Embrace was invited to participate in the Religion and Medical Ethics Conference held in Rome in December 2019, which was organized by World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) an initiative of Qatar Foundation and the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAL) in Rome.
This special symposium examined the role that religion plays in providing holistic care in the context of medical ethics and palliative care. Embrace’s Vice President, Mia Atoui, moderated a panel on suicide in the elderly population and presented the work of the Embrace Lifeline to an international community of mental health experts.
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day and as part of the 24th Annual Congress of the St George’s Hospital University Medical Center, Embrace was invited to present its work and the National Lifeline (1564) in the conference: Children and Adolescents’ Harmful Behaviors: Challenges and Safety Integrating Evidence-Based Treatments. The conference, which was in collaboration with McLean Hospital – Harvard, the Lebanese Psychological Association and the Lebanese Psychiatric Society, discussed the latest evidence-based treatments for harmful behaviors in children, adolescents and young adults. Embrace presented data from the Embrace Lifeline (1564), the national emotional support and suicide prevention helpline in Lebanon on its latest updates with regards to phone calls received from Lebanese youth and adolescents experiencing emotional distress and/or suicidal thoughts.
The Lebanese Independent Film Festival (LIFF) has partnered with Embrace to launch the LIFF 2019 Festival edition. The theme this year was centered on mental health. This was an exciting opportunity for us to raise awareness on mental health and familiarize people with Embrace. The festival kicked off with an opening ceremony on September 11, and a closing ceremony on September the 15, which included local and international jury members presenting awards and other surprises to the film winners. This year the the LIFF received over 900 submissions from over 87 countries. The programming included selected films from the Toronto International Film Festival, the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, the Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, VISIONS du REEL, Etas Generaux du Film Documentaires and more that showcase diverse aspects of mental health and illness.
Embrace’s talking trees is a new awareness campaign based on storytelling, created to start a connection among community members centered around their experiences with mental wellbeing. By sharing one’s story, each person is helping raise awareness concerning the paramountcy of talking about mental health struggles. Cards were placed on trees in various locations (B-Hive Café, Haven for Artists and International College), described as a ‘Talking Tree’ in an effort to de-stigmatize mental illness and encourage people to share their struggles. Tens of people shared their stories!
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), Embrace held its annual “Into the Dawn” walk on Sunday September 8th 2019 as a suicide memorial walk. This advocacy initiative is intended to foster an environment of support for those affected by suicide. Every year, the walk aims to raise awareness on suicide among the Lebanese society and support those who have lost loved ones to suicide and those still struggling with suicidal thoughts. The walk is 1km towards Raouche Rock with a memorial wall at the end to encourage people to leave positive messages and personal stories as keepsakes. Like every year, more people this year were encouraged to share their stories and struggles and were supported by a community which meets every year to shed light on a topic still very much a taboo in our society.
On June 29th, 230 hikers and supporters of our cause embraced the trails of Baskinta for a hike to Qanat Bakish where they gathered for dinner and a yoga session in the beautiful nature of Baskinta. Guided by Moon Monkeys’ leaders, hikers took the trails and discovered a breathtaking piece of Lebanon till they reached the base point at Qanat Bakish where food, refreshments and fun activities awaited them….
Embrace participated in this year’s Christmas at the Villa which was held at Villa Linda Sursock. Each year Christmas at the Villa hosts 9 NGOs and promotes the work being done by these organizations and a percentage of the profits from the exhibit’s sales goes to support the various NGOs. Embrace was chosen among the NGOs for its leading work in mental health in the country to be part of this event attended by hundreds of people…..
For the second year in a row, Embrace was nominated and presented its campaign “Ma Tkhabbeh Ehke” which was done in collaboration with Annahar Newspaper during the month of September 2018 at the Wajih Ajouz Awards Ceremony, a platform dedicated to recognizing online campaigns who have had a….
In November 2018, Embrace was nominated and won a silver award at the MENA Effies Award for its campaign Talking Saves Lives which was direct by the communications agency Leo Burnett. The MENA Effies honors effective communications across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Embrace held its first outdoor activity, Hike for Life with Embrace, a 4 KM hike in the area of Laqlouq in Lebanon, with the aim of raising awareness on mental health and suicide prevention and the same time connecting with mother nature and the outdoor experiences in Lebanon. ….
Embrace organized its second fundraising event of the year on September 24th, 2018. The event was attended by more than 200 supporters of the cause and was a intended to celebrate the achievements Embrace has made in the past year since its launching of the Embrace lifeline, and to continue to raise funds to sustain the hotline’s operations. ….
Embrace in collaboration with Nadine Labaki, premiered Labaki’s Oscar nominated Film Capaharnaum in September 2018. The Avant Premiere was attended by more than 200 persons who were introduced to Embrace’s mission prior to enjoying the brilliant work of Labaki.
Annually, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10) Embrace holds the “Into the Dawn” walk as a suicide memorial walk and advocacy initiative intended to foster an environment of support for those affected by suicide. The walk promotes a peaceful and calm vibe, starting out at dawn on a Sunday morning, and takes participants through a walking experience….
Embrace organized its first fundraising event of the year on June 19, 2018 at Sursock Museum as the first Charity Runway Show in the country, promoting mental health and raising awareness on suicide through a fashion show. This event was successful in contributing to our mission by raising awareness on mental health in Lebanon, ….
Embrace LifeLine has been granted membership in Befrienders Worldwide, a network of over 160 emotional support centres in over 29 countries. This represents a major milestone in the establishment and visibility of the helpline on a regional and global scale….
The Arab Public Health Organization at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), in collaboration with Embrace, organized a seminar on the Embrace LifeLine: How the First National Suicide Helpline in the Middle East came to Life! Dr. Ziad Nahas, President of Embrace discussed the journey that lead to the development of the first helpline in Lebanon…
On September 12th, Embrace held its second fundraising gala dinner which launched Embrace LifeLine, the first Suicide Prevention Helpline in Lebanon and the MENA region. The Helpline’s campaign “Talking saves lives” was launched in the presence of hundreds of dignitaries and supporters of the cause. The aim of the campaign is to ignite the conversation around suicide and …….
Interact Club Byblos has joined Embrace in its mission to raise awareness about mental illness and support our project to establish the first national suicide prevention helpline in the region. For the first time, Embrace is being supported by a dedicated group of Lebanese high school students who are working to support a cause in their community that they believe …….
Embrace fund’s supporters are growing. This year we are thrilled to welcome Leabense actress Rita Hayek on board, sharing our mission to raise awareness around mental illness in Lebanon. This year, Rita ran the 7K fun run in support of Embrace and establishing the first suicide prevention helpline in the country. Rita completed the run…
The “Into the Dawn” is an annual suicide memorial walk and an advocacy initiative launched by Embrace intended to provide a community support environment for those who have been affected by suicide.
The walk is to remember those we have lost to suicide and acknowledge the pain for those left behind. During this walk a memorial wall is created on a yearly basis with photos, keepsakes, and/or names of those….
In September 2016, Embrace held a weeklong workshop with an international expert on suicide prevention helplines, Dr. Brian Mishara. Dr. Mishara serves as the Director of the Center for Research and Intervention on Suicide and Euthanasia and Professor at the Psychology Department of Université du Québec à Montréal. Dr. Mishara brought in his expertise in setting up suicide prevention helplines across the……
On July 26th, Embrace held its summer fundraising event at MYU on the roof. Embrace’s supporters danced the night away with three of Lebanon’s amazing and talented artists and their bands, Joy Fayad, Nour Nimri, and Ralph Asfour who dedicated their time and effort to support Embrace’s cause. The event was a great success, and ……
L.O.V.E. Laugh on Valentine’s Eve, Stand Up Comedy Show was held on the eve of February 12, 2015 at Théâtre Béryte USJ.
A hilarious fundraising stand up comedy featured our line up of talented comedians:
– Jad Bou Karam, a.k.a. OH MY JAD
– Tony Dagher…
Embrace joined for the first time this year, the AUB Civic and Volunteering fair, a yearly event that takes place at AUB. The Civic and Volunteering Fair brings together more than 150 non-profit organizations in working in Lebanon. It introduces AUB students to these organizations to foster volunteer activities and engagement in the civil society and organizations in the community.
Embrace Fund’s inaugural gala dinner took place on October 23rd 2013 at Le Yacht Club, Zaitunay Bay. The event was attended by 250 guests and supporters of our cause. The gala dinner included a fundraising art exhibition, entitled the “Embrace Art Exhibition” with more than 70 pieces of artwork displayed by 20 local renowned artists. The event also included a special musical performance by Ziad Al Rahbani and his band.
Curated by Ara Azad, “Embrace Art Exhibition” is a yearly fundraising event which was launched for the first year in October 2013 accompanying the launching gala dinner of the Embrace Fund. It gathered together the work of artists including George Zouein, Fulvio Codsi, Nathalie Labaki, Melkan Bassil, Nadia Safieddine, Rita Adaimy, Hovig Afarian, Krikor Avessian, Ara Azad, Melkan Bassil, Gilbert Hage, Rim El Jundi,Maria Kassab, Ani Khatcherian, Semaan Khawam, Rafik Majzoub, Ziad Nahas, Rita Saade, Kabalan Samaha …..