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My Civic Future - Project Brief
My Civic Future is an eight-month youth civic engagement initiative designed to re-energize young people's connection to citizenship, dialogue, and collective action in Lebanon. In a national context marked by fragmentation and declining trust in public life, the program creates meaningful pathways for youth to understand their civic role, develop leadership skills, and contribute to shaping Lebanon's future.
Powered by the Rotary Club's longstanding commitment to peacebuilding, education, and service, My Civic Future leverages the strong national network of Rotary Clubs to deliver activities across all regions of Lebanon. This decentralized, community-rooted approach ensures broad accessibility, diversity, and inclusion-bringing youth together from different areas, backgrounds, and realities.
The initiative is steered by a Central Project Committee composed of 10 engaged Rotary Clubs, each contributing leadership, outreach, and operational support:
RC Beirut Cedars, RC Beirut Center, RC de Beyrouth, RC Pax Potentia, RC Metn Gate, RC Tyr Europa, RC Sahel Metn, RC Aley, and RC Kesrouan.
Three Pillars of the Program
1. Civic Circles of Discussion
Regular, inclusive, and guided discussion circles that allow youth to explore key themes such as citizenship, rights and responsibilities, democracy, social cohesion, unity in diversity, and civic activism. These circles help youth develop critical thinking, build mutual understanding, and engage across differences.
2. Civic Capacity-Building Workshops
Targeted workshops that provide practical skills essential for civic participation and leadership. Topics include communication and debate, problem-framing, project design, teamwork, community mapping, impact measurement, and ethical leadership. Youth move from awareness to capacity and agency.
3. Youth-Led Entrepreneurship & Civic Projects Lab
A hands-on innovation lab where youth teams develop, prototype, and pilot community or entrepreneurship initiatives responding to local and national challenges. Mentors and experts guide the process, enabling youth to transform ideas into action.
National Conference & Program Culmination
At the end of the eight-month journey, the initiative concludes with a National Civic Futures Conference. This event brings together youth, civil society organizations, educators, policymakers, and partners to:
Showcase the program's outcomes
Present youth-led initiatives from the Projects Lab
Celebrate youth achievements
Reinforce a shared commitment to rebuilding trust and civic engagement in Lebanon
Funding Needs
To implement My Civic Future nationwide and ensure its accessibility, the program requires a total budget of USD 90,000. This funding covers:
Operational costs for Civic Circles across multiple regions
Professional trainers and materials for Capacity-Building Workshops
Mentorship support and small seed contributions for youth-led projects
Logistics and production of the National Civic Futures Conference
This funding ensures the program remains inclusive and free for all participants, delivers high-quality civic learning, and equips youth with the tools, skills, and support needed to design and implement impactful initiatives. Supporting My Civic Future is an investment in fostering a stronger, more cohesive, and more civically engaged generation across Lebanon.
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