São Paulo – The Maronite Foundation is accepting registrations from Lebanese descendants interested in going to Lebanon and learning more about the history of the organization and of the Arab country. Registrations are open until late December and applicants must be aged from 20 to 28, according to the website of Maronite Foundation.
Applicants must fill in an online form. Selected applicants will take an online course on the history of Lebanon and of the Maronites, and their grades will determine who will travel to study at the Maronite Academy, from august 8th to 23rd, 2015. The initiative is designed to bring Lebanese diaspora youths closer to their roots.
Applicants are screened every year; in 2014, 61 young people from 17 countries have travelled, including eight Brazilians. Applicants were also selected from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, Uruguay and the United States. They sat daily lectures and visited landmark sites such as Tannourine, Jezzine, Byblos, Bsharri, St Charbel and other places.
More people have travelled this year than in the last one. In 2013, 29 youths travelled to Lebanon under the program – 32 less than in 2014. There were also more Brazilians travelling this year – one in 2013 and eight in 2014.
Participants often leave statements on the Maronite Academy website. “It was an amazing experience, visiting all these wonderful places that make up the roots of my family. The conferences I attended gave me an understanding of what the Maronites are experiencing, and the visits to historical sites made me see Lebanon’s true worth, its rich culture and history, its culinary diversity,” wrote Brazil’s Tatiana Azzi, who travelled in 2014.
The Maronite Academy is maintained by the Maronite Foundation and offers the annual course free of charge. The foundation is non-profit and connected with the local Lebanese patriarch of the Maronite Church, which is Christian and affiliated with the Catholic Church. The foundation’s mission statement is to raise awareness among Lebanese expatriate communities of their legal rights, such as Lebanese citizenship and voting rights.
Additional information and registration:
http://www.maroniteacademy.com/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
