Youth RISE recently began working in the Middle East and specifically in Lebanon. A group of young service providers and young people who are affected by drug policies joined their efforts in order to work and advocate for the human rights of those who are most affected. In Lebanon, our main objectives are to fight the stigma surrounding young people who use drugs and to provide them with moral support as well as information that will help save them from different harms associated with drug use.

After strategically planning for the organization, several projects and activities have been put in place for the next two years S.I.B.A. was formed after the recent IHRA conference in Lebanon. We are still in phase one, assuring that we work in partnership with the local and international organizations.

For the first time in the Middle East, young people have assumed the responsibility to talk about their issues including harm reduction and drug policy reform. We demand the empowerment of young people by providing us with an equal voice and seat when it comes to decision-making and service provision.

As the harm reduction field is growing in Lebanon, we hope that our organization will be able to abound as well and hence ensure a place for young people who use drugs and those affected by drug policy.

With a common goal that one day young people affected by drugs and drug policies will make informed decisions to become proactive key players within society, our team is working enthusiastically and with our objectives in sight.

If your interested in obtaining support for the development of an organisation, please contact anita@youthrise.org or robin@youthrise.org