Academic Catalog 2019–2020

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Outreach and Civic Engagement

Outreach & Civic Engagement (OCE) unit at LAU integrates civic engagement with the extra-curricular activities of students on both campuses (Beirut and Byblos), encourages students to broaden their horizons within and outside Lebanon, and provides students with leadership training, skills development and volunteer opportunities.

OCE is dedicated to the advancement of LAU’s commitment to civic engagement, the education of the whole person, and the formation of leaders in a diverse world. It seeks to ensure students’ academic and professional success, to bridge the gap between students and civil society, and to establish networks for international exchange and collaboration.

Since 2010, OCE has offered a plethora of volunteering, enrichment and extra-curricular activities beneficial and relevant to students’ needs. During the period 2010–2019, more than 7,746 LAU students were engaged and more than 36,989 external beneficiaries participated in its volunteering and civic engagement activities, projects and programs.

Activities

Among a growing list of activities and services, OCE organizes:

Leadership Programs, Workshops and Outreach Activities

Outreach and Civic Engagement educates students about civic, social and leadership responsibilities and provides LAU’s constituencies from faculty, staff and students with leadership activities, programs, and skills development training.

Outreach and Civic Engagement strengthens students’ cognition of international diplomacy, the inner workings of the UN, as well as procedures, institutions, functions and substantive work in the realm of development, human rights, and inter-cultural dialogue. It does so through various simulation models of international organizations. LAU student leaders are selected, trained, and empowered to train high school and middle school students on issues of public concern.

LAU Model United Nations —  a school of leadership “par excellence”

The LAU Model United Nations (LAU MUN) high school program was first launched in 2005– 2006 with 541 students from 76 participating schools.  In 2010–2011, LAU MUN inaugurated its Middle School program and has witnessed exponential growth in both the number of students and the number of schools participating in the program. In its 14th year, the LAU MUN program hosted more than 3,300 students from 200 participating schools coming from all over Lebanon.

The program brings the UN culture of global awareness and the implementation of peaceful means for conflict resolution to Lebanese high schools, middle schools, and the community at large.  It consists of training sessions that increase student knowledge of UN procedural rules as well as improve students’ ability to research and write position papers and successfully engage in public speaking and role playing, conflict resolution and negotiations, caucusing and resolution writing, among other skills. By the end of the sessions, students become delegates who take part in UN Committee simulations. The simulations occur over a two-day conference where students play the role of ambassadors in UN Committees and discuss a variety of current topics.

For the past 14 years, more than 2,100,000 hours of teaching peace building and diplomacy were offered by 2,600 LAU student leaders to a total of 36,359 middle school and high school students from around 200 schools.

The Global Classrooms International Program (GCI- New York)

Global Classrooms (GC) Model UN is a flagship program of LAU. GC International was operated by the United Nations Association of the USA for the past 16 years. 2016 ushered in a new era as LAU, a partner of the UNA-USA, operating a model UN program of its own in Lebanon since 2005, took over the management of the GCI conferences in New York. Two international conferences, one for middle school students and another for high school students, were held this spring in NY city.

This year’s 2019 Global Classrooms International Middle School Conference will take place from March 28-30. The 2019 Global Classrooms International High School Conference will take place from May 9-11.

Over the past 19 years, theses conferences have engaged more than 60,000 high school and middle school students coming from 250 schools in 20 countries.

For more information, visit the LAU Model United Nations website.

LAU Model Arab League Program

In 2011, LAU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Council on US-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) and now has exclusive rights to use the title of “Model Arab League” (MAL) in its simulations in Lebanon. For the past 8 years, LAU has partnered with the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development (HFSHD) to implement the MAL program in Lebanon.

The LAU-MAL program helps engage students from various religious and political backgrounds in Lebanon to discuss social, political, and economic subjects that affect and shape the Arab World. Representing one of the Arab League’s 22 member states, student delegates work to achieve consensus on questions that diplomats face every day. Student leaders  debate and form coalitions to draft and pass resolutions that seek to resolve some of the Arab countries’ most difficult challenges. Skills are honed through seven training sessions that prepare students for a two-day conference simulating the various sessions and committees of the Arab league.

For the past eight years, more than 5,400 High school students from 112 schools have participated in the training sessions and the conference of the LAU MAL program. Under the slogan “Reviving Arab Leadership,” LAU MAL has allowed high school students to engage in an exploration of current Arab world issues through interactive simulations and curricular material.

LAU Model European Union

The Outreach and Civic Engagement department at LAU launched the third annual LAU Model European Union program in partnership with the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development and in cooperation with the Bringing Europeans Together Association (BETA Europe).

The program is composed of five training sessions and final conference whereby high school students will be simulating member of parliaments in the European Parliament and Ministers in the Council of the European Union.

460 delegates from 60 schools are receiving the training in English and French in both LAU Beirut and Byblos Campus.

Global Outreach & Leadership Development (G.O.L.D)

The OCE (Outreach & Civic Engagement) at LAU organized the Annual Global Outreach & Leadership Development (GOLD 2018) Conference which took place at LAU New York from July 30-August 03, 2018.

The 2018 GOLD’s theme is “Power of Volunteerism”.

Empirical evidence and studies show that the following skills get developed and enhanced through volunteerism:

  • Leadership
  • Communications
  • Fund raising/Resource development
  • Patience
  • Political astuteness
  • Problem solving
  • Public Speaking
  • Organization/multi-tasking
  • Finance/budgeting/accounting
  • Coaching/mentoring
  • Meeting/Planning
  • Networking
  • Human resources management
  • Interviewing
  • Research

 Outreach and Corporate Visits/Projects

In addition to the above, OCE strives to provide outreach opportunities for LAU students in diverse areas, including:

  • Projects with UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNIFIL, UNIC, and a “UN Aware” Certification program,
  • Global Design for UNICEF Challenge,
  • Residential training camps, reforestation campaigns, and beach cleaning campaigns,
  • Student participation in international leadership and civic engagement conferences, and
  • Training workshops on leadership skills, communication skills, conflict resolution, team building, and emotional intelligence
  • The Outreach and Civic Engagement Unit at LAU is cooperating with NGO MMKN, under the Volunteer Teacher Program, for the 7th year in the realm of recruiting and training LAU students to teach reinforcement sessions in public schools for Grades 8 & 9 in Beirut and Byblos. LAU Students contributing in this project gives public school students the assistance they need to pass their classes
  • The Outreach and Corporate Visits are field trips organized by the Outreach and Civic Engagement unit at LAU to give the chance to LAU students to explore various institutions in terms of work environment and civic engagement. Since 2016, 52 OCVs took place and more than 600 students participated.

Soft Skills Series (SSS)

The Outreach & Civic Engagement unit recently launched the Soft Skill Series program which consist of a list of workshops targeting LAU students. The Workshops are given in Beirut and Byblos campus by Professional trainers and entrepreneurs.

To date 24 workshops took place and more than 814 students attended from both campuses.

Soft Skills Series Implemented:

  1. Alternative Communication Skills workshop
  2. Stress Management
  3. Strategic Planning
  4. Interviewing Skills and Debate
  5. Customer Service
  6. Emotional Intelligence
  7. Time Management workshop
  8. Business Ethics in Media
  9. Tolerance and Diversity Workshop
  10. Communication Skills and Public Speaking
  11. A step by Step Guide to Entrepreneurship
  12. Stress: A Positive Force?
  13. Emotionally Intelligent Leaders of tomorrow
  14. Role of Media in Defense of Public and Private Liberties
  15. Unleash your thinking power
  16. Communication Skills: Speak so that they listen
  17. Leading with Emotional Intelligence
  18. Stop Killing time
  19. The 7 Habits of highly effective people
  20. Mental Candy
  21. Mastering Self-Regulation
  22. How to maximize time and minimize stress
  23. Unleash your self-Confidence
  24. Moubdeh Men biladi-Anghami

School of Pharmacy Training

Since 2017, LAU’s School of Pharmacy collaborates with the Outreach and Civic Engagement (OCE) unit, to train its graduate students in emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. The initiative came ahead of the four-month required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) in the United States, where the budding pharmacists will boost their academic learning in various patient care settings and medical sub-specialty environments.

During Fall 2018, the Outreach & Civic Engagement in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy, organized the below workshops for P1 and P2 students:

  • Know Thyself Part 1 workshop by Prof. Elie Samia, on October 23 & 25, 2018 for 75 P1 students. Below the learning objectives:
    • Complete the Harvard Temperament sorter
    • Know their personality type
    • Know the strengths and weaknesses of their personality type
    • Know how their personality can work positively with other types
  • Leading with Awareness Workshop, on September 19, 2018 for 75 P2 students. Below the learning objectives:
    • Know how to increase my influence in every situation (Self- Awareness)
    • Learn how to communicate better as a leader with others (Awareness of others)
    • Learn the importance of win-win situations

NGO Symposium

The NGO Annual Fair is held by LAU to encourage students to volunteer for community service. The annual event aims to bridge the gap between students and civil society, giving students the unique opportunity to channel their creative potential, energy, and passion into the important networks of constructive and positive social work. The upcoming USP Community Service Projects and Success Stories Symposium will take place on April 11, 2019.

LAU-NGO Mobile Application

In spring 2014, OCE launched a mobile application, “LAU-NGO network.” This innovative application gives the LAU community the opportunity to directly link itself with NGOs and the broader civil society. It provides a listing of youth-related NGO networks in Lebanon in addition to some prominent international NGOs. The application also posts internship and volunteer opportunities offered by the listed NGOs, as well as to an LAU-NGO map that will eventually cover the MENA region, Europe and the U.S.A.

The USAID University Scholarship Program

OCE manages LAU’s USAID University Scholarship Program (USP), which allows academically qualified but financially underprivileged Lebanese students from public high schools to attend the university.  The program aims to provide quality education in various majors and develop the leadership potential of the students, providing them with the skills necessary to build their communities.

For more information, visit the USP webpage.

Outreach & Leadership Academy (OLA)

In operation since 2014, the Outreach & Leadership Academy (OLA) in Sidon is run by OCE in partnership with the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development (HFSHD). Housed in newly restored eighteenth-century premises, OLA is located in Old Downtown Sidon and is the South of Lebanon headquarters for LAU and HFSHD. It acts as a beacon for civic engagement and an open space for all parents, students, teachers and practitioners to learn more about LAU and to engage in all its leadership and civic engagement initiatives.

With its motto “Educate, Empower, Engage,” OLA aims at establishing a culture of civic engagement, social awareness, leadership formation and citizenship reinforcement with the ultimate objective of strengthening human development through enhancing social peace, building human capacity and promoting economic opportunities.

In 2016, OCE launched OLA Solidere and devised an action plan based on the bellow 8 pillars:

  1. Simulation Models;
  2. Entrepreneurship programs and activities;
  3. Internship opportunities and workshops;
  4. Leadership Certification for public employees, NGOs, educational sector and young professionals;
  5. Professional Development for Rafic Hariri High School (Board of Advisors);
  6. International Programs & Business Development;
  7. “Our Constitution” (Dostourona): a program aimed at enlightening students about the constitution & the Taef Accord; and
  8. NGO program for sustainable development.

Reach Out and Dazzle (ROAD) program

ROAD is a literacy volunteer program by LAU students for underprivileged children at the OLA Sidon facility.  Over 113 reading sessions and educational activities with children have taken place.  More than 90 children benefit from the sessions with around 40 LAU students volunteering in the activities.

Business 299: Civic Engagement Course

The Adnan Kassar School of Business in collaboration with the Outreach and Civic Engagement Unit, introduced in Fall 2013 Business 299 – Civic Engagement course. It is a mandatory zero credit civic core requirements of the BS Business Studies program.
The course has two components:

  • A two-day workshop on “Civic Engagement skill building and need assessment”
  • A minimum of 12 hours of documented community service experience

Students may enroll in the course in any given semester provided they are in good academic standing. The Outreach and Civic Engagement is responsible for the assignment of the students in vetted NGOs in order for them to fulfil the 12 hours volunteer work required for the course. Once the students complete their 12 hours volunteer work, their supervisors complete an online evaluation form, allowing the school of Business to post their grades.

During Fall 2018, 285 LAU students, from both campuses, volunteered with 28 NGOs from all over Lebanon.