Through hands-on training in conservation and restoration techniques, combined with life and professional skills development, four youth-led initiatives have received seed grants as part of our Rooting for the Future project in Tripoli, Lebanon.
These projects bring together young people from diverse communities to collaborate on initiatives centred on shared heritage. By supporting youth-led, locally rooted projects, Rooting for the Future strengthens social ties, promotes dialogue, and helps preserve Tripoli’s cultural heritage for future generations.
Rooting for the Future Seed Grant Projects
Gen T: Introducing children to Tripoli’s heritage through a colouring booklet
A group of volunteers from Tripoli who work to enhance the city’s cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations.
Gen T will develop a booklet and provide awareness sessions for children aged 6-12 that introduce them to Tripoli’s heritage in a fun, simple way, enhancing their awareness of the city’s heritage and supporting communication between them and their parents about shared activities.
In addition, the project aims to strengthen a sense of belonging and identity, encourage organisations to protect heritage, and address cultural isolation in the face of digital content.
Stories without Barriers: Making the Citadel of Tripoli accessible to deaf and blind communities
A group of volunteers from Tripoli who believe that heritage should be a shared space for everyone without exception.
The team is working on the production and installation of 15 plexiglass panels featuring QR codes and Braille text at key points across the Citadel of Tripoli. They will launch a comprehensive campaign by conducting awareness visits with schools and organisations supporting the deaf community.
Their objectives are to promote inclusivity in cultural spaces, provide accessible historical content for people with disabilities, transform the Citadel into a national model for cultural accessibility, and connect generations to heritage through modern digital tools.
Kounoz Tarablos: Strengthening children’s sense of belonging by exposing them to the historical sites and traditional handicrafts of their city
A group of volunteers from Tripoli who explore heritage sites and ancient markets, and offer workshops for all on the traditional dishes that represent Tripoli’s heritage.
Kounoz Tarablos will arrange visits to Tripoli’s soap manufacturers, where participants will learn to make traditional products in a practical and engaging way. Furthermore, participants can also attend traditional pottery workshops in the outskirts of Tripoli. Children will watch how pottery is shaped in the traditional way, then they will have the opportunity to create their own pieces, such as small bowls and cups.
The initiative’s objective is to strengthen belonging and identity, and build social cohesion among members of society, especially children, through traditional food workshops, heritage handicrafts, and field visits to city sites.
Ruwaad al Kalaa: Linking heritage and social cohesion through tours of the Citadel of Tripoli and workshops.
A group of volunteers from Tripoli that aims to enhance social cohesion through cultural heritage. They will conduct six tours within the Citadel of Tripoli and its surroundings and organise three interactive workshops that link heritage and social cohesion.
Their initiative aims to bring together residents from different religions, neighbourhoods, and economic backgrounds through a joint activity rooted in love for the city and its heritage. Through tours and workshops, dialogue, and cooperation, the spirit of belonging is encouraged, and barriers between groups are broken down.
About Rooting for the Future
Rooting for the Future supports young people in Lebanon using cultural heritage as a pathway to skills development, social cohesion, and community resilience.
The initiative focuses on restoring and protecting the historic Citadel of Tripoli while creating meaningful opportunities for youth in the region.
Rooting for the Future is led by the Kofi Annan Foundation, Fight for Humanity, and the Permanent Peace Movement, and funded by ALIPH.
“Any society that does not succeed in tapping into the energy and creativity of its youth will be left behind.”
Kofi Annan
Key Facts
Rooting for the Future Seed Grant Projects
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Four youth-led initiatives selected to receive seed grants as part of the Rooting for the Future project
One of the projects includes the production and installation of 15 plexiglass panels featuring QR codes and Braille text at key points across the Citadel of Tripoli.
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One of the projects includes six tours within the Tripoli Citadel and its surroundings, as well as three interactive workshops that link heritage and social cohesion.
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