Women’s Access Schemes

TL Gender Scholars Program (TLS)

TLS Program Overview and Benefits

LAU has launched a new Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars Program (TLS), fully funded by the United States Department of State - Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). The program aims to fortify existing networks in gender studies curriculum and to foster a cross-disciplinary culture of gender mainstreaming in coursework among undergraduate students. Due to the current dire economic situation in Lebanon, TLS program targets currently enrolled, high academically achieving, Lebanese students on financial aid from all fields of study.

This program is led by the School of Arts and Sciences that tailor-made the Gender Series program to meet TLS’ objectives. Indeed, the School of Arts and Sciences at LAU has designed a bespoke program, a Gender Series of courses that consists of multidisciplinary sets of problems relating to national, regional and global issues around Gender and its manifestations in the social, economic, political and cultural lives.

TLS - one-of-a-kind program will:

• Allow current LAU students to expand their learning abilities, and skills to add knowledge in gender education, activism, and career-building.
• Provide students with full gender studies coursework allowing them to advocate for policy reforms that facilitate democratic transitions, encourage women’s participation in different and all sectors of the workforce, and, shed light on inclusive, equitable and fair gender representation in security, conflict resolution and peacemaking.

Benefits

Students will receive:

• Full tuition coverage for each semester in which they enroll in one gender studies course, for up to two semesters only. Students are expected to have a full-time load (minimum 12 credits) and preferably not exceeding 15 credits each semester.
• Mentorship on gender research and paper writing.
• Opportunities to attend university-sponsored workshops, seminars, round-tables, and forum discussions.

TLS Blog

The LAU MEPI TLS program has launched its first Blog platform to mainly showcase TLS. Students’ reflections on gender issues impacting Lebanon and the MENA region. The purpose of this blog platform is to allow students to bring awareness and highlight pressing issues, explain the causes of the problem, advocate for positive transformative change, and propose solutions. TLS students who wish to post their work on the TLS blog, shall do the following:

1. Submit their blog draft to their instructor for approval

2. Get the support of the writing center as needed,

3. Send an email to mepitls@lau.edu.lb for further instructions and for final approval. 

Breaking Gender Stigmas: Christina El Ahmadieh’s Journey to Equality and Healing

Immersed in the course, Christina conducted primary research to investigate the evolving attitudes towards gender roles. To ensure the validity of her research, she undertook the CITI training “Social-Behavioral-Educational Researcher” and meticulously crafted a research proposal, seeking approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at LAU. After receiving an exemption from the IRB for her project, Christina proceeded to distribute surveys to students enrolled in the gender course and those taking the Art of Public Communication course, serving as her control group.

Analyzing the survey results on an Excel sheet, Christina discovered a profound revelation. The importance of incorporating gender courses in university curricula became evident, as the data highlighted the need to address and challenge existing gender stigmas. This realization deeply impacted Christina, solidifying her commitment to breaking down societal barriers.

“I am forever grateful for the MEPI TLS scholarship that supported my journey as a premed Biology student,” Christina reflects with gratitude. “It not only alleviated the financial burden but also provided me with valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth.” The scholarship bestowed her with access to workshops, leadership training, and research opportunities that shaped her character and nurtured her growth.

With her passion ignited, Christina’s aspirations extended beyond academic achievements. Recognizing the need for equality in healthcare, she set her sights on becoming a doctor to treat all individuals, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. Her early acceptance into the LAU School of Medicine with the first batch marked a significant milestone in her journey, affirming her commitment to making a difference in people’s lives and upholding the humanitarian responsibility of equality in healthcare.

As Christina embarks on this new chapter of her life, she remains adamant about her mission. “I am determined to pay it forward by making a positive impact in the medical field and contributing to the well-being of others,” she asserts with unwavering conviction. With her compassionate spirit and unwavering dedication, Christina is ready to shatter gender stigmas, foster equality, and heal those in need.

Christina El Ahmadieh, a determined and passionate individual, embarked on a transformative journey that would shape her beliefs, aspirations, and ultimately her future career. It all began when she enrolled in the MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars (TLS) program, where she took a life-changing gender course that opened her eyes to the widespread influence of gender stigmas in our daily lives.

Maha Shaheen’s Journey: Empowering Women in Leadership with EWAP

Selected among talented Egyptian women living abroad, Maha underwent holistic training to enhance her skills and industry knowledge. Through the program’s online format, she effectively managed her commitments while immersing herself in a rich learning environment. Networking with like-minded Egyptian women abroad provided her with invaluable connections and mentorship opportunities.

The impact of the EWAP fellowship was substantial. Maha gained enhanced knowledge and a diverse skillset, increasing her employability and expanding her professional network. Beyond personal growth, the program contributes to advancing Egyptian women in various fields and identifies exceptional leaders for key positions within Egypt. The collaborative efforts of the National Training Academy, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptians Affairs Abroad ensure the successful implementation of the program.

Aligned with the MEPI strategic framework, EWAP promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region. By fostering diverse and inclusive STEM workforces, the program fuels innovation and drives economic growth. It also strengthens partnerships between government, academia, and civil society, nurturing human capital and creating lasting impacts.

Maha’s journey reached significant milestones. She successfully defended her graduation project, showcasing her academic excellence. Furthermore, she was selected for an exclusive live-streaming session organized by the National Training Academy, highlighting her achievements and inspiring others. Additionally, she had the privilege of participating in a summer field trip, exploring Egypt’s new capital and witnessing its remarkable landmarks and mega-economic projects.

Maha’s accomplishments serve as an inspiration for aspiring leaders, emphasizing the significance of equal opportunities for women in all fields. With her newfound knowledge, skills, and network, Maha is ready to create a positive impact in her chosen field and contribute to the advancement of women’s empowerment in Egypt and beyond.

Maha Shaheen, a MEPI-TLG scholar at LAU, embarked on a life-changing journey with the Egyptian Women Abroad Program (EWAP). This prestigious presidential fellowship, initiated by the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, aims to address the underrepresentation of Egyptian women in STEM fields and cultivate their leadership potential.

Melissa Feghali Takes the Lead on Gender Parity at an International Level

Having no prior knowledge on gender equality and fair gender representation, Melissa Feghali – currently LAU-MEPI TLS alumna- decided to apply for the TLS program “out of curiosity” to learn more about the world of gender and define gender loopholes and see if they do “really” exist. Once a TLS student, Feghali started to get acquainted with gender-biased terminologies and gender-based defects that are ruling the Arab world. The TLS program was an eye-opener for Feghali who started to discern and detect gender imparity in her daily life; being a bioinformatics student, she used to hear a lot of criticism about women’s inabilities and incompetency to fit in a scientific major; since sexism is normalized in the Arab culture, she didn’t feel offended before, not until she joined the TLS program. And so the journey began:

During her year spent in the program, Feghali was able to expand her learning abilities from simple and basic concepts such as what it truly means to be a feminist, what is toxic masculinity, and what does patriarchy mean, to more complex and essential gender-based awareness such as the importance of fair representation at the decision-making table, the role of women in peace and security and the different ways in which someone can be part of gender activism.  After successfully completing a year at TLS, Feghali decided to stand up for women’s rights and applied for the Youth Representative position at the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), a role that will enable her to present the WOSM in discussions, events and conferences on gender equality and the role of youth in fighting all forms of discrimination.  Being well equipped with a professional gender equality capacity assessment that the program offered her, Feghali was selected to fill this position out of hundred other applicants. “If it wasn’t for the MEPI TLS Program that I was part of in the academic year 2020-2021, I would not have even considered applying to this role or even tried to take part in gender advocacy or representation. Thus why, I wanted to take this opportunity to attribute this achievement to the MEPI TLS program and team, for all the knowledge, motivation, and continuous support I could get that empowered me to take the gender mainstreaming mission to the international level”. Concluded Feghali

TLS students Earn Good Practices to Fight Gender Inequality in the Film Industry

Faysal Al Haddad and Ouday Yahya,  two LAU TV and Film students have often witnessed a gender imbalance pattern onset which led to an unpleasant feeling but they thought that nothing much can be done until they knew about MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars Program (TLS). Aiming at fostering a cross-disciplinary culture of gender mainstreaming in coursework among undergraduate students, El Haddad and Yahya found from the TLS program a golden opportunity that will enable them to mind the gap of gender equality in the film industry and act upon it. 

Through a student-based learning program, El Haddad and Yahya discussed and critiqued scholarly work, attended gender expert-led webinars, participated in workshops on masculinity and women entrepreneurship, which allowed them to work on a succinct research paper under the title of «Gender Discrimination in Film Industry ».

To start with the research, El Haddad and Yahya interviewed their female colleagues (from different years) that are majoring in TV and Film. Interviewees gave their input from their own experiences on film sets. These were analyzed and paid attention to in the paper. Additionally, El Haddad and Yahya also relied on international data such as reports coming from the European parliament, European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWAW), UN Women, and a test called the Bechdel Test.

Tackling gender discrimination at the workplace is one of the MEPI TLS program objectives, however, what made the progress of the learning experience and outcome amazing is the diverse perspectives because of the interdisciplinary representation of students. Coming from the film industry, Faisal and Ouday; two young and smart gentlemen shed light on the challenges their female colleagues face in the film school. Their documentary demonstrated the narratives and the body language of the interviewed girls as they express their description of the constraints they have in making their choices in the film production and sets.  As tomorrow’s leaders, their recommendations focused on the need to focus on increasing awareness on the significance of women in reaching all types of work and in reducing the pay gap, as well as in the issues related to sexual harassment.

« TLS has really helped open my eyes on what’s happening worldwide and in Lebanon. This course inspired me and Yahya to write a 10 page paper for our history of film class about the toxicity of gender stereotyping in Disney Princess Films – Yes, a subject so simple yet so impactful. As aspiring future filmmakers, we will break the stereotypes.» Affirm El Haddad and Yahya.

TLS Students Choose to Raise the Flag on Gender Inequality in the Workforce

When addressing the issue of the gender gap in the workforce in Lebanon, it is obvious that gender discrimination prevails across all rungs of the ladder. Despite many battles and victories, Lebanese women still suffer from injustices in the workplace. TLS students Mariella El Khoury, Lucette El Bitar, Gaelle Abi Chedid, Victoria Harb, and Corinne Chbib chose to address this issue while unfolding its multi-dimensional aspects.

For the purpose of branching scenarios, the team based their project on a narration script, with a fictional character “Lara” representing the Lebanese woman who goes through different scenarios that depict the journey many Lebanese women face in the workplace.

The short movie shed light on the different forms of the gender gap that Lara experiences: wage gap between women and men, the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions, and the lack of legal support, etc…

During the data collection phase, the team referred mostly to desk-based information and the Lebanese labor law due to a lack of case studies from reliable resources that could have helped them in shaping the main traits of their project. However, the result was rated more than satisfactory; the paper was selected as one of the top 10 papers.

The student-based learning methods empowered the students to show off their creativity and competitive abilities in presenting their thoughts and the results of their investigative research in a creative way.  Mariella, Lucette, Gaelle, Victoria, and Corinne presented the challenges women face at the workplace, and staged the long and hindered path women tackle in a simple creative, and fun animated approach.  For sure, this approach of unraveling the inequalities did not make the problem simple; instead, it narrated it in an artistic approachable way.  For sure the TLS students will not accept to walk that path but will advocate and work hard to promote policies that promote equality.

“TLS encouraged us to publish our work on women empowerment platforms and introduced us to different NGOs that may help us transfer our written research to practical actions […] Next semester, some of us are planning to enroll in the gender discrimination in the workplace course to widen our knowledge on the subject and hopefully be able to be a part of the change in our country” affirms the team while stressing on the numeral benefits that TLS program offered her in a very short time frame.

MDLAB 2022: Empowering Women and the Youth with Media Literacy

LAU hosts international experts and students for a week-long summer academy on digital media literacy.

For its eighth edition of the Media Digital Literacy Academy of Beirut (MDLAB), LAU’s Institute of Media Research and Training (IMRT) at the School of Arts and Sciences reunited faculty, students, and activists in a week-long session on empowering women and youth through media literacy pedagogies and multimedia skills.

Funded by the Public Affairs Section at the US Embassy in Beirut and the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD), MDLAB 2022 hosted 75 participants from Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Germany to address the representation of women, youth and other marginalized groups in the coverage of protests and civic activism campaigns, and to advance the digital multimedia skills and knowledge of activists, journalists and media educators.

MDLAB has for years been dedicated to expanding media and digital literacy in the region through a number of workshops and trainings, providing the needed curricular material and resources, and empowering faculty, students, journalists, and activists to transfer what they learned to their communities.

Since its launch, MDLAB has succeeded in introducing media and digital literacy to 60 universities and schools in 12 Arab countries by acting as an incubator of innovative ideas and a hub for a network of regional universities and media educators.

In addition to promoting civic engagement and youth-centered discussions, the academy aims to bring together students and scholars from all over the Arab world and Europe for academic and cultural exchange.

“MDLAB is a bigger example of the social change mission at LAU to pull resources together and empower students through education,” says MDLAB Co-director and LAU Assistant Professor of Multimedia Journalism Gretchen King. “The program tries to shine a light on the media and gives people tools to use the media themselves and center other voices which have otherwise been silenced or misrepresented.”

The lectures were given by LAU faculty along with guest speakers and experts from the United States, Canada, Egypt, Iraq, Germany and Denmark. Daily workshops were organized in collaboration with the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, The Arab Council for Social Sciences, Switch Perspective, NO2TA feminist lab, Iraq Network for Social Media, Digital Lab and Egab media platform, among others.

“We are fortunate to be able to bring together such a vibrant group of scholars, journalists, and activists to discuss pressing current issues of women, youth and media and develop locally rooted media literacy curricula,” says MDLAB Director and LAU Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism and Media Studies Jad Melki.   

In the age of mass information, media literacy forms the core of media activism and education. “It literally saves lives,” says project manager of the Algerian Media Literacy Camp and MDLAB participant, Meriem Saoud. “With this great access to information, comes a bulk of misinformation that you cannot filter out without the needed critical skills.”

Media literacy is also central to differentiating real from fake news nowadays, notes MDLAB participant from Baghdad, Taha Yassine. “There are many factors affecting media representation such as sponsorships, funding, and the political economy that inherently prejudice the news and necessitate greater awareness to be able to accurately digest it,” he says.

In these times of crises in Lebanon and elsewhere, “it is essential to consider the role of the media not only from an academic perspective but also from the perspective of young journalists and media specialists who constitute the main focus of MDLAB curricula,” says Dr. Denijal Jegic, researcher in Multimedia Journalism and Communication at LAU. 

	“MDLAB is a bigger example of the social change mission at LAU to pull resources together and empower students through education,” says Dr. King.
	The academy aims to bring together students and scholars from all over the Arab world and Europe for academic and cultural exchange.
	In the age of mass information, media literacy forms the core of media activism and education.
	MDLAB 2022 reunited faculty, students, and activists in a week-long session on empowering women and youth through media literacy pedagogies and multimedia skills.

A Decade of LAU Self-Expression Through Creative Writing

The Department of Communication, Arts and Languages celebrates the 10th anniversary of its flagship Creative Writing Competition, informed by the newly revamped Creative Writing curriculum.

For a decade, the LAU Annual Creative Writing Competition (CWC) launched by the Department of English, currently subsumed by the Department of Communication, Arts and Languages in the School of Arts and Sciences, has provided a platform for all LAU students to express themselves freely.

Initially limited to ENG 102 and 202 students, the Creative Writing Competition grew into a university-wide writing competition, giving students a platform that was not always found in their courses.

“The competition, along with whatever few creative writing workshops or competitions are available in Lebanon, presents a glorious platform in which you can advance your writing skills, get in touch with your humanity and speak from your soul,” said Reef Aman Eddine, a previous third-place winner and premed chemistry student.

Creative Writing at LAU

The Creative Writing program, much like the CWC, has also come a long way, especially in the past four years. New courses including Life Writing and Illness Writing have been added and old courses, such as Fiction Writing and Playwriting have been revamped or, like Poetry Writing, and Food and Travel Writing, have been offered for the first time at LAU.

“As I worked on redesigning the program, I was struck by two major realities,” said Dr. Sleiman El Hajj, assistant professor of creative and journalistic writing and a co-organizer of the CWC since 2019. “The first was the absence of auto/biographical course offerings not only in writing courses but in humanities and cultural studies curricula more generally.”

“At the same time, through delivering a number of workshops in introductory creative writing classes and in the community, students’ need for self-expression, especially in the social, politically, and economically turbulent climate of Lebanon, became very clear,” he added.

The theme for this year’s competition, Gender, derives from the ideas and topics that have been previously explored by students over the years. Some examples include sexism, #metoo, sexual harassment, sexual minority rights, youth and gender activism, bullying, and coming of age.

Dr. El Hajj links students’ need for self-expression to the lack of topical, present-day life narratives young people may relate to or learn from in the Lebanese context.

“For so many university students today, the Lebanese civil war is at best a distant memory or something they never witnessed to start with, and a lot of their coming-of-age experiences as they transition from school age to young adulthood are quite different from what already exists in postwar Lebanese literature that, to this day, continues to explore the immediate aftermath and legacies of the civil war,” he said

“As I have observed,” Dr. El Hajj added, “this reality means that for many students the need to write, and share, personal experience discursively is all the more urgent, in the absence of local narratives the students can get knowledge from or identify with, when it comes to issues of personal identity, finding home, mental health, and increasingly pressingly, gender and sexuality.” 

Indeed, both in creative writing classes and in the annual Creative Writing Competition submissions, there has been, since 2019, a significant emphasis on translating lived experience into personal narratives, which El Hajj explained may themselves become “a form of knowledge or scholarship.”

The Creative Writing Awards, 2022

The Creative Writing Awards were held this year at the Gulbenkian Theatre, Beirut Campus, on Friday, April 29. The event was formally opened by the Provost George E. Nasr.

Despite the grueling economic times we are plodding through, the CWC was able to secure a generous monetary prize allowance through a major sponsor, AllPrints, explained Senior Instructor of English, Paula Habre, a founding member of the CWC Organizing Committee.

Four winners from the 22 participants were chosen based on a specific rubric: first place went to engineering sophomore Christina E., a nom de plume; second place to English literature sophomore Assile Michlawi; third to sophomore biology premed Leen Kesrwane; and fourth to TV and film senior Vincent Jabr.

All participants received memorabilia offered by the sponsor and the winners received monetary prizes.

The ceremony concluded with a cocktail reception, attended by faculty, staff, and the families of the student participants representing all six schools at LAU.

Moving forward, especially after this milestone, the organizers hope to expand the creative writing competition to include submissions from LAU alumni and to create a digital archive of the previous winning competition submissions. They also hope to apply for a grant that will allow for organizing a nationwide young-adult creative writing competition.

The future of the creative writing competition looks bright – hopefully entering another decade of both a program and competition that inspire students to speak their mind and express themselves to the fullest.

Samira Shami, one of the founding members of the Creative Writing Competition, was honored at the ceremony.

Dr. El Hajj and Instructor of English Paula Habre, who is also a founding member of the CWC Organizing Committee, presented each participant with a certificate and memorabilia offered by the sponsor.

Artists from Colombia Weaving Stories for Peace

LAU’s School of Architecture and Design hosted the Colombia Weaving Peace Exhibition to highlight the role of art in reintegrating ex-fighters into society.

In collaboration with the Embassy of Colombia in Lebanon, the School of Architecture and Design (SArD) at LAU hosted the Colombia Weaving Peace Exhibition from September 18 to 20 at the Gezairi Building, showcasing the creative works of Colombian fashion companies Manifiesta, led by Angela Maria Herrera and Saria Arias Castañeda, and Tejidos Chakanas, founded by Mateo Perea Bernal.

Both companies specialize in creating art pieces crafted by individuals who have undergone rehabilitation and societal reintegration as part of Colombia’s peace process and reconciliation efforts after the war. Their main artists are women who have experienced the loss of loved ones during the country’s many conflicts.

The backdrop of this exhibition is Colombia’s journey toward peace, initiated in 2016 when the Colombian government signed a historic peace treaty with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This landmark agreement signaled the beginning of the internal peace process, ending years of civil strife.

For Dean Elie G. Haddad, the artworks bear testament to the transformative power of art and the capacity of individuals to reintegrate into society through creative endeavors.

“Our country can learn a lot from the experiences of Colombia and can transcend the current divisions and offer its people reasons to hope for a better future,” he said.

The opening ceremony was attended by Colombian Ambassador Edwin Ostos Alfonso, Member of the Lebanese Parliamentary Friendship Group with Colombia Waddah Sadek, dignitaries, as well as faculty, staff and students, in addition to the four Colombian artists: Mateo Perea Bernal, Angela Maria Herrera, Indira Cerpa Granda and Sara Arias Castañeda.

Ambassador Ostos Alfonso thanked LAU for not only accepting the embassy’s request to host the exhibition but also for recognizing its humanitarian significance. “This form of connection is done by exploring inventiveness, imagination and creativity,” he said.

The artworks on display provided insights into the relationship between individuals and their natural environment, added Ambassador Ostos Alfonso, a theme particularly resonant in a country as rich in natural diversity as Colombia. It also stands as a cultural event that aims to share the important role of women in building peace.

Herrera described it as “an exercise of memory,” explaining that these artistic creations serve as a reference for ex-fighters and their families in providing a tangible reminder of their journey.

Bernal has taken this message of strength and healing to international audiences and extended it to LAU by organizing a beadwork workshop for fashion design students. Following Bernal’s guidance, the students set to create their individual designs, while he moved from table to table assisting them with the initial needlework required to begin beading.

“Both the exhibition and the workshop aim to foster cultural exchange and highlight the thread of resilience connecting communities worldwide,” said Bernal.

“Having this exhibition and organizing the workshop sees the role of art in fostering connections and friendships among participants,” noted Dr. Haddad. “I can only hope that it also awakens the connection of artistry and the human experiences in Lebanon’s broader community.”

	The exhibition included a collection of dresses made by signatories of the peace agreement, siblings of soldiers in combat and victims of the armed conflict.
	For Dean Elie G. Haddad, the artworks bear testament to the transformative power of art and the capacity of individuals to reintegrate into society through creative endeavors.
	Ambassador Ostos Alfonso thanked LAU for not only accepting the embassy’s request to host the exhibition but also for recognizing its humanitarian significance.
	Visitors to the exhibition browsed through a curated collection of fashionable, handcrafted clothing and accessories made with beads collected from across the globe.