Youth Program
Bedayati’s Youth Program seeks to widen opportunities for marginalized youth in the labour market, responding to their aspirations for change. Youth between the ages of 16-25 who take part in our program are accompanied for a period of six to nine months, during which time they are also encouraged to set their career goals.
Our training covers digital literacy, English and life skills. We combine job readiness training with short-term employment opportunities and sports, to promote the employability of youth and help with their personal development. Bedayati actively supports the placement of students in further education, training, or decent employment upon completion of the Program.
We are currently piloting our first Youth Program in an informal settlement in Beirut next to the Sports Stadium.
Inclusion Advocacy
We believe in building an inclusive economy that promotes decent work opportunities for all. Our Inclusive Employer Pledge invites Lebanese businesses to join a growing movement of organizations using their work and workplaces to help build an inclusive and more sustainable society.
Inclusive employers commit to broadening access to decent work opportunities, promoting an inclusive world of work, and expanding partnerships with other organizations sharing the same vision.
By providing more equal opportunities in the workplace, organizations are able to directly impact the lives of those they employ, helping to fight poverty and promote social mobility. In doing so, organizations create economic as well as social value.
Community Kitchen
Our Community Kitchen is a community-powered initiative that provides hot meals to those who need them the most in Beirut, including most recently the areas affected by the Beirut blast. Worsening living conditions, followed by the COVID-19 outbreak, have left the most vulnerable families at risk of food insecurity. Beyond bringing relief, the Community Kitchen also helps promote youth employability and restore livelihoods, providing short-term employment opportunities to over 20 youths since its inception.
Our kitchen is run by professionals who have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis. Students from our Youth Program are also employed as kitchen assistants and take care of food purchasing, meal preparation and food distribution. Through their work in the Community Kitchen, youth learn project management and employability skills, team work and community service. Members of the community are also invited to cook, working with a professional chef to scale up their home recipes, in celebration of local culinary traditions.