na-am

Naam lil Hiwar: The War as We Lived it

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:15:00 +0000

"Memory is the antidote to repetition of the wars.”
Ghassan Mkheiber

In commemoration of the Lebanese civil war, Nahwa al Muwatiniya is please to invite you to an open dialogue session with Mrs. Wadad Halwani, president of the Committee of the Families of the Disappeared, and Mr. Assaad Chaftari, former militia intelligence chief during the civil war, titled:

The war as we lived it
Testimonials and confessions on the civil war

Come and share your personal experiences and feelings about the Lebanese civil war in this transparent and uncensored dialogue; let us remember, commemorate, and reconciliate.

PLACE: 961 on Gemayze Street (next to Doculand)

DATE: Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. sharp

Please mark your calendar. Naam lil Hiwar will alternate on Mondays between the following places:

961 on Gemayze Street:
Every other Monday on March 31, April 14, and April 28

Café Yet on Hadi Nasrallah Boulevard (intersection with Sfeir bridge) next to Pizza Plus, facing BLOM bank - Dahieh
Every other Monday on April 7, April 21, May 5

For more information: 03-562478 or 01-354466
info@na-am.org

بمناسبة ذكرى الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية وإيماناً منّا بمبدأ "تنذكر ل ما تنعاد"، تدعوكم جمعيّة نحو المواطنيّة إلى حوار مفتوح وصريح مع السيدة وداد حلواني، رئيسة لجنة أهالي المخطوفين والسيد أسعد شفتري، رئيس مخابرات سابق في الميليشيا خلال الحرب الأهلية، تحت عنوان:

الحرب كما عشناها
شهادات واعترافات عن الحرب الأهلية

شاركونا تجاربكم الشخصية ومعاناتكم خلال الحرب في هذا الحوار الشفاف لنتذكّر و نعتبر ونتصالح...

المكان: مقهى 961 في شارع الجميزة ( قرب دوكولاند) -

الزمان: : الأثنين، 14 نيسان في تمام الساعة 7:30 مساءً-

نرجو الملاحظة أنه سوف تنعقد جلسات نعم للحوار أيام الأثنين بالتتابع بين المكانين التاليين:

*مقهى 961—شارع الجميزة
كلّ ثاني ورابع نهار إثنين من الشهر: 31 آذار، 14 نيسان، 28 نيسان

* قهوة كافيه يات—أتوستراد هادي نصراللـه (تقاطع جسرالصفير)
كلّ أوّل وثالث نهار إثنين من الشهر: 7 نيسان، 21 نيسان، 5 أيار

للمزيد من المعلومات:562478 03
01 354466
info@na-am.org

Naam lil Hiwar: The War as We Lived it

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:08:00 +0000

"Memory is the antidote to repetition of the wars.”
Ghassan Mkheiber

In commemoration of the Lebanese civil war, Nahwa al Muwatiniya is please to invite you to an open dialogue session with Mrs. Wadad Halwani, president of the Committee of the Families of the Disappeared, and Mr. Assaad Chaftari, former militia intelligence chief during the civil war, titled:

The war as we lived it
Testimonials and confessions on the civil war

Come and share your personal experiences and feelings about the Lebanese civil war in this transparent and uncensored dialogue; let us remember, commemorate, and reconciliate.

PLACE: 961 on Gemayze Street (next to Doculand)

DATE: Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. sharp

Please mark your calendar. Naam lil Hiwar will alternate on Mondays between the following places:

961 on Gemayze Street:
Every other Monday on March 31, April 14, and April 28

Café Yet on Hadi Nasrallah Boulevard (intersection with Sfeir bridge) next to Pizza Plus, facing BLOM bank - Dahieh
Every other Monday on April 7, April 21, May 5

For more information: 03-562478 or 01-354466
info@na-am.org

بمناسبة ذكرى الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية وإيماناً منّا بمبدأ "تنذكر ل ما تنعاد"، تدعوكم جمعيّة نحو المواطنيّة إلى حوار مفتوح وصريح مع السيدة وداد حلواني، رئيسة لجنة أهالي المخطوفين والسيد أسعد شفتري، رئيس مخابرات سابق في الميليشيا خلال الحرب الأهلية، تحت عنوان:

الحرب كما عشناها
شهادات واعترافات عن الحرب الأهلية

شاركونا تجاربكم الشخصية ومعاناتكم خلال الحرب في هذا الحوار الشفاف لنتذكّر و نعتبر ونتصالح...

المكان: مقهى 961 في شارع الجميزة ( قرب دوكولاند) -

الزمان: : الأثنين، 14 نيسان في تمام الساعة 7:30 مساءً-

نرجو الملاحظة أنه سوف تنعقد جلسات نعم للحوار أيام الأثنين بالتتابع بين المكانين التاليين:

*مقهى 961—شارع الجميزة
كلّ ثاني ورابع نهار إثنين من الشهر: 31 آذار، 14 نيسان، 28 نيسان

* قهوة كافيه يات—أتوستراد هادي نصراللـه (تقاطع جسرالصفير)
كلّ أوّل وثالث نهار إثنين من الشهر: 7 نيسان، 21 نيسان، 5 أيار

للمزيد من المعلومات:562478 03
01 354466
info@na-am.org

Youth in Action

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:22:00 +0000

Lebanese youths are often unaware of their rights and responsibilities as citizens, as well as the practices of a democratic society. They lack skills on how to be active and take part in the decision making process in the country.

Moreover, Lebanon has not witnessed one single lawsuit to bring corrupt public officials to justice in the entire 53-year history of Law 154/99 “Min ayn laka Haza.” The law is simply inapplicable in its present form. Essentially, limited civic participation by citizens and the lack of accountability in politics have played a large role in delaying the emergence of a strong and progressive democratic society. (read more)

Na-aM is recruiting

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Nahwa al-Muwatinya is seeking to recruit motivated and engaged citizens in the following positions:

If you fit any of the needed profiles, drop us a line!

Youth In Action Gains Visibility in Daily Star, May 31st 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:09:00 +0000

Called to account: Young activists target graft in high places
'Youth in Action' project wants to create pressure for updating of 'completely flawed' corruption legislation
By Nour Samaha
Daily Star staff

Thursday, May 31, 2007
BEIRUT: Lebanese law 154/99, meant to regulate corruption among civil servants, has become a cause for concern for some people dedicated to reducing the country's democratic deficit. The civil society movement Nahwa al-Muwatiniya (NAM) has decided to rally young people and lobby Parliament in an effort to redress the legislation's shortcomings.

Law 154/99, otherwise known as the Illicit Wealth Law, was created in 1954 but has yet to be used because of glaring flaws in its design, NAM says. Its original purpose was to scrutinize the role of public servants, ensure they fulfill their duties and limit corruption in Parliament. However, says NAM, the law is unacceptable in its current form.

"The law is meant to monitor the role of public servants and parliamentarians, but it is not working - it is completely flawed," said NAM coordinator Sonya Day in an interview with The Daily Star. "We are working on a project that empowers the youth to lobby their parliamentarians to change the law."
The project, known as Youth In Action, is designed to educate youths on their rights as Lebanese citizens and on the powers they have to make a difference in how the country is managed and run.
"We are working on two main objectives," said project leader Sahar Franjieh.
"The first [is] to empower youths in taking part in the decision-making process and the formation of the country. The second objective is to train the youths in lobbying and advocacy skills, in order for them to use these newly found abilities on parliamentarians and to fight corruption."

Sponsored by the World Bank, the project has already completed several workshops throughout the country, including sessions in Beirut, Sidon, Baalbek and Tripoli. Still to be completed are workshops in Nabatieh and Zahle.
Youths aged 18-25 - a mixture of university students and professionals - can participate in the workshops, which are designed to help students gain awareness of and practice their rights as citizens.
"Once they attend the training workshop, the youths then go and call parliamentarians in order to push for an amendment to the law," said Franjieh. "The previous workshops have been successful because volunteers who attended them have managed to secure meetings with certain parliamentarians to discuss the law. This is very positive for us and for [the youths]."

It is necessary to create a culture and tradition of working with youths and building awareness of citizens' rights, added Franjieh. "Their role is not just to go and vote," she said. "They have other rights as well, such as monitoring their parliamentarians."
The workshops consist of a series of lectures and group participation sessions with the presence of legal experts. NAM is developing the workshops into a campaign to assess the role of citizens in Lebanon through the participation of local and international non-governmental organizations.
"While we have implemented this project, we think the participation of other groups is necessary to bring awareness to the issue," she said. "In addition, we have had positive feedback from some of the parliamentarians we have lobbied."
During the lobbying of the parliamentarians, the youths have managed to bring together at least half a dozen officials - from differing party blocs - to sign the youths' petition and support their case.
"The petition, essentially, is to get enough official signatures to ensure that the next time there is a parliamentary session, this issue of amending the law will be brought up and put on the agenda," said Day.
While it may not be successful the first time, the group is not willing to give up. "We will keep on trying," said Franjieh. "You can't get anywhere unless you try, and the youths are motivated to do this."
The youth remain the focus of the entire project and the campaign. "The whole idea is to get a group of youths to become expert lobbyists and who know how to lobby when a law needs to be amended," she said.
As the situation in the country deteriorates, movements and groups such as NAM continue to plan for the future, in an effort to improve the political system and prevent deadlocks.

NAM's next Youth In Action workshop will take place Saturday, June 2 in Nabatieh in the Cultural Council of the South from 10 a.m.

Rapid Action Needed for Palestinian Refugees in North!

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:35:00 +0000

Since last Sunday, May 20th, there have been fighting between the Fatah al Islam and the Lebanese Army in the Nahr El-Bared Palestinian camp in Tripoli. The fights have continued despite of the attempt to a cease-fire on Thursday 24th, and the security situation has grown worse. Thousands of Palestinian families have fled their homes to another camp, Badawi, also located in Northern Lebanon.

Already poor Badawi residents are hosting a large number of refugees. A rapid reaction of the Civil Society is needed among the humanitarian help provided by the international organizations.

Please, help us with raising funds for these neglected people in need! Na-aM together with a group of students, AUB professors and a Palestinian humanitarian relief group wants to contribute to the worsening situation by providing the refugees with medication and everyday necessities.

We would highly appreciate your financial donation of any kind. This can be done by either contacting Ms. Newman, or by depositing in the Na-aM account- as found on the website, and sending an email designating the money for aid.

For more information, please contact Marcy Newman at 70-977812 / marcynewman@gmail.com

The Hiwar blog is online!

noreply@blogger.com (Nahwa al-Muwatiniya) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:07:00 +0000

Preview the new-born Hiwar blog (hiwar.na-am.org). Give it time to deploy! We, of course, expect your contribution, either by participating to the Hiwar sessions, or by commenting on our blog.

An article in L'Orient - Le Jour

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:53:00 +0000

An article, published on April 5th in the french-language newspaper "L'Orient - Le Jour"
has been added to our Press Room.

Na-aM is pleased to announce its website upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:51:00 +0000

We are pleased to inform you that our website has been upgraded. It will be regularly updated with our news and activities; if you wish to keep a close track to what we're doing, we encourage you to subscribe to our RSS feed.

You might want to contact us, or even better, to get involved; do not hesitate!

Expressions of Citizenship - A night of Roof-Top Jazz

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:04:00 +0000

Featuring Half-Life / March 2nd 2007 / Starting 8:15PM / Top 21 - Crown Plaza, Hamra / Open Bar.

Proceeds will go to projects promoting active citizenship in Lebanon.

أين يبدأ حوار المواطنية؟

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:40:00 +0000

بيروت في 27 شباط 2007

محطات متوفرة بغزارة وفظاعة، تقريبا على كل متر من تلك الـ 10452، فمن أية محطة يبدأ حوار المواطنية؟

أهو حوار الفم الملآن الذي يفرغه علينا يومياً أمثال نوابنا وزعماؤنا السياسيون والروحيون، من صغيرهم الى كبيرهم؟ أم حوار السفارات المنتدبة والأمم المتحدة (على مصيرنا)؟

أهو حوار الطرشان الدائر داخل سرايا الحكومة وخارجها، وعلى ألسنة الطلاب في جامعات التقنيص والمتاريس، أو على ألسنة النيران بين دواليب مشتعلة وسيارات مفخخة؟

إسمع يا أخي، تلك أمثال من حوار عقيم وفاشل تنتهي مشاركتك فيه بمجرد مقاطعة تلفزيونك في الصالون؛ فاضغط ذلك الزر الذي أصلاً نسيتَ وجوده في أسفل الجهاز، ووفّر على نفسك هدر الكهرباء وتلف الأعصاب وتلويث الأجواء.

تعال معي فقد ابتدأ حديث من نوع آخر، حديث التجربة نحو الحوار، نحو المواطنية! من هذه المحطة يبدأ حوار المواطنية مساء الأثنين من كل أسبوع. حوار سمعتُه بأذنَي مساء البارحة، لحن جميل وكلمات عفوية وصادقة. حوار حي يرزق رأيتُه بأم عيني يعالج "المواطنية" (بدون التطرق الى "الوطنية"المبتذلة التي سئمناها)،حوار أحياناً يتفركش هنا ويتلعثم هناك نتيجة عفويته، ولكنه يعود على قدميه ليمضي بحديث شفاف ومفرح.

حوار نحو المواطنية صادق وليس "مشردئ" بأميركا وفرنسا وإيران وسوريا والسعودية. حوار واعٍ مُكتفٍ بذاته وليس بحاجة الى إمدادات ميليشياوية. حوار القلب المفتوح وعقلية تخطي الذات الى شيءٍ أكبر من النفس والبلد، حوار لكل من أراد قول كلمة عتاب ولكل من يعرف أن مصلحته فوق مصلحة النائب والوزير والزعيم والطائفة. حوارك يا أخي حوار الواجبات والمسؤوليات والحقوق، فالسيارة المفخخة مسؤولية المواطن، والكرّ والفرّ بين الطوائف وشغفها الدموي المفرط ببعضها البعض مسؤولية المواطن. فعندما تبدأ البنادق بالعزف تسقط القصائد العصماء ويسقط المواطن معها. وإذ يحصل كل ما يحصل فيما النائب اللبناني ما زال يتقاضى راتبه الـ 11 مليون ليرة شهريا،ً وعلى الوقت، بينما البقية تقبل بـ 300 ألف كالحد الأدنى للأجور، فذلك أيضاً مسؤولية المواطن.

هكذا احتفلت جمعية "نحو المواطنية" مساء البارحة بمناسبة مرور سنة على تجرية الحوار المفتوح: 40 حلقة موضوعية، 40 ضيف متطوع، 500 مشارك في حوار أسبوعي. حوار نحو المواطنية يتجدد كل مساء الأثنين في جهة مختلفة من لبنان. حوار لا ينتهي. حوار لا يجب أن ينتهي.

عماد عطالله
جمعية نحو المواطنية

Numbers Have Faces

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:46:00 +0000

The July-August 2006 war in Lebanon claimed the lives of over 1,300 people; the majority of which being children, women and elderly civilians. These people are still unknown and remain as numbers waiting to be stored away in history books; just as the nearly 30 massacres are only headlines in old newspaper articles from during the war. This project intends to raise awareness amongst Lebanese community as well the international community about the Lebanese civilians who have become victims of Israeli aggression, in order to understand the magnitude of the loss. Those that died are people and not numbers.

In order to do this, Nahwa al-Muwatiniya volunteers will travel to the South with a van having an enlarged map of Lebanon, where the families of victims will place a photo of their loved ones upon it. Volunteers will also share with them in their experiences during the war, their lives, and lives of the victims. A documentary along with a billboard containing the photos will come from this project. For us in Nahwa al-Muwatiniya, we want to show our compassion for those lost during the war and share their lives and experiences with the world.

The trip will take place from the 17-19th of November 2006 and will begin in Dahiyeh starting at 9am Friday and move at noon to the Bekaa for the rest of the day. Saturday and Sunday we will spend in the south.

We hope to see you there. For more information contact Nassim: 03492662, info [at] na-am.org

Syrian-Lebanese Classical Music Concert at AUB - Joining the two cultures through music

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Thu, 04 May 2006 11:36:00 +0000

On Tuesday May 9, 2006, the Syrian Cultural Club at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in collaboration with Nahwa al-Muwatiniya (Na-am) will be holding a classical music concert at the Assembly Hall at 8:30pm. Musicians Rami Khalife, Kinan Azmeh and Maria Arnaout will be performing a number of classical compositions of Syrian-Lebanese Origin.

The music played is intended to display the similarities of the two countries and people through this cultural evening while simultaneously bridging the differences. It will also create an opportunity for cultural exchange while promoting an accepting attitude towards Syrian youth among the Lebanese. This event is part of Na-am’s “Lebanese-Syrian Dialogue” initiative which aims at surpassing current tensions in relations between the two nations.

Nahwa al-Muwatiniya is a non-profit organization founded by individuals from all walks of life and from a mosaic of political, cultural and religious background.

Ticket prices are 8,000L.L; 15,000L.L and 25,000L.L are on sale at AUB and La CD-Thèque Ashrafieh and Hamra.

Nahwa al-Muwatiniya fundraising event -

noreply@blogger.com (.w.) — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 11:40:00 +0000

Over 150 people attended a Jazz Night at Club 43 in Gemayze on Friday April 28, 2006 to celebrate the unofficial launch of Nahwa al-Muwatiniya (Na-aM), a newly formed organization that received official registration in April. In addition to helping fund projects undertaken by Na-aM, this event also served to raise awareness on citizenship, or lack thereof, in Lebanon. By all accounts, the event, which brought together a diverse group of people, was a tremendous success.