By: Mahdi Hallal (YES 2017-2018, Lebanon, placed by PAX in Rochester, NH) 

After a three-year hiatus, the Lebanese YES Alumni Board is back! On February 18th, 142 alumni gathered for the annual alumni board elections, with 82 alumni joining in-person and 60 attending virtually. The last board elections were held in 2020, but they have not happened since because of the tumultuous state of the world. With three new alumni cohorts, we are finally back. All of the alumni were so excited to finally meet again or for the first time and share their stories and achievements over refreshments.  

Alumni running for the board campaigned on various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. They shared posters and flyers to highlight their plans for the YES alumni community. On the day of the elections, the candidates gave speeches to explain their plans and initiatives. The candidates for president also participated in a debate where they argued for their ideas and plans.  

After the debate, alumni voted for each position. Both those attending virtually and in-person were able to vote. As the votes were counted, the alumni ate lunch together and waited eagerly for the winners to be announced. In the end, I was elected as the new president, alongside seven regional coordinators. The elected regional coordinators included Cynthia Fayssal ‘22 for Mount Lebanon, Maya Bichtawi ‘18 for Beirut, Michelle Abdo ‘22 for North Region, Fadi Khalil ‘19 for Bekaa, Salah Mazloum ‘19 for West Bekaa, Razane Hamzeh ‘19 for Metn, and Moustapha Al Hajj ‘21 for South Region.  

After the election, the newly elected board participated in an intensive board retreat, where we brainstormed an action plan for the upcoming year. The action plan was designed around three main objectives: capacity building for YES alumni, increased awareness of the YES program, and increased civic engagement. The mission of the YES alumni community in Lebanon is to create sustainable change in our communities. Some of our upcoming plans are an Eid festival for youth from underprivileged areas, a video highlighting the impact of the YES program on alumni, and a YES retreat to celebrate the 20th anniversary! 

In March, each regional coordinator hosted a meeting in their region to share the board’s action plan. 47 alumni across the seven regions attended the meetings, even including some alumni living abroad! The coordinators gathered feedback from the alumni about the action plan and discussed projects to be implemented throughout the month of April.   

The newly elected board is excited to bring the alumni community back together again and reignite their passion for community service projects. We are looking forward to big things from the Lebanese YES alumni network in the next year! 

Cynthia Fayssal (YES 2021-2022, Lebanon, placed by IRIS in Sheffield, IA) 

Maya Bichtawi (YES 2017-2018, Lebanon, placed by PAX in Shreveport, LA) 

Michelle Abdo (YES 2021-2022, Lebanon, placed by AFS-USA in Denver, CO) 

Fadi Khalil (YES 2018-2019, Lebanon, placed by CIEE in Huntsville, AL) 

Salah Mazloum (YES 2018-2019, Lebanon, placed by IRIS in Des Moines, IA) 

Razane Hamzeh (YES 2018-2019, Lebanon, placed by AFS-USA in Hamburg, NY) 

Moustapha Al Hajj (YES 2020-2021, Lebanon, placed virtually by Greenheart)