In 2020, Lebanon experienced total economic collapse, continued social unrest and political turmoil, and pressures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, which were all compounded by the Beirut explosion on 4 August in which over 200 were killed and 7,500 were injured. Due to these overlapping crises, the Lebanese people have experienced much stress which has been detrimental to their mental health and psychosocial well-being.
Within this context, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO launched a series of weekly online workshops with the Positive Psychology Expert Mr. Milad Hadchiti on “Coping with Adversities: Positive Psychology Interventions”, in order to raise awareness on ways to cope with stress and build resilience.
The workshops targeted different groups every week, from young activists in NGOs, university and school students and teachers, to librarians, etc., and focused mainly on emotional coping strategies, enhancing thoughts coping strategies and solution-focused approach.
The first workshop took place on March 27, and in June, to conclude the series, 2 workshops were organized in the framework of the ALF Virtual Marathon for Dialogue.
