residents

Is a coastal city located in the North Governorate of Lebanon, 85 Km by road from Beirut. It has approximately 82,084 residents (UN-Habitat, 2017) in an area of 3.8 square kilometres. It is characterised by a great diversity in its population, in terms of social classes, nationalities and religions, including 72,133 Lebanese residents; 4,741 registered Syrian refugees; 5,210 Palestinian refugees. Youth and children make up almost 50% of El- Mina’s residents. A recent survey of El Mina, implemented by CatalyticAction and the RELIEF Centre at UCL, identified a higher unemployment rate among the youth population of 15 to 24 years compared to those over 24 years of age in the working-age group.  59.5% of youth in El Mina considered emigration in search of better economic opportunities and labour market conditions. Young people are less optimistic about all political freedoms than older generations and expressed the need for more and better information to encourage residents to tackle problems that affect all residents alike such as rubbish and how can and why people should recycle.  They were also the most engaged in local religious, sports or educational organisations. Contextually relevant digital platforms for young people to bring their voice and ideas on the urban issues that are a priority for them.