Rawan Yaghi

Rawan Yaghi, Founder and Director of USPEaK

Yaghi has a background in English Language and Education and formerly taught in high schools. A social activist since 1998, she is the co-author of Women Teaching Women English, published by University of Oregon and the co-author of International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning with GIS in Secondary Schools. She has also designed books for middle school students that aim at citizenship using thematic approach for Spelling Bee programs.

She is the lead author in Teaching Women Enhanced English Book, a PAS Program focusing on topics such as the role of women in preventing violent extremism and freedom of expression. She was an exclusively nominated from Lebanon for the Global Women of Courage Award.

Yaghi is an alumna of the Oleander Initiative of Hiroshima and has designed her Spelling Bee program of 2019 to serve in peacebuilding. She sat on the Global Peace Foundation Panel for International Day of Education, sharing her experiences.

As an activist in women empowerment through education, protection, entrepreneurship, as well as political participation, she established USPEaK in 2009 as a non-profit, non-governmental organization in Baalbeck, Lebanon. The organization implemented many projects to build citizenship and democracy among youth and women.

Yaghi is a also trainer in conflict management, social cohesion, women empowerment, and inclusive citizenship. She is an alumna of US Embassy exchange programs of Hubert Humphrey Fellowship on Public Policy Analysis from University of Minnesota and International Visitor Leadership Program.

Here interest includes gender equality, policy-making, preventing violent extremism, democracy, campaigning, and critical thinking. She has focused on engaging youth, women and marginalized groups in political inclusion, in addition to her leading role in municipal and parliamentary elections in her region.