Photo: Omar with his host family in New Mexico while he was on the YES program

By: Omar Saleh (YES 2016 - 2017, Lebanon, hosted by FLAG in Albuquerque, NM)

In the States, I was involved in a variety of community service work, but before my YES year, I hardly knew anything about it. When I came back to Lebanon, as an alumnus who is ready to give back to my community, I faced a problem that other people are also facing. People in Lebanon aren’t well-acquainted with the idea of community service. They have a hard time finding such opportunities because most organizations do not post enough information online or it’s just not well-known. In the United States this wasn’t an issue because with a single click on your computer you can contact an NGO and volunteer.

Throughout my YES year, I realized that volunteering is very crucial for the sustainability of the community and for me as a person. This is why I’ve been thinking of something that solves this problem and promotes community service in Lebanon.

With the help of the YES Program and the support of the YES alumni family in Lebanon, I started an Instagram page (volunteer_lebanon) to promote volunteerism and share available opportunities with people. Adham Nasr (YES 2010 - 2011, hosted by ASSE in Pueblo, CO) offered me expert social media tips to help me get started. Now, I am constantly researching and posting information about volunteer opportunities and NGOs offering them to post on volunteer_lebanon. This way, people around the country can visit the page and find volunteer work that fits their interests and needs.

 Because I faced this problem before and I know what it feels like to volunteer, I want to help other people in my country who are seeking an opportunity to volunteer but having some trouble finding it.