Lebanon’s First Lady Is Leading A Major Move To Inspire A New Generation Of Active Citizens
Lebanon’s First Lady, Mrs. Nehmat Aoun, has officially launched a nationwide initiative titled “The School of Citizenship”, the first step in her larger “Generation of Citizens” program – a historic effort to rebuild civic trust and cultivate responsible citizenship among Lebanon’s youth.
The initiative aims to strengthen the connection between citizens and the State, encouraging civic engagement and shared responsibility through Lebanon’s schools.
“We are not simply launching a project – we are making an appeal: an appeal for reconciliation between citizens and the State, to break down the barriers that divide Lebanese people, and for civic engagement,” the First Lady said in her opening address.
A New Vision for Lebanon’s Youth
The “School of Citizenship” sets out to turn schools into centers of civic education and participation, where students can learn the values of belonging, solidarity, justice, and public responsibility.
Developed in collaboration with the Center for Educational Research and Development (CRDP) and with the support of UNESCO and other partners, the program provides schools with a unified framework to teach and apply the principles of active citizenship.
The initiative will start with 150 schools across Lebanon in the 2025–2026 academic year, selected from both public and private institutions to ensure regional representation.
Each participating school will take part in a four-step process – registration, training, civic engagement projects, and national recognition at an annual Citizenship Education Conference hosted at the Presidential Palace.
Training the Builders of the Future
Through immersive workshops led by CRDP, principals and teachers will be trained to integrate civic engagement into their school culture. The training covers topics such as responsibility, belonging, social justice, and democratic participation.
The initiative also promotes student councils, community projects, and cross-school collaboration, transforming classrooms into “spaces of values and responsibility.”
“To all school principals who bear the weight of our educational institutions, you are the builders of the future,” Mrs. Aoun said. “And to our teachers – despite the challenges you face, you remain the true pioneers of this project.”
Citizenship in Action
Under the “School of Citizenship,” students will design and lead civic projects across several themes:
- Social cohesion and peacebuilding
- Environmental sustainability
- Rights and empowerment
- Health and well-being
- Arts, culture, and heritage
- Emergency solidarity and social work
Through these activities, students will apply civic skills such as teamwork, debate, problem-solving, and public speaking while gaining a stronger sense of purpose and belonging.
“Through engagement, students discover the world differently,” the First Lady’s team explained. “They gain confidence, feel useful, and grow stronger – engagement changes everything.”
Measuring Impact
A Citizenship Index, developed with UNESCO, will assess how schools integrate civic values into education and community life.
The results will be published in an Annual Citizenship Education Report, in collaboration with the Asfari Institute at the American University of Beirut, offering insights and policy recommendations for Lebanon’s education sector.
By the end of its first five-year cycle, the initiative aims to train over 5,000 principals and teachers, impact more than 1,000 schools, and reach half a million students and families nationwide.
“A Call for Citizenship”
Closing her speech, the First Lady emphasized that this is not a political or institutional project, but a shared national endeavor:
“This project bears no name of a person, an institution, or a party. It marks the beginning of something long overdue – the beginning we should have made right after the war, to bring our people together,” she said. “Today, we can choose to do nothing… or we can choose to begin, here and now. For everything is possible when it stands beneath the roof of citizenship.”
For more information, check out the School of Citizenship website.
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