Lucky To Be Young

Lucky To Be Young

Mohammed Sweid, a high school student from the south of Lebanon reckons he is lucky to be young because it gives him a chance to learn on programmes like Taqqadam. Nadine Saassouh, a teacher who attended the teacher training course this year, agrees. They reflect on their learning experience on Taqqadam in Lebanon this year.

Creating global citizens

Nadine is an English language teacher at a public high school in Lebanon and believes the programme is a vital tool to help prepare young people for the realities of the outside world after school life. ‘Taqaddam prepares and equips students with the skills they need. The world has progressed and I believe it needs critical global citizens who are able to solve a problem, who are able to think locally and globally about an issue, to think critically and innovatively.’

Get active, get involved

Both Nadine and Mohammed agree that it is the way Taqaddam is taught which is crucial to its success. For Mohammed the highlight of the programme was taking part in all of the activities and workshops which make learning so much fun. Nadine agrees, she noticed that at the start of the programme there were a number of pupils who didn’t seem interested and were not engaged – by the end they were enthusiastically joining in and participating in all the activities. The energising and inclusive nature of the Taqaddam programme means that everyone has to work together and the benefits are clear to see.

Inspiring confidence

As the students participate in the activities, their confidence grows and they start to realise their own potential. Mohammed believes he is stronger as a result of participating in the programme: ‘Before I took Taqqadam I was very shy, when we introduced Taqaddam I felt my self-confidence become high, I can introduce myself properly now and everyone knows me and they like me. I now have the confidence to show my work.’

Making changes for the future

As a teacher, Nadine recognises that it is vital that the learning from Taqaddam is continued in the classroom. She believes that teachers from across the different subjects should work together to encourage critical thinking and problem solving and build communication skills. By making students work together, they can be collaborative and work as a team and find new solutions to the problems facing society. This might mean conducting interviews and conducting data research. Nadine believes it is time to harness the technological skills these young people have and put it to meaningful use: ‘This amazing and extraordinary programme will give our students the skills to do things on their own and seize the change they want in society.’