How are we Quarantin(ing) in Lebanon?
Our published article by Nazih Raychouni
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How are we quarantine(ing) in Lebanon?
How are we quarantine(ing) in Lebanon?
Our YES network in Lebanon has always shown dedication and commitment to our communities and always were the front-liners to giving back endlessly. On the 9th of March, the country started a pandemic regulation where people were asked to self-quarantine. Many of our YES alumni were involved in programs to help people who were highly affected by this instability. We have several alumni working with NGOs that provide food and shelter to people in need. Some alumni are giving online awareness sessions about the virus and emphasizing the importance of staying at home during this critical phase. Others are in the hospitals fighting the virus as front-liners. In the meantime, and because the Lebanese YESers have always shown support to one another and their commitment to helping the community in such critical times, we developed new initiatives that aligns with what Quarantining left us to use:
1. Online sessions in collaboration with the U.S embassy targeting several alumni engagement topics (writing proposal, available embassy grants, ways to apply...) that alumni would benefit from for planning future events.
2. Several hashtags were created holding a purpose each.
o #YESInQuarantine (Idea by Nazih Raychouni, YES president) is a series of videos (alumni filmed) targeting three main headlines during quarantine: Public health, Mental health and Entertainment.
o #YES_Facts (Idea by Mahdi Hallal, regional representative) is a series of posts about random facts from all around the world. A way to get alumni engaged and share information others might not know. Did you know that raisins are dried grapes? I certainly didn’t.
o #YES_Talks (Initiated by Elise Al khoury, YES alumna) is a series of posts about different questions (social, educational…) that open debates, where alumni can express their point of view freely.
o #CoronaInspires (Initiated by Khaldoun Abou Dargham, YES alumnus) is a hashtag alumnus could use to express what this lockdown made them do and what inspires them in life.
3. YES Bingo (Idea by Ahmad Kheir, YES alumnus) was a game created to look back to our YES journey. Alumni posted this game (in a form of an image) and posted their answers on their Instagram and Facebook stories where they tagged fellow YESers from the country and abroad. Our YES bingo version reached several countries abroad and was widely used.
Template created by Faysal Al haddad
Unfortunately, due to this international lockdown, our dearest YES students must come back earlier than planned. Their journey must be cut short. The YES board was already working on a program “YES Mentorship Program” (Idea by Roudaina Alzohby & Mahdi Hallal, regional representatives & executed by Nazih Raychouni, YES president) that will be provided by the YES Alumni Association in Lebanon targeted towards the new YES-Lebanese students that are expected to travel to the United States & the newest alumni cohort. In addition to supporting our YES students after they return, we think that this disruptive transition will affect their mental health. The YES board collected alumni-made videos (Idea by Roudaina Alzohby & Faysal Al haddad, regional representatives) giving advice and talking briefly about the struggles they faced when they returned. This is an initiative to assure our YES students that we are here for them, and that they aren’t alone in this. You can find the video through this link: https://youtu.be/JnXp99w3V30
We hope that after this pandemic the world will consider differently and become a better place. We hope everyone is safe and avoiding crowds!
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