Saida, Lebanon (Enmaeya News) — In a unique exercise in civic education and youth participation, members of the recently elected Children’s Municipal Council of Saida and its surrounding areas held their first internal election session, selecting a president, vice president, and secretary from among their peers. All three leadership positions were secured by young girls — a symbolic moment underscoring the rising voice of girls in civic and educational life.

The session, hosted by the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development through its National State Academy, took place on the Rafic Hariri High School campus. It included participation from 21 student council members out of the 22 elected across 22 public and private schools in Saida and neighboring areas. Each student represents their school as part of a broader network aiming to foster democratic values and leadership skills from an early age.

The meeting opened with a round of introductions and presentations, where each student shared the core idea behind their campaign and the initiatives they hoped to implement through the council.

In the first round of voting, Nermin Mohammad Mostafa, a student from Doha Al-Makassed School, was elected president after receiving 15 out of 21 votes, winning against a diverse field of ten candidates from schools across the region. For the vice presidency, Lamees Mahmoud Al-Jardali from the Lebanese-Kuwaiti School in Saida won the seat with 9 votes, emerging from a competitive pool of eleven candidates. The position of secretary was secured by Lamees Ziad Massalkhi, a student at Saida Official Mixed Elementary School, after earning 8 votes in a field of eight candidates.

Each of the elected students was congratulated by their peers, school administrators, and teachers, as the session concluded with a spirit of shared leadership and collective enthusiasm.

The Children’s Municipal Council is part of a broader initiative to promote student agency, democratic practices, and civic responsibility in Lebanon’s education system. Through peer elections, policy discussions, and school representation, the council offers students a practical platform to learn governance through participation — preparing them not just to lead in the future, but to engage meaningfully in their communities today.