Rethinking Lebanon is a movement and NGO that started in 2016 with a primary mission to empower Lebanese youth and guide them on a journey to reshape the future of Lebanon. In addition to that, it aims towards rethinking the Lebanese economy, by encouraging collaboration among various sectors, for capitalizing on current and potential resources, thus creating a shared vision that might lead to a new competitive economy. As well as, promoting Lebanon’s image, to enhance the role of Lebanon on the international level.
General Objectives
Youth Empowerment is crucial for creating current and future leaders and encouraging them to be independent in their decision-making process, to be drivers of Lebanon’s growth and prosperity.
Lebanon is in need of free thinkers with leadership skills who are ready to take responsibility and play a leading role in the world. It starts by ensuring that everyone has access to their rights; political, social and universal human rights, through nondiscriminatory laws, gender equality and inclusivity and instilling these principles in youth as something they can call for and expect; creating, on the long-run, a culture away from sectarianism, favoritism, and nepotism.
Therefore, Rethinking Lebanon seeks to create a suitable environment for the youth to explore their suppressed abilities, by embracing their initiatives, and encouraging them; through conferences, seminars, coaches, arranging meetings, town hall meetings, round table discussions, and practical activities.
It is essential to change the mindset of youth and replace any feeling of apathy, by one of engagement and possibility of leadership.
The importance resides in finding challenges the Lebanese economy and society might encounter over the upcoming years, studying those challenges and attempting to counter them by promoting collaboration among the government, the education sector, and various other industries, for capitalizing on current and potential resources, thus creating a common vision that might lead to a new competitive economy.
In a more detailed plan, it is essential to focus on creating economic opportunities by leveraging Lebanese expatriates in global communities; for fostering investments, encouraging innovations, creating funds, and/or exchange programs, all the while tapping into ICT technologies, creating e-markets and e-jobs for youth.
Furthermore, reshaping the Lebanese economy falls in the prospect of helping Lebanese youth fulfill their potential. In this scope, Rethinking Lebanon works on influencing the young generation to become financially independent through increasing financial literacy as well as reshuffling the educational sector to equip our youngsters with world-class skills, recognize their talents, and prepare them for a challenging future.
Promoting Lebanon on the international level is one of the most critical objectives for Rethinking Lebanon. Enhancing the descriptive, inferential and informational beliefs the world has about Lebanon boosts the economy on several levels; it attracts foreign investments, it increases tourism and attracts Lebanese expats around the world.
Rethinking Lebanon works on enhancing how the world perceives Lebanon by creating advertising campaigns, improving the Lebanese Passport ranking, and exchange programs. All in the purpose of repositioning and branding Lebanon, thus creating a better environment for the youth to prosper and evolve.
Organizational Structure
The president of Rethinking Lebanon has a goal of empowering Lebanese youth, promoting the image of Lebanon, and identifying the most significant challenges of the Lebanese economy and society and find the appropriate solutions.
He serves as the organization’s main executive officer. The president is also responsible for the overall supervision and control of all functions of the organization.
Each Chapter is responsible for Rethinking Lebanon members abroad; they organize and supervise different activities in the country or region where they are.
They are the rock of Rethinking Lebanon, steering the organization towards accomplishing its goals. They provide foresight, oversight, and insight.
The advisory boards, whether local or international, are professionals who act as advisors in their area of expertise. They guide the networking process between the international community and Lebanese diaspora, to create a synergy among the various members and entities.
Word of the President
Rethinking Lebanon is a movement on a mission to reshape the future of Lebanon.
While growth on various levels is the final objective, one of the main focuses of Rethinking Lebanon is youth empowerment; by implementing leadership skills and encouraging their independence.
We aspire to provide the infrastructure for the young generation to be leaders of their communities because they are the present of Lebanon before being its future.
It all starts by reshuffling the educational system, making sure it respects each talent individually and embracing a culture of innovation, that can operate through artificial intelligence, big data, and introduce a digital baccalaureate, to be able to compete on the international level.
Our goal is to have a strong economy, create enough job opportunities so youth can fulfill their potential.
To accomplish economic growth in Lebanon, we strive first to promote Lebanon’s image (e.g. enhancing the ranking of the Lebanese passport which is a vehicle for attracting investments) and work on proposing policies (e.g. economic Reforms to create a competitive country). In addition to encouraging Lebanese expats to visit, invest in Lebanon, also outsource projects for our talented youth to execute in Lebanon and send back via the internet, share their expertise, exposure, best practices, network, develop interactions; to benefit the Lebanese economy.
We look forward to collaborating with interested individuals and organizations to reshape the future of Lebanon.
Jihad El Hokayem