“What is the point of education if it doesn’t give hope?”

The launching ceremony of the Mentorship Program on the AlumniUSJ digital platform took place on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at the François S. Bassil Auditorium, at the Campus of Innovation and Sports (CIS) of Saint-Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) in the presence of H.E. the Minister of Education and Higher Education, President Abbas Halabi, the Rector, Prof. Salim Daccache s.j, Prof. Christian Makary, President of the Federation of USJ Alumni Associations, vice-rectors, deans, directors, employees, presidents of alumni associations, class ambassadors, and student representatives.

“We are gathered here to celebrate a new and unique initiative in Lebanon, despite the troubles, the crises and the overwhelming feeling of being forced to leave,” explains Carole Nehmé, President of the Alumni Association of the School of Translators and Interpreters of Beirut. A ceremony that embodies a long-term work, led by the Federation, and which has resulted in a new initiative that offers, through the AlumniUSJ platform, a mentorship program to bring together alumni, fresh graduates and students.

“This effort to bring people together, to bring them closer and to communicate is, more than ever, an essential tool to serve the University,” says Prof. Makary. He adds, “the lockdown was the perfect opportunity for us to develop the modern and sophisticated AlumniUSJ platform, which is widely used by the majority of major schools and universities in France.” He then explained how the project came together. “First, we registered more than 65,000 alumni on the platform and, together with the Alumni Office, we activated the news and communication sections. As a second step, and in collaboration with the Career and Placement Office, we added the employment section and integrated recruiters into our platform. Today, these recruiters post dozens, if not hundreds, of job offers every month, intended for alumni and fresh graduates. Finally, we invited students to join the platform to help us launch the mentorship program.”

According to Naji Boulos, Consultant in Marketing and Communication, Mentor – originated in Greek Mythology – is a character in Homer’s The Odyssey, in whom Ulysses (Roman name for Odysseus) places his trust to take care of his household and son, Telemachus, whilst he was away fighting the Trojan War. He adds, “a mentorship is a knowledge sharing relationship based on trust. Mentoring in education involves pairing youth with older peers or adult volunteers who act as role models, aiming to build trust and relationships, develop resilience and character, or raise aspirations, rather than developing specific academic skills or knowledge. It’s not a Teacher/Student relationship, mentoring is more about coaching to support young people in their careers and academic journeys.”

“Mentors and Mentees will be given the opportunity to contact each other and request a “Meet & Share” or a “Mentorship”. The difference between the two is that “Meet & Share” is a one-time relationship limited to one or two meetings, the “Mentorship” is a long-term relationship that can last for months,” concludes Boulos.

Then, a video (available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_ILRUI53k&t=8s) that outlines the steps to register and activate the Mentorship module was screened by Boulos.

Mrs. Helen Achou Tayar, Coordinator of the Alumni Office, provided an overview of the work and projects accomplished on the AlumniUSJ platform since its official launch in September 2020, along with statistics on the structure of the network, a presentation on the efforts undertaken to communicate with and support students and fresh graduates in their career advancement and placement.

Prof. Daccache stated that companies are particularly interested in this model because young mentees are well prepared to start their careers. As a result, companies are increasingly adopting this model to facilitate the integration of new employees and their career advancement.

The Rector encouraged young students to opt for mentoring, and he urged USJ alumni to consider volunteering to mentor students.

Prof. Daccache says, “at an international level, about 40% of alumni website users volunteer to become part of this initiative, and I hope that there will be more than 40% of our alumni worldwide, who will make the choice of mentoring.” He concluded, “at a time when our country is in dire need of hope and solidarity, this initiative fills the void with positive actions in the service of our country and its youth, to replenish the sense of belonging to USJ and to Lebanon in every member of our Community.”

“By doing so, the University becomes a catalyst for a tremendous surge of solidarity between generations”, says Minister Abbas Halabi. “In the future, through their involvement in this program, alumni will know that students they have supported will be a support for them in life. As Minister of Education, but especially as President of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law, I am twice as interested in this platform, and I commit myself to involve the alumni of this Faculty so that they always keep in mind the motto of Saint Ignatius, to love and to serve in all things.”

He added, “today, Lebanon is in desperate need for change. Everything, or almost everything, needs to be redone. To build on a solid foundation, the renovation process will have to strengthen trust and relationships between people. Only education can achieve this goal because, in the words of Nelson Mandela, it is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Halabi concluded, “I remain true to my initial stance, USJ is a beacon of enlightenment in an East doomed to radicalism and closed ideologies. Its role is to guide young people and to encourage them to stand together as good citizens in order to maintain the notion of an all-inclusive Lebanon, where everyone lives and grows in freedom, a multicultural and multidimensional Lebanon.”

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Read more : Lancement du programme de Mentorat sur la plateforme AlumniUSJ