a challenge because everything needs to be in Arabic and English. I would love to say my Arabic skills have advanced enough to make this an area I can handle but unfortunately, although I can give directions, be polite and buy groceries, I am simply not capable of teaching, editing or holding substantive discussions in Arabic (yet!).