By Lea Abdel Khalek (YES 2021-2022, Lebanon, placed by AFS in Carroll, OH)

After returning to Lebanon from my YES exchange year, I quickly began a lot of activities and volunteer work. In July 2022, I founded the first non-political youth club in my village, Majdel Baana Youth Club (MBYC). I founded MBYC with a group of friends who shared a similar passion for volunteering and giving back to our beloved community.  

We hosted a local bake sale as our first fundraiser on August 29th. A variety of clubs and organizations in Mount Lebanon joined us for this opening, including Mecherfe Youth Club, the Interact Club, and Scouts! Then, we headed into bigger ventures. In collaboration with the Red Cross, we hosted the “Youth and Health Program” throughout the month of October, which engaged over 25 young adults to improve their personal and social development.  

We still didn’t stop there. On October 9th, we organized the “Let’s Run Marathon”, which attracted 400 participants of all ages from across Lebanon. The marathon was featured on Television Lebanon, Lebanon's national television station, and was sponsored by Aquafina, Cafe Noèl, Patisserie La Ronda, DJ Nino Azzam, and Baz Authentic Market. 

Most recently, on December 3rd, we hosted a huge football tournament in Majdel Baana, a town in Mount Lebanon. Nadi Al Jabal Al Riyadi sporting club sponsored the tournament. With twelve teams participating and a wonderful audience, the tournament was a huge success. But what I’m most proud of is that we were able to inspire and create change in a village that needed it. 

After MBYC was founded, many youth clubs started up in our area, and I feel like it opened the door for many youth to take initiative to better our situation. If we have a goal, we should always pursue it, no matter how big it is!