Projects

SUMMARY
KHAYAL targeted young people in 2 marginalized neighborhoods in the suburbs of Beirut, seeking to empower them as youth leaders through artistic expression and advocacy involving trainings, workshops and exposure to various cultural activities.

BACKGROUND
Bourj Al Barajneh and Bourj Hammoud are 2 suburb areas of Beirut with very different ethnic and religious backgrounds; a Muslim Shiite majority in Bourj Al Barajneh and a Christian majority in Bourj Hammoud and the nearby Nabaa area. The absence of government institutions, basic services and infra structures, as well as the lack of cultural spaces and leisure activities targeting at young people (who represent the majority of the population in both areas) in both neighborhoods increases the risk of seeing these young people eventually fall victims to fanaticism, the culture of violence, moral and social aberration and, finally, immigration. This project proposes to strengthen the leadership capacities of young people in those neighborhoods through their acquisition of artistic skills, so that they may become advocates for the common social needs of both communities while working to address these needs dissociated from any ethnic or religious affiliation.

TARGET GROUPS
- 40 young people aged between 15 and 20 years old, from both regions
- Social animators and youth leaders

OBJECTIVE(S)
Build communication skills among young people in order to enable them to take on leading roles in the development of their communities, using artistic tools