Sure, I can already hear you say the campaign reeks of privilege of men who already achieved a million things so how can they talk to today's youth struggling to believe in a country and grasping every straw to hang in there?
Well, I know two of the three protagonists personally (Farid and Mr. Makhzoumi) and I can tell you that they are some of the most positive people one can be with, they are very determined (Farid can make any obstacle a jumping board to something else), both have an incredible capacity to connect to youngsters and it helps that they are humble, they actually listen to other people's opinions respectfully, and are receptive to new ideas.
Naturally, with the state things are in, Lebanese youth need every initiative to make them believe again. I myself come from a generation which has been bombarded with such talks, the fact that I did not immigrate is perhaps a testimony they actually worked. But of course, when one views the dismal state the country is in at this stage, one does wonder how to reach out to youngsters once more and still make sense.
I tried to probe these questions with Farid in a personal talk and he pointed out that "I gladly shared a walk with Fouad (Makhzoumi) and discovered in him a different breed of leader, the sort of leader Lebanon need to start implementing a real change in the way the nation is being managed, politically, economically, socially. A change in the country's vision for our future, in education, in human resources, in planning for our digital future, in national resources management. He strongly believes that water and oil and gas must be addressed in a totally different way (than it is today) or the logic with which he refers to the blue gold water 5 year plan for instance..."
So there, it seems some people are still hoping and getting others to do so as well. Catch the campaign on Facebook with a logo reminiscent of the Lebanese flag!
