October 17th was a transitional moment in the lives of Lebanese youth who have always been excluded from political life due to a political elite that has dominated power for more than forty years. Prior to October 17, political life in Lebanon consisted of the parties that fought the civil war and are still living and developing this historical narrative in order to preserve the prevailing sectarian discourse. This made the Lebanese youth feel hostile towards any political party, reject partisan life, and thus refrain from bringing about the required change within effective political frameworks.
In light of the 17th of October, the collapse of the Lebanese economy and the bombing of the capital, we found the task of changing the traditional view of politics and developing a new model for participatory political action based on serving the people and the country, away from the model of quotas, clientelism and corruption.

Minteshreen is launching a series of Townhalls in partnership with the Friederich Neumann Foundation (FNF) across various cities and villages in Lebanon. In the townhalls, Minteshreen representatives and guest speakers will be speaking about a variety of issues while facilitating a healthy and positive discussion climate for attendees to share their input on Minteshreen’s political proposals. The townhalls will be followed up with a detailed focus group between citizens on local issues that will be developed in detail as stand-alone sustainable projects.

To be revealed as Townhalls are rolled out.