Civic Awareness & Eco-sustainable Development
Training for the Teachers of the Grand Lycée Franco – Libanais Elementary School on Waste & Biodiversity
On 3 and 17 March 2016, CEEDD organized a training session for 80 teachers at the Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais (GLFL) elementary school. The selected themes were “Waste” and “Biodiversity”, which are considered to be two major environmental concerns in Lebanon.
At the end of the 2015- 2016 academic year, a student conference was organized at the GLFL during the environment week where the projects were presented to the school community and to parents of students.
Training for the Zgharta – Ehden City Council on “Strategies, Legal perspectives and Challenges of Decentralization”
On 16 July 2016, CEEDD delivered a training session to the members of the city council of Zgharta- Ehden. The objective was to address the challenges of decentralization, particularly through legal perspectives, as well as the role of municipalities in implementing strategies for local development and promoting the concepts of eco-citizenship and sustainable development.
Teacher Training at the Collège de la Sagesse Saint-Jean Brasilia on “Being a Responsible Citizen”
Under the theme of “Being a Responsible Citizen”, CEEDD organized on 8 September 2016, a training course for around 250 teachers of the “Collège de la Sagesse Saint-Jean Brasilia” on various sub-themes, ranging from active citizenship to interdisciplinary pedagogy, including eco-citizenship, environmental education, biological and cultural diversity, fair governance and the circular economy.
Training for Teachers of Lebanese Public Schools on “Mountain Preservation”
As part of the project to train teachers in public schools on eco-citizenship and sustainable development, CEEDD organized in partnership with the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA) a training for teachers of 30 public schools located on the Lebanon Mountain Trail around the issues of eco-citizenship and sustainable development.
Training for Al Mabarrat Association on “Permaculture”
CEEDD collaborated with the Mabarrat Association to implement a training program on permaculture for 5 schools: Al-Hadi (Beirut), Al Mujtaba (Hay El Selloum – Beirut), Issa Ibn Mariam (Khyam, South Lebanon), Al Baker (Hermel) and Al Bachaer (Baalbeck). The training sessions were delivered to teachers and students, and covered concepts and values of permaculture and its practices in order to set up permaculture spaces within the schools.
The project aimed at raising awareness for Al-Hadi School and Issa Ibn Maryam High School on eco-citizenship and sustainable development, and the first session for all primary and supplementary teachers was given on 11 and 18 November 2017 by specialized trainers from CEEDD. The 2nd permaculture training session for all primary and supplementary teachers of Al-Hadi School (Beirut) and Issa Ibn Maryam High School (Khyam-South Lebanon) was carried out on 24 February and 3 March 2018 by specialized trainers from CEEDD.
Training for the Melkart College on “Sustainable Development”
Since 2017, Collège Melkart has been committed to a sustainable pedagogical approach. With the support of CEEDD, training sessions were provided in this regard to the school community (students, teachers and parents) aiming at raising awareness on eco-Citizenship and Sustainable Development as well as the dissemination of good environmental practices within the school in order to reduce its environmental footprint.
Following the successful training and collaboration for the 2017-2018 academic year, Melkart College wished to go further this year, by targeting the 17 SDGs.
In this regard, 12 themes, inspired by the environmental, social and economic objectives of Sustainable Development, were proposed as part of a training project to the school community. Each theme consisted of a combination of an environmental objective with a social and/or economic objective within the framework of interdisciplinary projects throughout the 2018/2019 academic year
Training for 15 Municipalities in Lebanon on “Sustainable Development”
As a pioneer in environmental and Sustainable Development training, CEEDD was approached by the Lebanese City Technical Office (BTVL) to organize a training course for the presidents and members of the municipal council of 15 municipalities and unions of municipalities of Lebanon.
To this end, CEEDD has designed and implemented a training program on 20 and 21 March 2018, at the Key Apart Hotel – Beirut, aiming at training local development officers (ADL) to integrate environmental and eco-citizenship dimensions into the municipal development strategies as well as to develop cross-curricular skills of ADLs in natural resource and environmental management and governance and environmental problem-solving.
Training for USJ Alumni on “Citizenship and Leadership for Peacebuilding”
Under the theme of “Citizenship and Leadership for Peacebuilding”, CEEDD organized in collaboration with the Bureau of Regional Development and External Programs (DRPE), the USJ and the Believe Association, a training program to the Presidents and members of the USJ alumni (about 30 students). The training aims at developing the skills and knowledge of the USJ alumni, strengthening their civic engagement in favor of sustainable peace, promoting active citizenship and encouraging the alumni to become agents of change.
This training took place in two stages: first, the students were invited to spend a weekend on 28 and 29 April 2018 at Le Crillon Hotel – Broumana, where they were trained on the concepts of mediation, effective leadership, project management, and the promotion of justice through the USJ Charter and the Ignatian pedagogy.
Training for Lycée Abdel Kader (LAK) on “Permaculture”
During the 2018- 2019 academic year, CEEDD collaborated with the Lycée Abdel Kader (LAK), on a training project on permaculture. This project was launched in March 2018 with the teachers in the presence of the Director of the LAK, Mr. Daniel Pestourie and the team of CEEDD.
A Call for participation was launched, and forty teachers volunteered. Several training sessions for teachers have been organized to equip them with the required knowledge and skills related to permaculture concepts. Workshops were then organized with students about the cultivation of plant species, according to the principles of permaculture, in containers that can be transposed to the school’s premises.
Following the training, more than 20 permaculture projects were achieved by approximately 300 students, who were closely monitored and coached by CEEDD trainers. The projects were showcased during a student conference at USJ by the end of the academic year.
Training for the municipality of Zgharta-Ehden on Sustainable “Local Development”
Following the success of the training conducted in July 2016 among the members of the Zgharta-Ehden City Council, around the principles of decentralization, the legal aspects of municipal powers, the municipalities’ duties towards the state and the role of the municipality in establishing a sustainability approach. CEEDD was approached once again for a training in 2018-2019, around the topic of environment and eco-citizenship, targeting this time not only city council members, but also municipal employees.
The aim was to train these members to become aware of environmental issues and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to integrate the various dimensions of sustainable development into the strategies and local development plans of their villages.
This training course was concluded by the development of several local environmental and sustainability projects.
Training for Librairie Antoine on “Sustainable Development & Waste Management”
“Antoine Going Green” is the slogan of the campaign launched by “Librairie Antoine” in May 2019 with the aim of creating a culture of sustainability within its institutions, with a special focus on waste management, and disseminating good environmental practices among its employees and administrative staff.
In this context, CEEDD was approached to deliver awareness-raising sessions on sustainable development in general, and waste sorting in specific, among its 142 employees. 4 sessions were held on 17 and 20 May 2019, covering the main challenges of sustainable development, the proposed solutions and their positive impacts on the environment and the society.
This training encouraged Librairie Antoine employees to reduce their carbon footprint by committing to simple daily sustainable actions and fostering an eco-friendly sorting infrastructure within the various points of sale of the institution.
Training for the LWIS City International School on “Sustainable Rural Development”
Under the scope of the “Sustainable Living” project that was launched by the LWIS City International School for the 2018-2019 academic year with students from grades 6 to 10, CEEDD has been requested to be part of this initiative; and support teachers in the implementation of this project which aims to highlight environmental assets, socio-economic aspects of marginalized villages in Lebanon, in order to re-think their sustainable rural development models and to propose viable alternatives.
CEEDD organized a training for the teachers, followed by an intervention around the environmental and cultural resources of Lebanon. CEEDD also supported teachers in the project stages, including field visits, data collection and analysis, concept note compilation – describing the project proposed by each village in order to boost its local economy – and the production of communication materials related to the villages in question. On 14 June 2019, a closing ceremony was held at the school allowing the students to showcase their projects to their parents and the educational community.
Training for Scouts Saint Nicolas on Environmental Protection
Scouting contributes to the development of responsible youth and active citizens: a driving force for positive change in the community. To this end, it is wise to educate the youth on eco-citizenship and environmental protection. On 7 August 2019, Dr. Jean El Achkar, Scientific & Administrative Officer of CEEDD, met with the Scouts Saint Nicolas at their summer camp in Ksaybe – Maten. A training was performed to the 6 to 20 years old young people who actively participated in this interactive environmental awareness session with a special focus on trees and their benefits. Open discussions took place and various topics were discussed concerning environmental protection, biodiversity, photosynthesis, tree physiology, fruit trees and their benefits, pollution, waste management and so on. Various activities have been assigned to each group, such as outdoor team building games, communication games and a variety of competition games.
Training for Lycée Franco Libanais – Verdun on ““Sustainable School” Positioning”
On December 2019, CEEDD initiated a collaboration with the Lycée Franco Libanais- Verdun, that aims at leading the transition towards an eco-sustainable approach and to achieve the positioning of a «green and sustainable» school.
Based on a sustainable pedagogical approach, this project aims at establishing the eco-citizenship culture among students and teachers. The project mainly focuses on seven Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and 15, and it was closely monitored by two students specialized in sustainable development, supervised by CEEDD, and implemented by 30 senior students.
In the framework of this project, it was first necessary to work on the conceptual change of teachers regarding their relationship with the environment and sustainable development, which, subsequently, allowed them to develop a “green school” positioning and assessment guide. Finally, this project has enabled collaboration between USJ students and Lycée Verdun students through regular support to develop project management skills among students.
Training for the Cooperative in Akroum on Ecological Treatment of Liquid & Solid Olive Waste
Within the scope of the USAID-Funded Community Support Program (CSP), CEEDD implements technical support activities to Lebanese organizations operating in the environmental sector.
As an expert in olive waste management, Dr. Jean El Achkar, Scientific & Administrative Officer of CEEDD, conducted on 27 August 2020 a training session on the “Ecological Treatment of Liquid & Solid Olive Waste” to the members of the olive production and processing cooperative in Akroum and its surroundings; which helped upgrading the trainees’ competencies on the ecological means of treating liquid and solid olive waste. Guidelines were distributed along with the training to ensure the sustainability of learning.
Training for Public School Teachers of Marzouka, Akkar on “Water Conservation”
Under Task Order 3 related to “technical assistance services for Lebanese organizations”, and within the scope of the CSP (Community Support Program), funded by USAID, CEEDD participated in the water conservation component, which aimed at reinforcing the skills of the teachers in the Public School of Marzouka – Akkar and raising awareness among the students about the benefits of water conservation.
On 10 December 2020, professional training was given to 11 teachers at the school, by Dr. Elyssa Fawaz, who helped change their perception towards water usage. On-the-job (OTJ) training sessions were also carried out to ensure the best implementation and management of students’ projects.
The training sessions were followed by the development of a useful and informative “guide” to help students commit to the practices.
Training of Trainers (TOT) on “Gender-Based Violence (GBV)”
Fondation Diane has put women empowerment and gender equality at the center of its mission. In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), CEEDD kick-started on 23 November 2021 a 9-day GBV workshop at USJ for 30 specialists and social workers.
This TOT is a journey of learning about gender-based violence, and it covered for a total duration of 53 hours, the root causes of GBV, its consequences, means of mitigation and how to integrate active methods in trainings; and it aimed at training the trainers to develop their knowledge, as well as soft and hard GBV skills.
Click here to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsRifL7WgSE and download flier to check the detailed program: https://bit.ly/3z75dgz
Training for the most Vulnerable Women, Men and the Visually-impaired Persons from the Poorest Neighborhoods of Beirut on “Enhancing Women’s Access to their Rights”
Inequalities and gender discrimination are common in Lebanon especially in vulnerable surroundings, and are reflected in almost all life aspects including education, health, economy and politics. These factors decide, prevent, or block the mobility of women and girls especially in their career life. To this end, CEEDD was entrusted by Equal NGO to provide, in collaboration with the Center for Professional Education (CFP–USJ), a training program to 100 of the most vulnerable women and visually impaired persons from the poorest neighborhoods of Beirut, Nabaa and Bourj Hammoud. The training that took place from 27 April till 15 September 2022 at USJ – CIS aims at empowering the most vulnerable people in order to face the crisis the country is witnessing and to enhancing women’s access to their economic, health and social rights.
Training of Trainers (TOT) on Gender-based Violence (GBV)
As a continuation of the GBV Training of Trainers (TOT) that started in November 2021, 4 out of
the 30 participants who took the workshop became trainers themselves and provided training sessions to the civil society. The sessions took place in 4 different locations. Each training session consisted of 5 hours and it covered (1) the core components and principles, (2) causes and consequences and (3) prevention of Gender-Based violence:
• Training I – Trainer Dania Bek – In collaboration with SAWA – Zahlé
• Training II – Trainer Georgette El Gebayli – In collaboration with Nation Station – Achrafieh
• Training III – Trainer Melanie Nakad – In collaboration with the civil society
• Training IV – Trainer Mireille Hadchiti – In collaboration with the Lebanese Red Cross – Zahlé
Certificates of participation were distributed to the participants at the end of the training.
Good Health & Well-Being: Kick-off Meeting of the UNESCO Chair in “Global Health & Education”
40 participants from all over the world took part in the kick-off meeting of the UNESCO Chair in Education and Health, which took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 26 and 27 February 2018, including CEEDD, represented by its Chair holder, Dr. Fadi El Hage. The main objective of this meeting was to meet with the main partners of the UNESCO Chair and to explore ways of collaboration with them for the implementation of its 4 year plan.
Committed to promoting the role of quality education (SDG4) in global health & well-being (SDG3), Dr. El Hage focused on the link between health and education with Sustainable Development”. He explained about the impact of a sustainable environment on humans health, as well as the importance of humans health and well-being for a sustainable environment, societal commitment and economic stability. He added that strengthening human health is a fundamental pillar for promoting individual, environmental and organizational change.
At the end of his intervention, Dr. El Hage highlighted that an effective scope of work has to be put in place ranging from research to training and communication, which makes it possible to establish procedures for the implementation and evaluation of health education policies at local and national level.
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