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The PIONEER initiative — Promoting Innovational Opportunities for Networking, Education, Empowerment, and Resilience — is a youth-led activity under the SILA project (Skills and Innovation for Labor Advancement). It gives vocational education students in Lebanon the opportunity to renovate their own schools. While doing so, they gain practical experience in construction, electricity, and plumbing. At the same time, they help transform their learning environments for future generations.
But PIONEER is more than just a training program. It is also a model for promoting social cohesion and peacebuilding. By bringing together students from diverse backgrounds to work as a team, the initiative helps build mutual understanding, empathy, and trust, which are all essential for stronger, more resilient communities.
The initiative is carried out in three main phases:
To begin, students took part in training sessions on health and safety, basics of first aid, fire safety & earthquakes preparedness, bullying awareness, and a social cohesion workshop, delivered with the generous support of GroundUp Consulting, which focused on nonviolent communication and breaking down stereotypes. In parallel, they received technical training from private sector partners, CMC and Caparol, on professional painting methods. These companies along with Colortek also supported the students by providing essential tools, equipment, and materials needed to carry out the renovation work.
With their training complete, students begin renovating selected areas of their vocational school. They carry out the work under the close supervision of experienced professionals.
In the final stage, the students complete their assigned renovations. Then, together with school staff and partners, they assess the quality and overall impact of the improvements.
PIONEER is implemented in close collaboration with Caritas Lebanon as a main local implementing partner, and with the active involvement of school management, local authorities, and the private sector. It reflects Swisscontact’s Triple Nexus approach, combining humanitarian response, sustainable development, and peace-building into one initiative.
This project is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.