Outreach & Civic Engagement (OCE) Department 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 2010–2023, more than 16,287 LAU students were engaged and more than 64,635 external beneficiaries participated in its volunteering and civic engagement activities, projects and programs.

Youth Leadership Simulation Models

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.

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 18 years, more than 3,001,364 hours of teaching peace building and diplomacy were offered.

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, are held in spring in NY city.

Over the past 21 years, theses conferences have engaged more than 61,000 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.

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 12 years, more than 7,800 High school students from 112 schools have participated in the training sessions and the conference of the LAU MAL program.

LAU Model European Union

The Outreach and Civic Engagement department at LAU launched the fifth 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.

For the past six years, more than 4,800 High school students from 85 schools have participated in the training sessions and the conference of LAUMEU program.

LAU Model Good Governance (LAU MGG)

The Outreach and Civic Engagement department at LAU launched the first annual LAU Model Good Governance in partnership with Freidrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

For the past 3 years, more than 2,000 High School students from 70 schools have participated in the training sessions and the conference of LAUMGG program.

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

The Outreach & Civic Engagement Department organizes the Annual Global Outreach & Leadership Development (GOLD 2020) Conference at LAU New York each year with a specific theme that aims to raise awareness on the sustainable development goals.

Capacity Building

Soft Skills Series (SSS)

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

To date 43 workshops took place and more than 1,314 students attended from both campuses.

Selected Implemented Soft Skills Series Listing:

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
25. How to maximize time and minimize stress
26. Unleash your confidence
27. From goal setting to goal getting
28. Moundeh Men Biladi-Mr. Ousama Rahbani
29. Intro to Artificial Intelligence and its impact on sustainable Development
30. Robotics
31. Digital Addiction disorder
32. Mobde3 Men Biladi:”Building MYKI: Up Close & Personal”
33. Overcoming Imposter’s Syndrome and Building your Personal Brand
34. See The World Differently-ROBOCOM VR
35. Introduction to Bitcoin
36. Innovation and a generation of entrepreneurs during crisis
37. Mobdee Men Biladi “Dr. Nadine Hachach Haram”
38. The 5 Pillars of Health
39. Organizational Skills

Structured Workshops

Based on a survey that collects information on students’ interests, needs and skills to be developed, the OCE tailors structured workshops to address those needs, in close coordination with the Career Development Services. Examples include, but are not limited to sessions with industry professionals, CV and cover letter writing, how to ace interviews and personal branding.

LEE-Leadership Empowerment Education

The program is established to address both, soft and digital skills needed by the youth nowadays. This intensive, focused and short-term learning program aims to equip students with a specific set of life skills that have immediate relevance to their career aspirations or academic goals. The program also seeks to build community-networking opportunities between participants and field experts (LAU Faculty) as well as with current LAU students.

Volunteerism, Networking, and Civic Engagement

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,
• 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 Department at LAU is cooperating with NGO MMKN, under the Volunteer Teacher Program, for the 11^th 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 to 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 Department at LAU to give the chance to LAU students to explore various institutions in terms of work environment and civic engagement. Since 2016, 94 OCVs took place and more than 1,300 students participated.

Volunteer Teachers Program

The Outreach and Civic Engagement Department at LAU is cooperating with NGO MMKN, under the Volunteer Teacher Program, for the 11^th 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 USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program

OCE manages LAU’s USAID Higher Education Scholarship Program (HES), which allows academically qualified but financially underprivileged Lebanese & Non-Lebanese (Refugee/Displaced) students from public & private 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.

Community Service Projects (CSP)

Under the leadership component of HES programs, every student is required to implement a community service project (CSP).

The CSP aims towards:

1.Developing and testing the leadership skills gained through training in the field;

2.Personal development of scholars

CSPs help students gain:

3. Team-building skills;
4. Networking and communication skills;
5. Project conceptualization and budgeting skills;
6. Self-confidence and leadership skills;
7. Better appreciation of diversity.
8. Moreover, CSPs give students the opportunity to give back to their communities.

CSPs must be implemented during the student’s second year at the university with a minimum of 3 days of implementation.

Students must engage thoroughly in their CSPs. Presentations and lectures given by students are mandatory. The NGOs only play a role of supervision and/or assistance when needed during a workshop or lecture.

By the end of Spring 2023, 476 USP/HES scholars will have completed 337 CSPs either individually or in groups.

Below are samples of implemented CSPs:

1. “Reading and Education” under the theme of the importance of reading to shed the light on the importance of reading among young people, provide reading materials to the community and guide students in finding their research sources.
2. “Women’s Power” under the theme of teaching women sewing with the objective of empowering women by teaching them a skill that will help them enter the job market
3. “First Responding” under the theme of dealing with unusual disastrous situations and how to use a first aid kit. The objective was to train students on how to respond in case of an emergency.
4. “The Power of Individuality” under the theme of university preparation with the objective of aiding students in identifying their interests in order to better prepare for college and their future careers.
5. “Toward Zero Waste” under the theme of reducing waste. The aim was to convey the importance of recycling and sorting waste to the public in order to lessen pollution.
6. “Our Minds Our Guides” under the theme of mental health awareness. The objective was to focus attention on the value of mental health and techniques for overcoming potential mental health issues.