Lebanon

LEAP - Engaging Young Leaders for Positive Change

In Lebanon, the Leadership, Empowerment and Awareness Programme LEAP is an opportunity for young people who have the will, courage, and persistence to stand up in a decision-making position. It implements social policy initiatives at the national and regional levels. The programme is a space where participants translate the themes and content of their discussions into their respective social and professional environments and are encouraged to form advocacy groups to enable their ideas to influence public opinion and major policy decisions. It is designed to support young people so that they can gain the trust and support of large segments of the community. LEAP sees itself as a space in which socio-political youth are guided to see themselves as active members of society; to find their own role and actively participate in the socio-political life of their country and region.

Youth Participation

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), young people make up a large part of the population, and yet they are often not involved in political decision-making processes. Young people who felt politically and economically marginalised and not taken seriously by those in power, played a significant role during the uprisings of 2010/11. More