What We Do
One of the greatest obstacles impoverished children face is a lack of knowledge surrounding basic financial and social skills. Parents who may have never learned these skills themselves are unable to pass them on to their children, continuing a cycle of poverty. That’s why the YMCA has partnered with an international organization called Aflatoun.
Aflatoun, a foundation promoting Financial and Social education for children around the world, focuses on teaching children skills like managing savings and creating budgets. There are three programs under the Aflatoun umbrella: Aflatot (ages 3-6), Aflatoun (ages 6-14), and Aflateen (ages 15 & up), each with their own curriculums. Overall, the program's main aims are poverty alieviation, peacebuilding, financial independence, and youth employability. Through the Aflatoun program, the YMCA strives to give students an understanding of the their basic rights and responsibilities as Lebanese citizens, as well as guiding them to become positive members of Lebanese society.
The YMCA is implementing all three of these programs in Lebanon, but has been most sucessful with Aflatoun (age 6-14). The program's methodology is engaging and child-friendly; it puts children at the centre of the learning process through songs, stories, games and worksheets.
We are currently working with schools in Beirut, Saida, Tyre, Tripoli, Hamana, and Hasbaya. Due to the program's success in these areas we hope to continue expanding within Lebanon, particularly to local municipalities who can implement it effectively within their own communities.
Together, we believe in a program where the core objective is to help children become positive change-makers in their communities. For more information on Aflatoun International, click
here
Our Projects
"Inspiring children to socially and economically empower themselves to be agents of change in their own lives and for a more equitable world.”
Core Elements
The Aflatoun Concept is comprised of Five Core Elements which help children become positive change makers within their communities.
1. Personal Understanding and Exploration
Self-confidence is essential for children who want to become change makers within their communities. Children are encouraged towards greater self-knowledge and are given the space to explore their values.
2. Rights and Responsibilities
Aflatoun is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990). Responsibilities go hand in hand with those rights and children learn about their responsibilities towards themselves, their family, their community and the environment.
3. Savings and Spending
A broad definition of savings is promoted. Saving water and using natural resources responsibly is deemed as important as saving money. Children learn how to save and how to spend in a responsible manner.
4. Planning and Budgeting
Planning and budgeting are wonderful tools for boosting a child’s self-confidence. Children come to see that they can make hopes and dreams come true. It leads to beneficial outcomes beyond the purely financial as children learn to see the future as something that they themselves can manage.
5. Child Social and Financial Enterprise
Children are encouraged to view themselves as active participants in, and shapers of their community. They organize and deliver their own social justice campaigns. They are helped in experimenting with generating revenue and gain experience of working business models.
