Year
2015 - 2020
National
In 2015, Hariri Foundation partnered with the Lebanese American University to establish the Outreach & Leadership Academy (OLA). OLA’s mission is to counter all forms of violence, drug abuse, and extremism through education and to promote civic engagement, social awareness, leadership, and citizenship. OLA has played a key role in poverty alleviation in Saida’s historic district by equipping locals with employability skills, creating job opportunities, and breaking the stereotype of insecurity in the district. OLA’s Outreach & Leadership Program has contributed to cultural exchange and social cohesion by hosting programs that bring together people from different backgrounds and experiences in a safe space for learning and dialogue.
The program’s success has led to the replication of its model in other areas of Lebanon, such as Downtown Beirut, Bekaa, and Akkar in partnership with Touch. To this day, the program has featured more than 380 training programs and activities targeting over 7,500 participants of different ages and backgrounds, such as the Model Council of Ministers, Model League of Arab States, the Model European Union, Model United Nations, and Lebanon 2020 The State of Knowledge, and other training programs on employability and soft skills.
