In a complex Lebanon, different ideologies constantly clash in peace or in war.
Left: Children playing on a bombed building in Beirut (2006) - Right: Riots in Beirut (2007)
Y4T mission
We at Youth for Tolerance, or Y4T in short, work to promote a culture of tolerance that will result in respect, acceptance and appreciation of religious and political diversity in Lebanon, as well as in a better inclusion of all socially marginalized groups.
Youth for Tolerance is a is a non-political, non-religious NGO (non-governmental organisation).
Our target group
Youth for Tolerance works specifically with young people (ages 16 to 22), who are usually in the process of defining their identity. This is no easy task in a country like Lebanon with a highly complex political, religious and social landscape. The differing opinions of some 17 religious sects and numerous political parties have prevented an agreement on even the most basic cornerstones of society, such as a unified narration of the country’s modern history.
In such an environment, Lebanese youth are at risk of defining their identity through devaluating others (which leads to intolerance), and/or excluding and dissociating themselves from others (which leads to radicalization and lack of dialogue).
Beyond our target group
Despite the fact that we are currently focusing on the youth between the ages of 16 and 22 in schools and universities, we believe that a project to spread a culture of tolerance should reach out to all age groups. We have plans to adapt our highly interactive modules so they will be suitable for youth under 16 years, and we are currently planning an awareness campaign consisting of flyers, brochures and other forms of mass media to reach out to the youth outside of schools and universities – and the rest of society.
The educational system
Most Lebanese schools are highly segregated, both religiously and socially, and lack a consistent civic education curriculum. Because of this, Lebanese youth often do not know their peers of different backgrounds, and their exposure to those of different backgrounds is sparse and limited to hear-say and (one-sided) media coverage. Their skills of dialogue and tolerance thus remain underdeveloped, and biased systems of belief are created and maintained through adulthood.
How we work
Our trainers come to the classrooms with modules that are different from existing curricula and projects in many ways. They do not focus on covering a large amount of information, but are interactive and use role-playing techniques to allow full participation of the youth. They thus create a space to initiate ideas, reflect, interact, and engage in critical discussion. The educational modules are based on well-developed theories about and techniques of conflict resolution, communication and negotiation.
The modules are set up to confront polarizing topics, but avoid the ‘frontal assault’ pitfall that can lead to heated debates by first focusing on building the basic skills of dialogue and tolerance. With our methodology, we help the youth create a psychological distance that encourages observation, openness and critical thinking. They can then calmly draw analogies between the situations in the modules and the Lebanese setting.
Our method does not aim for a convergence of opinions, but rather at allowing young people to learn about other’s positions and clarify their own by comparing and contrasting their views with one another. Tolerance as we teach it is harmony in difference, not the elimination of differences or denial of their existence.
We work at a grassroots level, avoiding a top-down approach involving ‘figures of authority’ (religious or political). The method is sustainable and easily scalable – we plan to disseminate it to as many individuals as possible.
Why Y4T
The recent events from 2005 until 2008 (political assassinations, redrawing of the Lebanese political map, armed conflict, international intervention and radical politics have sent confusing messages to the young generation. The situation became critical after the war between Israel en Lebanon/ Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 and the post-conflict radicalization in Lebanese politics. The violent confrontation in the Palestinian refugee camp Nahr el Bared in the summer of 2007 between the Lebanese Army and fighting factions inside the camp complicated the picture even further.
Incidents of violence between youth on the streets and inside university campuses continually stoked fears of political and religious intolerance pushing the country to the brink of civil war, and eventually culminated in several days of internal armed conflict. Despite the subsequent accord reached between the political leaders to refrain from violence and cooperate, the psychological impact of the string of events on the youth has so far been increasing intolerance and a strengthening of convictions such as ‘violence is the most effective (or even the only) means for settling conflict’ and ‘political and religious diversity is Lebanon’s curse’.
We, at Youth for Tolerance, believe that even with the current political accord the present situation is an urgent call for action. We cannot wait until circumstances obscure the possibility and necessity of moderation and non-violent conflict resolution for our youth. We want to be proactive and teach the youth these techniques early on.