Individual drops, when united, can fill an ocean.
The Global Compact Brain Lab SDGs Program 2025 proved to us, the youth, that action speaks far louder than slogans.
Article by Georges Daou and Elissa Biagini
FPSIR, Faculty of Political Science and International Relations
Over several months of online training, five students from the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, Cyril Salloum, Elissa Biagini, Jana Izmerli, Mahmoud Hammoud, and Georges Daou, explored each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, not as abstract ideals, but as urgent calls to action, especially in Lebanon.
Our journey in the Brain Lab led us to partner with Malia Group, focusing on SDG 5: Gender Equality. From researching the company’s internal dynamics, to hosting employee meetings, and even visiting the premises, we built a proposal grounded in reality. It included concept development, timelines, budgets, milestones, and a theory of change to nurture real, observable, and sustainable transformation.
After multiple rounds of revisions, and in close collaboration with the PULSE (Pôle de l’Université de la Sagesse pour l’Entrepreneuriat), our final proposal was pitched to the company’s representative during the closing conference on June 27, 2025.
What stayed with us was not only the pride of presenting our final plan, but the lesson that real change does not come from big speeches. It comes from taking action, staying informed, and showing commitment. In Lebanon, where “gender equality” is often reduced to a politically correct slogan or overshadowed by old-fashioned stereotypes that harm both men and women across socio-economic backgrounds, the challenge is immense.
Yet, the determination of one of our teammates, Elissa Biagini, who applied to become an Ambassador of Change and continue advocating through the SDGs, reminded us of what we learned at the Brain Lab: change is possible if we move step by step, with true will, clear goals, unity, and determination.