Education for Social Cohesion in Lebanon

Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:

Themes from a Participatory Community
perspective

Exploring
Communicating
Contributing
Generating
Connecting
 Theoretical Framework
• one common core depiction in the extisting literature (e.g.,
Bruhn, 2009) is the notion of social cohesion as a bond
that brings people together.

• Helly et al. (2003) has argued that this notion implies the
promotion of a sense of communality and
responsibility of community members towards each
other.

• Inquiry : What role can community-based civic action

play towards an effectual social cohesion?
 n - applied research Creativity Community
• Learning environment providing space for collective
creativity

• Action-research opening up a world of possibilities for

collective action

• Facilitator connecting and expanding communities,

inviting diversity: intergenerational, multi-stakeholder,
multi-disciplinary, geographically dispersed

• Enabler of authentic conversations and creative

expressions for a sustainable future
 Factors o f S oci a l
n -i n i tia ti ve
Coh e si o n

T rsu t b u i ld i ng
S ol i d ari ty
a cti vi ti e s
Social Cohesion

G ro u p
T ru st
n – initiative &

form ati o n

S oci al
Dia l o gu e
b el o ng i n g

P arti ci p a ti o n
Com mo n
to p u bkl i c
p atte rn s
a ffa i rs

Deve lo p me nt
o f th ei r o wn Resp on si bi l i ty
reg i o ns

Com mu ni ti e s
o f l i fe
 Lebanon Compass
• Multi-confessional communities
• Constant political cultural turmoil
• Inherent social divisions
• Fragmented societies

Community-
• Diversity based civic
action
• Openness
• Resilience
• Talent/Potential
• Innovation
Public Libraries as Public Spaces
ASSABIL’s Experience
 Public libraries as public spaces

Public libraries as forums of expression and

debate

Public libraries as cultural mediators

Public libraries as meeting spaces for everybody

Public libraries need to reach out to the community

Community
Voices
Hermil

Beit Meri Srifa

 Circle

Conversations

Dialogue Open Space

 Expressing

Creativity

Producing Listening
 overcoming
gender gap

Hermil

Responsibility and
Acceptance of 8-initiatives
others
 Integrated Process
whole-system

Beit Meri

Multi-stakeholder 3-initiatives
 Inquiry/Expression

Baakline/Barouk

Web of
Connections: 5-initiatives
Community
 Cooperation

Srifa

Intergenerational
voices 4-initiatives
 Coming Together

Collective

Connection
Interaction n-initiatives
Cohesion
 Social Cohesion:
People’s Thoughts
• Appropriate Relationships / nourishing warm relationships
• Cement
• Continuity
• Common interest / Cooperation (no destruction and
avoidance) /Collective (one hand alone cannot clap)
• Connection
• Development
• Belonging to a society
• Life and building a country
• Secular society
• Title of success
• Unified society
• Web that leads towards a virtuous society
 Impact of Social Cohesion in
Community Voices (participants feedback)
• Bringing communities together/Building relationships

• Bringing diversified citizens of various affiliations and

backgrounds together and maintaining the link

• Circle that connects people together (we all complete

the other)

• Correlation with others/Stronger Connections with

each other

• Convergence and similarities of projects across the

country
 Impact of Social Cohesion in
Community Voices (participants feedback)
• Identifying the problems and searching for solutions
for all – North, South, East and West

• Introduction to other regions through its people

• Opening cooperation possibilities between different

regions

• Felt responsible

• New established relationship with municipality

 Community-based action
Recommendations
• Introduce, present, and train individuals and groups on
the working tools they need;
• Consistently, work on strengthening the essential
social human relational skills
• Provide opportunities for individuals and groups to
experiment with the realization of their ideas;
• Provide balance between support and independent
action of individuals/groups - Ensure that people take
personal responsibility through tangible contributions
• Build up on prior engagements to maintain the initiated
energy momentum within the people, until they are
ready to manage its continuity by themselves;
• Connect people with each other for the purposes of
materializing their projects and activities.
 Education Field
Recommendations
• Develop and apply relational capacities (listening,
generative dialogue, open conversations, alternative
forms of expression, complex problem solving
methodologies, conflict transformation methods,
effective decision-making tools ..) that strengthen
social cohesion in the classrooms and the overall
campus environments

• Unify the meaning of social cohesion for Lebanon

and its people. Open dialogue spaces in educational
settings amongst all stakeholders (e.g., at schools:
students, parents, educators) around social cohesion
with the purpose of identifying potential actions for
implementation there.
 Education Field
Recommendations
• Create social cohesion projects within diverse
education settings. Connect the processes, participants
and outcomes to understand the broader dynamics at the
country level.

• Bring education to life by having community-based

service and action an integral component of the
curriculum. This supports the understanding of the
purpose of our learning, which moves from an
individualistic ambition to a more collective connection,
with clarity of our role coming through experience not
downloaded spoon-feeding.
 Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:
Themes from a Participatory
Community perspective

Acknowledgements
enact your
creativity,
ASSABIL
contribute
collectively
and
Heinrich Boell Foundation
sustain the
growth Public Libraries in Hermil, Baakline, Srifa, Beit Meri,
Beirut- Monnot/Geitawi/Bashoura
Comunity Voices participants
n Hosts – Hala F., Firas, Joumana, Solange, Lina

www.nnow.org
 Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:
Themes from a Participatory
Community perspective

Presented by
enact your Hala Makarem
creativity,
contribute
collectively
and Paper Prepared by
sustain the
growth Hala Makarem – n initiator
Dr. Kamal Abouchedid - Director of the Center for
Applied Research in Education (CARE) at NDU

attended by ALL – Thank YOU

www.nnow.org