GAME started in Lebanon in 2007 as the first international setting for GAME to operate in.
GAME Lebanon organises training in street basketball, street football and street dance for children across disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Lebanon. Our young volunteers, Playmakers, run the practices in the local GAME Zones on a weekly basis.
Youth Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Social Stability are main pillars of our program in Lebanon.
Scroll down to get to know more about our projects.
As part of the “Cool and Safe Zone” project, funded by adidas and Common Goal through the Move for the Planet initiative, GAME is creating major changes at the GAME House facility in Beirut to ensure its sustainability and climate resistance.
GAME will be working on installing solar panels to power the bigger facility through this renewable energy source. At the same time, trees, covered pathways, greenery and vertical gardens will be installed in the outdoor area to help make the space more accessible and environmentally sustainable.
Read more about the project on Common Goal website.
The World Diabetes Foundation fundraiser project for 2023-2024 is rolled out by GAME Lebanon. The aim of the project is to empower Lebanese and refugee children and youth through sports to prevent NCDs, achieve better health, create a sense of belonging and hope for the future. GAME is training 87 young volunteers to become health promoting ambassadors and street sports instructors for children in 5 locations in Lebanon, Beirut, Tripoli, Saida & Tyr. Read more about the project here
GAME’s Building a Sustainable Future for Lebanon project, funded by the Danish Embassy in Beirut, aims to promote sustainable development, social cohesion and reduce inequality in Lebanon by providing youth and children with a safe space, through the establishment of the GAME House facility, to gather, learn, and play.
The project targets 8 locations all over the country where GAME will be refurbishing public spaces and activating them by hosting free youth-led weekly street sports activities for children.
The project starts in January 2024 and ends in December 2025.
The Youth Empowerment through Youth Led Street Sports project, supported by the Swedish Postcode Foundation, aims to empower youth to take a leadership role in implementing initiatives that activates and refurbishes open, inclusive and safe public spaces in their local communities.
GAME developed a training curriculum for youth-led social initiatives that give the youth knowledge and competences within social and cultural entrepreneurship.
The young entrepreneurs will be equipped with the needed knowledge to launch their initiatives as well as financial support to implement their minor refurbishments in their communities.
25 projects will be supported through the project that started in 2024 and will conclude in 2025.
Through the STEM & Street Sports project, funded by Erik Thunes Legat, GAME created a curriculum that combines STEM topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, with the street sports activities.
GAME will train the volunteers Playmakers to transfer this curriculum to children in their local communities by hosting trainings in public spaces on a weekly basis.
The project will serve to increase the number of youth and children with relevant skills for future employment as well as foster social cohesion among youth of different nationalities and reduce tensions in host and refugee communities.
Lebanon’s Youth Building Dreams is a Youth-led project that aims on establishing public spaces in 8 localities around Lebanon through the Youth, called Dream Builders, who will take on the lead in advocating and creating public spaces for sports and activating them by hosting free weekly street sports activities.
This project is implemented by GAME and NAHNOO as the main implementing partners and is funded by the Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA, to strengthen social cohesion and civic engagement in Lebanon starting 2021 until 2023.
GAME is taking part of the Youth RESOLVE 2 project, which is the continuation of a project funded by the European Union’s Regional Trust Fund, the EU MADAD Fund, and carried out by World Vision, UTOPIA, DPNA and GAME. The goal of the consortium is to empower youth by providing them with the tools to become leading actors in their communities.
GAME established 30 GAME Zones around the country, where public spaces for street sports were renovated and equipped to welcome all kids, youth and community members.
The Street Sports Incubator (SSI) is an innovative entrepreneurship program, implemented by GAME Lebanon as part of the Youth RESOLVE 2 project funded by the European Union.
The program targets youth with creative ideas related to sports and culture to transform their aspirations into successful entrepreneurial projects, whether as start-ups or communal initiatives.
GAME already hosted 4 cycles of the SSI granting seed funding for almost a 100 innovative projects in Lebanon.
Check out pictures from Cycle II here
Visit the SSI Website for info about the program.
GAME offers local young people an education as volunteers, GAME Playmakers, which are street sports instructors and role models in underserved communities. The education prepares the volunteers to plan and lead weekly training sessions in street sports and street culture and the education is completely free.
To become a playmaker, you attend our yearly recruitment called Playmaker Camp. In every Playmaker Camp, you will meet like-minded youth from the whole country, and you will be given the opportunity to strengthen your skills. You will be trained as a coach in a sport of your choice, and you will be educated on how to organise the practices.
When joining the Playmaker program, you will gain experience with voluntary social work, and you will get the chance to put your own touch on the street activities in your neighbourhood.
Check out pictures from Playmaker Camp 2024
A street-sports and cultural festival
GAME ends every season with a big sports tournament in Beirut to celebrate street sports and street culture. This yearly event is full of Football, Basketball and Dance competitions all day long, also DJ’s and graffiti-artists puts in the extra street-touch. More than 1000 people from different areas in Lebanon are involved in the yearly event.
The event is hosted by GAME and organized by the Playmakers, where they help operate the full event, so they can learn a lot of new cool things.
Check out pictures from GAME Finals 2023
Follow GAME Lebanon on Facebook and @gamelebanon on Instagram and Twitter to stay updated on weekly activities, upcoming projects and our cool Playmakers.
For more information, please contact: lebanon@game.ngo
