Adaptive Management to Understand Tolerance Education in Lebanon

Lebanon is facing ongoing political and economic crises which have compounded challenges from periods of unrest and violence and the 2020 Port of Beirut Explosion. Inflow of refugees from neighboring countries is adding to the burdened economy and education system. In addition, tensions between different socio-religious groups in Lebanon have been compounded by the recent crises, further exacerbating these tensions. Amidst these challenges and rising tensions, USAID commissioned an assessment of tolerance education in Lebanon to learn how to advance tolerance education opportunities across the country.

The assessment team used participatory data collection methods to expand the technical evidence base through a World Café workshop approach and visual mapping activities to engage with local stakeholders across the country, including students, parents, teachers, and school directors. The team incorporated adaptive management to adjust the workshops to ensure that every participant felt comfortable and was actively engaged. When the team observed students’ lack of engagement and discomfort engaging with the teachers, parents, and school directors, the team adjusted the workshops. This adaptation led to stronger engagement by students in the subsequent workshops. As a result, school community groups were so engaged in the World Café workshops, that they asked that this type of cross-community engagement activity be part of future tolerance education efforts. Students conveyed their interest in meeting students in other communities in a similar forum. If the team had not applied the adaptive management approach, the technical evidence would have been missing the voices of key potential beneficiaries as the students would not have felt comfortable enough to share their interest in meeting other students or participating in community service.