The Department of Sociology organized its first Student Conference
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The Department of Sociology organized its first Student Conference, held on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, under the patronage of Prof. Ahmed Kamel Rawy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Helwan University; Prof. Rasha Saleh, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts for Education and Student Affairs; and Prof. Amany El Sayed, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts for Community Service and Environmental Development; and under the supervision of Prof. Iman Nasri, Head of the Sociology Department at the Faculty. The conference agenda included four interactive sessions.
Prof. Ahmed Rawy delivered a speech in which he welcomed the attendees, praised the idea of organizing a student conference, and expressed great interest in providing continuous support for students and for academic departments in all their activities. He urged students to benefit from the diverse expertise and competencies of the faculty members.
Dr. Rasha Saleh also delivered a speech encouraging students to work harder, be more diligent, and to diligently pursue qualification and build their research capacities so they can study and analyze societal problems and issues with the skills of a distinguished social researcher.
In her speech, Prof. Amany El Sayed highlighted the importance of students building their CVs (Curriculum Vitae). Her Excellency also presented the various capacity-building opportunities available from governmental and non-governmental entities, urging students to take advantage of them. Prof. Adel Khalaf, Head of the Philosophy Department, also participated with active attendance and valuable, insightful contributions.
Faculty members from the Sociology Department actively participated by attending, answering student questions, and providing feedback on student research contributions and various activities: Prof. Iman Nasri, Head of the Department Council; Dr. Basant Mahmoud; Dr. Rajaa Khalil; Dr. Hend Ramadan; Assistant Lecturer Aya Hussein; Assistant Lecturer Silvana Michel; Teaching Assistant Amira Gamal; and Teaching Assistant Somaya Ezz El Din.
The following students participated in preparing and organizing the conference: Ziad Assem Helmy, Moamen Mohamed Ahmed, Amal Anwar Abdelhamid, Mohamed Essam Mohamed, Ali Abdelbaset Ali, Nada Gamal Imam, Farah Khaled Mostafa, Shorouk Ibrahim Abdelmeguid, and Farid Adel Faiek.
Students presented throughout all conference sessions, including research papers, success stories, and innovative new ideas for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This was done by answering questions posed in the workshop after students were divided into seven working groups:
Group (1): How can we, as university students, contribute to reducing waste in our university? (Climate Action)
Group (2): What innovative ideas can we implement to conserve water in our daily lives? (Clean Water)
Group (3): How can youth contribute to supporting poor local communities? (No Poverty)
Group (4): How can we reduce food waste? (Zero Hunger)
Group (5): How can we improve the mental and physical health of youth? (Good Health and Well-being)
Group (6): What skills do young people need to succeed in the future job market? (Quality Education)
Group (7): How can we reduce waste and encourage recycling?
The conference concluded its proceedings by presenting the following recommendations:
- Raising awareness among students about the importance of innovation, continuous training, and qualification for employment.
- Continuous exchange of experiences among students regarding local and international educational and training institutions that offer capacity-building opportunities at a nominal cost or free of charge.
- Initiating awareness campaigns for families and parents about the dangers of illegal immigration, and replacing it with solutions presented at the student conference, such as entrepreneurship and benefiting from cultural exchange programs and study abroad opportunities.
- Holding the student conference annually, as students gained scientific and social benefits, and the conference contributed to fostering communication among students from all four academic years.
- Appealing to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research regarding the reduction of tuition fees at Helwan University for Sudanese students.
