What inspires Beit Aam to engage in field support?
A belief in community-led solutions: We trust the wisdom and resilience of people on the ground and believe real change starts from below.
The urgency of the moment: In times of war, crisis, and displacement, we feel a responsibility to act quickly, collectively, and creatively.
The power of imagination: We’re inspired by the idea that cultural spaces can do more than survive they can lead, heal, and reimagine what’s possible.
Title: to be filled
What We Are Testing
Our approach to the experimentation plan is rooted in adaptability, responsiveness, and collective learning. We see experimentation not as a path to fixed outcomes, but as a living process that allows us to respond to urgent needs while staying grounded in our long-term vision. Given the volatile context we operate in, our plan balances immediate relief efforts with deeper structural and cultural work. We aim to test how Beit Aam can serve both as a responsive relief hub when it’s needed and a space for political and artistic imagination. This involves piloting systems for decision-making, expanding outreach, and curating community-driven programs. Throughout the process, we are committed to documenting, reflecting, and adjusting using what we learn to shape a more resilient, accessible, and imaginative Beit Aam.
Outreach & Financial Stability
Strengthening Beit Aam’s network by developing an organized outreach strategy, securing long-term partnerships, and implementing a more structured approach to community engagement.
Community Support
Beit Aam has been a relief hub since September 2024, addressing displacement and humanitarian needs. It will remain a central point for relief efforts, focusing on shelter, food distribution, and local outreach.
Curatin Cultural Programming
Hiring a program manager to curate weekly cultural, artistic, and political events, including exhibitions, performances, discussions, and community gatherings.
Decision-Making
Creating a more sustainable governance structure by developing a volunteer-led decision-making process and ensuring the smooth transfer of skills between members, volunteers, and partners.
As we carry out this experiment, we are asking ourselves:
- How and to what extent will war in the region, and its direct implications for Beirut, affect our capacity to organize resources and bring in talent from different parts of the city?
- Can this space serve as a catalyst for social and youth engagement amid the heated political polarization in the country?
- What role can this space play in providing room for marginalized and subaltern groups?
- How do we leave everyone we interact with—especially through long-term programs—with meaningful and lasting change?
- How can we exchange cultural practices and methodologies effectively with other institutions and practitioners?
- How do we turn evaluation feedback into actionable, applicable outcomes?
- What strategies can help us empower and enable cultural actors in their different roles more effectively?
Meet the team
Welcome to Beit Aam
Beit Aam is a cultural and political space rooted in Beirut, created as a sanctuary for artists, activists, and thinkers to gather, imagine, and act especially in times of crisis. We operate at the intersection of community relief, artistic expression, and civic engagement.
Our team is a collective of organizers, volunteers, artists, researchers, and everyday people brought together by urgency and hope. What unites us is our commitment to responsive action and imaginative resistance.
A fun fact? Our kitchen isn’t just where we cook it’s where we debate, plan, laugh, cry, and dream. It’s often the most political space in the house.
Beit Aam