Pillar Holds a Joint International Scientific Webinar on the International Youth Day

On the occasion of the International Youth Day, Pillar Centre for Conflict Resolution and Scientific Research – London, in partnership with a number of universities and scientific and research centers, held the International Scientific Webinar : (Empowering Youth between the Wings of Ambition and the Challenges of Reality), Our Youth are the Fuel of Renaissance, on Friday 12/8 /2022.

The Chair if the session Dr. Nadine Hamdan, the assistant professor at the Lebanese University, welcomed the presence. She praised the importance of giving young people an aspect of academic, economic and health attention, as they are the backbone of the development of countries and the basis for the development process.

The Co- chair of the session, Dr. Şahin Şişmek, the Head of the International Relations at Batman University- Turkey, spoke about the importance of youth in the society as they are the fuel for progress and development, the power of the future, and the first and last line of defense. And that societies which contain a large percentage of young people are strong societies because they are the main pillar for the progress and building of any society.

The session discussion was opened by Dr. Muhammad Sayed Ahmed, a professor at King Abdulaziz University- Saudi Arabia, who spoke about the experience of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in developing youth, as it began to replace theoretical subjects with applied scientific subjects and disciplines to help young people develop from their conditions according to the needs and requirements of the labor market. He also talked about the reforms of theoretical, university, technical and industrial education and the change that it reflected on the situation of Saudi youth.

Dr. Viola Makhzoum, Head of the Department of Basic Courses at the Islamic University of Lebanon, talked about changing the reality in which people live and its reflection on the position of youth, and about the professions that will disappear, such as: making clothes, driving cars, and professions that will show their importance. She also praised the need to eradicate digital illiteracy in the current era and the role of the media, means of communication and social communication in reflecting a person’s skills and his professional, social and personal image as well.

Dr. Amal Metwali, the Emeritus Professor at Mansoura University and lecturer at Nasser Academy for Military Sciences talked about the Egyptian experience in building youth and on the role of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in promoting the role of youth in the country. And about the psychological, social and behavioral problems that young people face nowadays.

In turn, Dr.Azraa Ismail Zidan, Director of the Women’s Studies Centre at the University of Baghdad, said that young people are the power of life and they are able to turn all the scales. She stressed that the reason for the backwardness in any country is the exclusion of the young hand from the field of work and the retention of the elderly. She also talked about the poor job opportunities among young people after graduation and the spread of the concept that a university degree is not important. She also touched upon the importance of youth involvement in voluntary work.

As for Dr. Nermin Al-Madani, a post-doctoral researcher at the University Hospital of Mannheim at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, she spoke about her experience as an expatriate student for 9 years. She touched on how to find job and study opportunities abroad and the communication skill as the most important factor in that, in terms of how to convince the other party of your abilities skills and features. She talked about the alienation of Arab girls and how society and parents see them. At the end of her speech, she gave several pieces of advice to Arab youth in European countries based on her own experience.

The webinar concluded with a speech by the Lebanese activist Dana Saad Eddin and the Palestinian activist Afaf Najjar about their experiences as young people in their countries, their own initiatives and voluntary work, and the challenges they faced to reach their goals. Where these distinguished youth initiatives were admired by the audience.

At the end of the webinar, the Head of International Relations at Pillar Centre Ms. Neda Abadla announced the launch of a youth initiative “Daisies from Palestine“, which focuses on developing the skills of young people in developing countries. The initiative will last for a year. Students and young researchers from several universities will benefit from this initiative.