JOUZOUR 2025
Our inaugural yearbook, the first of many.
“Landing on a strip that literally is floating on the sea was something out of a movie. The wheels screeched across the tarmac to this tiny gate of Rafic Hariri Airport as the night sky of Beirut lit up and the first billboards in Arabic came into view. However, that glimmer of hope and return to the homeland would be snatched away before the adventure started. It really was too good to be true, leaving behind such sweet and amazing people. It felt as if I knew them forever. Life works in strange ways though. Four weeks passed and I was back where I remembered, at the start of my theatrical journey all over again. This time, however, it had a happier ending. I gazed at that cedar of 3,000 years and what it is like to be Lebanese came back to me. Even in more somber times, the homeland stands and the people flock. We are Lebanese. We never take no for an answer or bend to anyone else’s demands” - Edouard, Jouzouri 2025
“Jouzour meant more to me than I could have anticipated. It was an invitation to meet myself in ways only made possible by swimming in the Mediterranean sea, witnessing the cedar trees in the mountains, eating food from the land, and hearing the voices of the people telling their stories. While Lebanon is a beautiful country, I couldn’t have truly experienced it (or the parts of me it revealed) on my own. Despite being canceled, it was the Jouzour program that brought me together with others who knew the pain of longing for deeper connection. Suddenly, the excitement of discovering new places wasn’t just my own, but Juan’s too. The sorrow of learning about Lebanon’s darkest moments wasn’t just my own, but Natalie’s too. The freedom of opening up to a welcoming community wasn’t just my own, but Jake’s too. The comfort of remembering childhood wasn’t just my own, but Naseem’s too. The hope to see a brighter future for Lebanon wasn’t just my own, but Moise and Roger’s too. The joy of gathering with good friends wasn’t just my own, but Aida’s too. I didn’t just see the poetics of Lebanese life through my own eyes, but through Angela’s too. And the longing to come back home after many years away wasn’t just my own, but Rosa’s too. The significance of Jouzour goes beyond the official functioning of a formal program; it has woven together an interconnected international family that is representative of Lebanese resilience, strength, hope, and joy. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to come to Lebanon anyway and call myself a member of this incredible community” - Luana, Jouzouri 2025
“Jouzour is meant to bring the diaspora together through such a creative and immersive trip that is a once in a lifetime. The ability to for all us to be able to relate to one another through our Lebanese shared values is humbling.
Though the Jouzour initiative was canceled this year, I still had the opportunity to travel to Lebanon and meet some of the staff and participants who were already there. What was most interesting about my interactions was feeling fully transparent and myself. What contributed to that wasn’t only the hospitable culture from the staff, also the communal respect we all gave each other for being brave to travel to Lebanon in search of internal answers. I felt that we all had some accomplishments in that, and throughout that process we uplifted one another to ensure none of us felt foreign. Lebanon is a country that grounds you with a sense of heartfelt belonging, where Jouzour expresses that. I am most grateful to the staff for their unwavering support as well as all of those who I’ve met. This experience is one that I will always remember.” Nasseem, Jouzouri 2025
Jouzour — Raíz, root, racine… Through a friend from the Colombian-Lebanese community I first heard about the Jouzour program. At first I was skeptical because I was unsure if it was the right timing. I was just finishing my masters degree in Brazil and at that time I thought I had different priorities. However, I ended up gathering all the required documents and submitting my application.
I think of myself as a curious person. I enjoy learning from different sets and settings and I am constantly researching on ways to go overseas and explore. However, this opportunity was different from others. Visiting Lebanon is really personal to me. It is visiting many memories, smells, mannerisms and perceptions hard to put into words. Even though I was born and raised in Bogotá, I grew up listening about the Phoenicians, Hadath el Jebbeh, the Cedars of God and how half of my genes were linked to that far-away land rich in history and culture.
Spending six weeks in Lebanon during the summer of 2025 was really rewarding and I am glad I persisted on my decision to visit no matter what they were recommending on the media. This trip reaffirmed the importance of generosity, adaptability, and endurance, and once again showed how misunderstood Lebanon is. Lebanon is indeed a unique place, and it deserves better. What I take from this experience is that life will always prevail. Humans, even under threats and aggression, will always find ways to celebrate life.
I was invited to countless houses to share a glass of arak or coffee, and I was always treated with kindness. I celebrated life around the plethora of Lebanese mezze dishes. Visiting the ruins of Tyre and Baalbek, the city of Tripoli, and driving around the mountains are experiences I will always remember and cherish. If you have the chance to visit, do not hesitate—seize the opportunity and discover it for yourself.
This trip showed me that my roots are a living network of people and traditions.” - Juan Luis, Jouzouri 2025
“I realized that being different and representing your culture, your family’s history, and where you're from is something that you are blessed with. I began to understand that being Lebanese wasn’t something that made me different but something that connected me with so many people and a culture that allowed me to become my best self. Currently I don’t know what kind of person I would be if I hadn’t understood the true power and beauty of what it means to be Lebanese, but I know that in embracing it and continuously trying to get closer to it, it makes me stronger, kinder, and allows me to get closer and closer to finding who I am.” - Haila, Jouzouri 2025
“Jouzour represented the first opportunity in my life to come to Lebanon. Despite the program being cancelled, all I needed was that extra push of encouragement from the universe telling me that this is something I should do. I am so overwhelmingly happy that I still decided to come. Though not everything went as planned, this still served as the most amazing learning opportunity about the land where my family came from long ago. I feel more connected than ever with this land and I plan to maintain that connection for the rest of my life. Jouzour gave me the opportunity to reconnect with things and places long forgotten in my family, and I am forever grateful!” - Jake, Jouzouri 2025
I joined Jouzour in search of answers, of a feeling, of something I couldn’t quite put into words. The name itself, Jouzour—meaning “roots” - already carried a promise of connection, of rediscovery. For me, taking part in this program became nothing less than a healing process.
I was born in Lebanon, to a Lebanese father and a Swiss mother, and spent my first four years there. Last autumn, I lost my father. With his passing, an entire world within me collapsed, yet another one opened. My bond with Lebanon suddenly felt stronger than ever. But it was only a sentiment, not an experience. I realized that I hardly knew the country itself.
The night before Jouzour was cancelled, I had just arrived in Lebanon. The cancellation came as a shock, forcing me to rearrange everything I had envisioned. Yet it also allowed me to encounter Lebanon in its most authentic form - through the everyday reality of its people. In Lebanon, you make plans, and by the next day, everything can be overturned. War and instability are not exceptions but part of the rhythm of life, shaping so much of what happens.
I chose to stay, and that decision proved to be the best one I could have made. I ended up traveling across the country sometimes alone, sometimes with fellow Jouzouris. Spending precious time with my family, meeting countless people, forming friendships, tasting Lebanon’s incredible food, and visiting temples steeped in history. I didn’t know exactly what I was searching for - what kind of feeling I was hoping to find. But the feeling I carried with me when I finally left Lebanon was precisely the one I had been looking for.
I now understand Lebanon in a way I never had before. It is a chaotic country, full of contradictions - yet it is also a country I have come to love deeply. Jouzour gave me more than an experience. It gave me roots, perspective, and a renewed connection to my heritage. And I already look forward to returning - Natalie, Jouzouri 2025
“Even though the program was canceled, Jouzour meant a lot to me just to imagine returning to Lebanon after so many years away. My last trip was in 2009, and since then, Lebanon has mostly lived in my mind through family stories, news headlines, and fragments of childhood memory. Preparing for the program and participating in it virtually helped me realize that Lebanon is not only a place I’ve been separated from but also a living community I wish to connect with and support. It showed me that there is a larger network I am part of, despite being born and raised in the states. Participating in the program and meeting other like-minded individuals from across the world gave me a chance to picture myself reconnecting with Lebanon in a more real way, beyond nostalgia, fears, and distance. Even without going in person, the process made me feel closer, like I was already beginning that journey back”. Rony, Jouzouri 2025
“My Lebanese roots have always been a fundamental pillar of my identity; the culture
transmitted within my family—through cuisine, religion, and everyday traditions—has driven me to explore the many facets of this country. My main objective in participating in this program was to deepen my knowledge of Lebanese history and contemporary issues, to understand the mindset and projections of its people.” Manuel, Jouzouri 2025
I still remember when I first came across the ad for the Jouzour program. At the time, I was already planning to spend the summer in Lebanon—it was actually my third attempt to make the trip, and I was cautiously hopeful that this time it would finally happen. When I first read about Jouzour, I honestly thought it was too good to be true. The program sounded incredible: an initiative designed for young people from the Lebanese diaspora around the world to connect with Lebanon on a deeper level—culturally, professionally, and through humanitarian work. After the interview, I was really happy to know that I was enrolled and that I would be part of this. In that moment, Jouzour represented more than just a program—it felt like hope for a better future. Sadly, the day before my scheduled departure, I received the news that the program had been canceled. I was so sad because it meant not only that I was not able to participate in the program but also that I was not able to go to Lebanon. However, the Lebanon&Beyond team worked hard to keep us connected despite the cancellation, and I am really thankful for that. We were able to do part of it remotely, so I got the chance to be part of it anyway. Lorca, Jouzouri 2025
“This community uplifts one another like I’ve only seen when I visited Beirut when I was young. The moment we landed at the airport to dozens of relatives waiting for us, smiling and waving even though they had never met us before is forever burned into my memory and my heart.” - Liana, Jouzouri 2025
“Jouzour Program represented a lifelong dream and a significant step in both my personal and professional growth.
Lebanon is a country deeply intertwined with my family’s history and my career aspirations in foreign policy, particularly Lebanese-American relations.” - Mathew, Jouzouri 2025
“To me, Jouzour was a chance to reconnect with my parent’s home country as a student for the first time, rather than as a tourist. With everything the Jouzour program had to offer, I would have learned much more about the country’s history and culture, and I would have had the opportunity to give back to a country that means the world to me.” - Maissa, Jouzouri 2025
“For me, to be happy is to be good and to be at peace, which implies exercising my duty of serving others. I believe I now have the capabilities to help Lebanon and that gave me the confidence to be part of the program.” - Karim, Jouzouri 2025
“Being a leader in the language, culture and beliefs of the Lebanese people is going to be important to rebuild the unity and spirit of our people. There is no better way to become a leader in this and begin this rebirth than by using programs such as Jouzour to bring these ideals back to our communities.” - Kade, Jouzouri 2025
Although it was cancelled, the Jouzour program gave me an amazing opportunity to connect with other people who, like me, felt some distance from their heritage for different reasons. It felt like I was a part of a community because of this program. Even so, some of us got the chance to meet in Lebanon and it felt incredible. We were all from different countries and circumstances and yet one powerful thing connected all us: our heritage and love for Lebanon. Hearing their stories and sharing mine as a Lebanese diaspora was validating and inspiring because we resonated with each other a lot. I felt a sense of camaraderie as well in that I wasn’t the only one experiencing Lebanon for the first time by myself. To me, it felt like I was connecting my past, my present and my future to Lebanon. - Leticia, Jouzouri 2025