Digital media and research are what I’ve always been interested in.
While pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in audiovisual and media studies at Saint Joseph University (USJ), I produced an award-winning short documentary that was broadcast by the BBC. The documentary draws parallels between the memory of a generation that lived the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) and its repercussions that continue to corrode society to this day.
To help counter this, I became interested in social awareness initiatives that drive change, and went on to work with the National Mental Health Programme within the Ministry of Public Health, which received support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the International Medical Corps. The programme aimed to reform mental health care in Lebanon and provide services beyond medical treatment at the community level.
I recently finished my Master’s degree in information and communication at USJ and joined Siren Associate’s team to work alongside the Lebanese government to make way for a digital transformation in our society and to support the implementation of an e-government system that can help to regain citizens’ trust in the public administration.
E-governance systems like IMPACT can help build stronger relations between the government and citizens, and make the government more responsive to people’s needs and better at conducting multi-directional communication. Over time, citizens will come to feel that their concerns matter to the public administration, and as trust grows, I hope that citizens will be inspired to become more involved in their communities. I also hope that digital innovation will help create a turning point in the history of Lebanon’s accountability system by spearheading the fight against the corruption and mismanagement that has plagued the public sector for decades.