OUR APPROACH
Program
YouthNow’s job orientation program studies heritage sites in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the rest of the Arab region, and generates on-the-job-training in careers in various fields relating to cultural heritage. As a year-long extracurricular activity, students are given a project brief, culminating in a final presentation in a medium of their choice.
All through, students are coached & mentored by industry experts in heritage & archaeology — How Byblos moved from a sleepy town to the No 1 Arab Tourism City; what helped Tyre build its boutique hotel sector; how to chart the path forward for rejuvenating tourism in Palmyra. Student teams compete for a winning prize trip to heritage sites in another country.
Over the course of an academic year, students explore and discuss together approaches and economic benefits of building a successful heritage ecosystem, comprised of preservation, tourism and community economic expansion. In this way, students develop individual skills in parallel to group cooperation and harmony.
The program is in collaboration with the Directorate General of Antiquities, the Ministry of Education, and the Order of Engineers. The pilot phase involved 40 schools around Lebanon, in which over 1200 Lebanese and Syrian students at these schools participated. Diversity is being expanded to other nationalities, including Iraqi, Jordanian, Emirati, etc.
Our Mission
YouthNow is a platform that aims to engage students of different social backgrounds with their shared cultural heritage, and train them in the skills required for pursuing future
professional careers in the field.
YouthNow is empowering Youth to look to their history and culture as sources of wealth and knowledge. This job orientation program targets secondary level students (ages 16-18), from diverse nationalities and backgrounds across the Arab world, providing a platform for building their personal and interpersonal skills.
In just two years, YouthNow has become recognized as the platform where today’s youth are encouraged to think freely, outside the predetermined scholastic curriculum, coming forth with their own creative ideas and input. This fresh approach aims to engage students in acquiring and developing the skill-sets they will soon need throughout the rest of their professional life.
YouthNow has been receiving praise and outstanding reviews from high-school students, directors, teachers and parents alike, who have consistently applauded the program for combining valuable job orientation with skill-building activities.
Strategic Objectives
Through its innovative process, YouthNow orients students at engaging with cultural heritage sites as sources of increasing personal growth, and a career in one of many available paths.
Strategically, YouthNow is:
Building long-term relationships and partnerships among classmates of diverse national and social backgrounds.
Encouraging the value of teamwork and of diverse representation.
Guiding and mentoring students in research tactics and the handling of large amounts of data and references.
Mentoring students in time management to produce
meaningful and functional outcomes.Developing students’ ability in presenting their work to an audience.
Providing career orientation in the field of cultural heritage, conservation, archaeology and tourism development.
Transmitting to the youth community the economic and social value of cultural heritage preservation.
Fostering an environment of social harmony, respect and curiosity towards diverse communities.
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OUR TEAM
Dr. Jean Yasmine
Lead Heritage Expert
Doctorate degree in the Archaeology of Historical Periods. Head of the archaeological component of the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development project at the Council for Development and Reconstruction in Lebanon.
Dr. Yasmine Makaroun
Lead Heritage Expert
PhD in Cultural Heritage from Ecole Pratique Hautes Etudes (France). She teaches at the Faculty of Architecture since 1997. Director of the Center of Conservation and Restoration of the Lebanese University in Tripoli.
Alia Fares
Archeology Expert
PhD candidate in archaeology and Architecture of Roman temples, specifically ones altered from pagan sanctuaries to Christian churches. She has led several excavation teams at various sites around Lebanon.
Fadi Riachi
CEO, Bridges-Josour
Project Concept and Manager
Over 25 years of experience strategizing, directing and monitoring economic development programs in the Middle East with focus on Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, while consulting for donor countries and organizations in Europe and the USA.
Jackline Saad
Bridges-Josour Communications Director,
Independent Journalist
Over 20 years of experience working as a journalist, writer, TV producer and a trainer of journalists for major Lebanese and regional TV networks and publications. She holds Bachelor Degrees in Journalism and Social Sciences.
Jennifer Chouity
Bridges-Josour Management Coordinator,
Architect
Graduated of Notre Dame University with a Bachelor in Architecture. As part of her focus on economic expansion that is sensitive to social conditions, she is currently completing a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at the Lebanese University.