CCECS designed a structured and comprehensive program for impactful civic engagement rooted in community-university partnerships that equips students with the tools needed to assess, analyze, and respond to the most pressing needs facing Lebanon, the region, and beyond. Each year, CCECS guides more than 600 undergraduate and graduate scholarship recipients from the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan through a four-pillar sequenced journey beginning with workshops, volunteering rotations, that extends to internships, and gradually builds up to the capstone community service project. This methodology ensures scholars develop the skills and mindsets of transformative leadership through opportunities to practice, reflect, and embody the values and behaviors consistent with AUB and the respective Scholarship Program.
(1) Volunteering Rotations: Scholars are matched to appropriate opportunities with diverse humanitarian organizations and agencies that reflect the dynamic needs of targeted communities, as well as students’ expertise, interests, and availability. Examples include: providing educational reinforcement to marginalized youth, participating in awareness campaigns, and providing psychosocial support for refugees and individuals with special needs.
(2) Workshops: Scholars participate in a series of tailored workshops aimed at developing the skills necessary to achieve each civic engagement milestone. Topics are delivered by subject-matter experts and include, but not limited to: introduction to civic engagement & community-based learning, multimedia techniques; conflict resolution; elevator pitch; and trauma-informed interviewing techniques.
(3) Community-based Internships: Scholars secure internship opportunities with credible local and international organizations serving marginalized populations, to gain insight into working environments, connect theory to practice, develop job-related skills, and establish professional networks. Examples include: education, refugee aid, relief and rehabilitation, environmental sustainability, democracy and human rights, economic and public policy.
(4) Community-Service Projects (CSPs): Scholars work closely with community stakeholders and AUB experts to design and implement strategic interventions that aim to serve and empower marginalized communities. In teams, students learn to identify a relevant theme and problematic, develop a full-fledged proposal, and implement projects in real-life contexts. Examples of CSPs include: refugee education, women and youth empowerment, environmental sustainability, preserving heritage and culture, and public health.
Scholarship Programs served by CCECS: