The Collective

Aside from the Relief Network, we have been 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀 under The Collective; breaking down the silos, creating real bridges between what's being studied and what the market actually needs. Two meetings in, and the picture is already clear: 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 across different clubs, faculties, and institutions 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. The 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 isn't just another governance layer. It's 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀. Christian Abou Daher is leading on this, and, together, we're weaving together the conversations already happening in your clubs; the projects, the ideas, the people, and connecting that directly to employers and partners who get what you're building. No middleman. No disconnect. Just academia, talent, and market makers learning from each other. This is early. We're still forming and listening. If you're leading a university club or leading student initiatives on campus, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 > https://lnkd.in/eQAQ9pzU 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 to us to shape the council. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 what your club needs. 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

Not a platform. People. The Collective Relief Network wasn't funded, nor was it built in an office. It was built amidst collective stress and uncertainty, on laptops open late at night, by volunteers who decided that the right information should reach the people who need it most, despite anything. These are the people behind it: executives, designers, engineers, volunteers, and community members who gave their time to something simple but vital, helping someone searching for shelter, food, or medicine find it faster. We don't claim the work is finished or perfected. We claim we're building it, in the open, and transparently. That's the whole point of The Collective: people who show up and do the work because it needs to be done. To everyone who contributed: thank you. --- مش منصة. ناس. شبكة الإغاثة الجماعية لا تموّلت ولا انبنت بمكتب. انبنت وسط ضغط وقلق جماعي، عَ لابتوبات مفتوحة بالليل، بمجهود متطوّعين قرّروا إنو المعلومة الصح لازم توصل للناس اللي محتاجينها، مهما صار هودي الناس يلي وراها: مهندسين، متطوّعين، وأفراد من المجتمع حطّوا من وقتهن مشان شي بسيط بس أساسي: حدا عم يفتّش على مأوى، أكل، أو دوا يلاقيه أسرع ما منّدعي إنو الشغل كامل أو مثاليّ. منّدعي إنو عم نبنيه، بالعلن، وبشفافية. هيدا هو أساس الكولكتيف: ناس بتحضر وبتشتغل لأنو الشغل لازم ينعمل لكل واحد ساهم: شكراً.

منقدّملكن Collective Relief Network (CRN) – شبكة الإغاثة الجماعية. منصّة موحدة بتجمع المعلومات المتاحة عن المساعدات والإغاثة بلبنان، وبتحطّها بمكان واضح وسهل الاستخدام. الرابط: https://rn.thecoll.org هدفها تساعد كل شخص متأثّر بالأزمة يلاقي الموارد والخدمات اللي هو وعيلته بحاجة لإلها بسرعة خلال الأيّام الجايي، رح نشرح أكتر: شو هي CRN، ليش انخلقت، مين وراها، ولمين مخصّصة. خلّيكن معنا، لأنو هدفنا الأوّل هو الإنسان اللي عم يفتّش على معلومة واضحة وقت الحاجة. --- Introducing the Collective Relief Network (CRN) CRN is a single platform that consolidates publicly available aid and relief information across Lebanon and makes it easy to access Link: https://rn.thecoll.org Its purpose is to help crisis‑affected individuals find the resources they and their loved ones need to survive and recover In the coming days, we will share what CRN is in more detail, why it was created, who is building it, and who it is designed for Stay with us, because our first priority is the person in crisis who needs clear, up-to-date information

تخيّل لو في مطرح واحد بس: بتشوف مين عم يساعد، وين، وبأي ساعات، وبتعرف إذا بعدو فاتح أو مسكّر، وبتتأكّد إنو المعلومة محدثّة. مش بحاجة تسأل بكل غروب. نحنا عم نشتغل على منصة موحدة، هدفها تساعد: الناس اللي بحالة نزوح، والجمعيّات والمتطوعين يلي عنجد بدن يفيدوا. بعد كم يوم، منعرّفكن عليها أكتر. ---- Imagine a single place where you can see who is providing help, where, and at what time, know if a service is still available or has changed, and trust that the information is updated No more digging through endless group chats We're building a unified platform to support people in displacement, organizations on the ground, and individuals who want to help in a safe, practical way. In a few days, we'll tell you more

بهالأيام، المعلومة ممكن تكون أهميّتها قدّ الدوا والأكل. بس أغلب الوقت، الأخبار والمساعدات بتكون موزّعة بين مية بوست، غروبات واتساب، وإشاعات. كيف فينا نعرف بسرعة: وين نروح؟ شو بعده فاتح؟ وشو فعلاً محدث؟ في شي جديد عم ينعمل، هدفه يجمع هالمعلومات بمحل واحد وبشكل واضح وآمن كرمال يلي عايز مساعدة يوصلها باسرع وقت خلّيك معنا بالأيّام الجايي... #لبنان #دعم #مساعدة #أزمة ---- In a crisis, information can be as life‑saving as medicine or food. But most of the time, updates and aid details are scattered across posts, chats, and rumors. How do you quickly know where to go, what is still open, and what is actually updated information? Something new is being built to bring these scattered pieces together in one clear, collective safe place so whomever needs help can receive it ASAP. Stay tuned in the coming days. #Lebanon #Relief #Support #Crisis

𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝟭-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝟭-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀. 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻, historically the home of innovation in this region, has a 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 before the rest of the world catches up. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵: - Subsidized data bundles (build without bandwidth limits through Alfa Telecommunications & touch Lebanon packages) - Tax exemptions for solo founders (first $100k ARR is tax-free) - Legal fast-tracking (company setup in 48 hours, not 6 months) - Free AI token access (OpenAI & Anthropic credits, leverage the Oracle deal, etc.) 𝟮. 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻: - Enable USD-earning accounts for solo founders via fast-tracked online banking onboarding - Simplify cross-border payments (Stripe, Bank Audi's Neo, Whish Money, regulated crypto transfers, etc.) - Incentivize projects that revolve around digital transformation, food safety, emergency management technologies, etc. Most nations are still running on old playbooks: VC rounds, team scaling, office leases. Lebanon can move while they're stuck in bureaucracies. 𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄. One developer with AI tools can generate $1M+ in revenue. We need only 100 of them to start shifting our economic trajectory. The infrastructure is already here. The talent is already here. What's missing is the policy support and coordinated action.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝟳𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻: a real-time tool connecting displaced families with shelter, food, medicine, fuel, and other provisions. https://lnkd.in/dhkKEjkf How it works: → 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 what they're offering and update availability in real-time → 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿-𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝘀: Filter based on what you need, and where you need it → 𝗜𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: WhatsApp bot for faster access + crowdsourced verification for accuracy Built by The Collective's volunteers as soon as our community needed it: Kevin Aoun, Elias Maalouf, Jean-Pierre Fakhry, Wissam FAWAZ, Charbel Fares, Christian Abou Daher, Salah Al Shayah, Juliano Khalife & Christophe El-Khoury. This is what Lebanon's tech community can do when we act together. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀: register at safehaven.thecoll.org 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽: use the map to find what's available near you 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲: DM us

𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴. We have time and time again proven our anti-fragility and sheer determination to help those around us. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼. We have all been working time and time again to provide tools and facilities to everyone, especially those affected. One great example is Elie Habib's recent World Monitor. We do not require anyone's sympathy, recognition, or empathy. 𝗪𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, and that enablement needs nothing more than a governmental decision. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵: - 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗱𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲. If our local infrastructure (OGERO, Alfa Telecommunications, touch Lebanon) cannot support that, scale Starlink to the public - starting with NGOs, Hospitals, Shelters, Schools, and moving to the Tech Community at large. We are here to deploy our "home-made" software emergency products & tools. - 𝗔 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. Disaster mitigation spans beyond Medical, Civil Defense, Military, and Red Cross personnel at this point. - Removal of payment barriers that still make it nearly impossible for Lebanese professionals to operate internationally. 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆. - 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗔𝗜 (e.g., Anthropic) and 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 (e.g., Amazon Web Services (AWS)) resources for urgent task forces: the kind that Ukraine received, the kind that every country in crisis deserves We've always built in spite of the circumstances. Today 𝗜'𝗺 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆. The question is whether you'll remove the barriers fast enough for it to matter.

Many of Lebanon's internships aren't bad by accident. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Students are promised experience & expertise. Managers are told to save costs and hire "cheap" labor. Universities are told to maximize internship placements. No one's asking: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: - No real onboarding; we'll just "figure it out" - No assigned mentor; everyone will pitch in - No defined scope; we'll see what to "give the intern" - No feedback loops; Done? Great, here's your certificate - Free labor dressed as "learning opportunity" Not to mention the sub-optimal culture of "Tarabeesh" (toxic favoritism, politics, & bullsh*tting) and teaching students how to conduct business and lead themselves the wrong way. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? - Talent that learns to survive toxic internal politics. - A generation that learns to distrust the industry before they're even in it. - A group of fresh graduates with an inaccurate depiction of the market and its requirements. - Professionals underprepared for the Lebanese market; let alone the global one - Future Collective Burnout 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 This is a core aspect of The Collective's mission, and I'm working with Berytech's Knowledge & Innovation Communities to build 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 in ICT; not a corporate checklist, but a shared agreement on what "real" and "impactful" actually looks like. But I'm not writing it alone. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂: What makes an internship legitimate vs. exploitative? What's genuinely non-negotiable? Who's accountable for quality: companies, universities, or students? Should unpaid internships exist in Lebanon's ICT sector? What else should be included in these standards? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱. Let's stop talking about talent gaps and start fixing the system that creates them.