Saida

Lebanon

An Ancient City faces Modern Challenges

Young people supported a city facing a decades-old challenge to address intercommunal tensions.

Saida, also known as Sidon is a city south of Beirut along Lebanon’s coast located near Ein al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest refugee camp. The city’s proximity to both borders and the various influxes of displaced persons since 1948 has changed the city’s make up and affected how the various communities interact.

The young activists from the 4 projects we’ve supported understand the city’s issues all too well. Most, refugees themselves, have experienced first hand the divisions that exist between the Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian populations.

All our work in Saida has been planned and delivered in close collaboration with our local partner, INITIATE, and through support from the municipal Local Prevention Network.

Our Impact in Saida

We aim for relevant and strategic impact at scale. Working closely with young people in identifying the needs of their communities and the challenges they face, we ensure that the solutions we support them in developing are targeted and sustainable.

A Refugee Youth Project to Build Bridges and Heal Divides

Three years of youth-led projects that address the divisions between its diverse populations

Since 2018, Young Cities has supported four youth-led projects to reduce intercommunal tensions in the city and build bridges between the Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian communities. Most of our young activists we work with in Saida and the neighbouring Ein al-Hilweh are refugees themselves and understand these issues well.

Driven by their experiences, they have led a series of highly creative projects tackling issues that face refugees, including discrimination, stigmatisation and exclusion through a variety of creative and instructive mediums including dance, film, music poetry and creative writing. All of the projects offered a platform for young people from different groups to share their stories and created safe spaces to build trust and relationships between communities.

Saida Projects

Through mentorship, seed-funding and network-building, we support young people to transform ideas into tangible initiatives that make a positive change in their communities.

project

Youth for Peace

Lebanon | Saida

Youth for Peace worked with the municipality in Saida, Lebanon, to build peace and resilience among marginalised residents of the city's oldest district.

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project

The First Step

Lebanon | Saida

A hip hop video and documentary challenge the stigmatisation of, and xenophobia toward, refugee communities in Saida and Lebanon more broadly

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project

The Identity of Hope

Lebanon | Saida

A team of creative writers and artists produce a booklet of poetry and prose to share their experiences as refugees in Saida.

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project

Washwasha

Lebanon | Saida

An online video series that breaks down negative stereotypes about Palestinian refugees in the camp of Ein El Helweh .

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Our partners

The organisations and municipal governments we work with are essential to the success of the Young Cities programme. Together, we continue to effect genuine, relevant change in the communities in which we work.

INITIATE

INITIATE have been collaborating with Young Cities since our inception. They guide our campaign activities with their on-the-ground expertise and knowledge. From Youth Innovation Labs in Majdal Anjar, Saida and Tripoli to supporting reconstruction efforts in Beirut, INITIATE are a valued partner in all of our work in Lebanon.

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Saida, Lebanon

Saida Municipality’s Local Prevention Network and its Mayor, Mohamed El Seoudi, made a commitment in 2018 that central to its Preventing Violent Extremism strategy was the need to focus on youth. Since then, Young Cities has worked closely with the city to ensure that youth-related programming and policy has been relevant and impactful.

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