Turgay Aldemir, President of Bülbülzade Foundation, came together with students of Şehit Muhammed Emin Çelik Imam Hatip Secondary School and held an in-depth talk on the communication methods of the Prophet and human dignity.Turgay Aldemir, President of Bülbülzade Foundation, was a guest at the seminar titled “Human and Communication from the Perspective of Our Prophet,” held at Şehit Muhammed Emin Çelik Imam Hatip Secondary School. In the program, which took place in the school’s conference hall with the participation of teachers and many students, Aldemir explained to the youth communication examples from the life of the Prophet that shed light on today. In the seminar, which focused on the nature of the bond a person establishes both with oneself and with the environment, the impact of correct communication on social peace and its role in the construction of personality were discussed comprehensively. During the meeting, which was followed with interest by the students filling the hall, Aldemir drew attention to the solutions offered by the Prophetic method against the communication problems of the modern age.A REPRESENTATION CRISIS IS BEING EXPERIENCEDSharing his excitement about meeting with the youth, Aldemir pointed out the importance of the values represented by the Prophet in today’s world. Stating that the lack of these values lies at the root of many crises in the modern world, Aldemir said, “The value of something is understood in the void created by its absence. The deficiency of the intention that the Prophet brought to humanity appears before us today as a crisis of representation.”In his speech, Aldemir established a meaningful connection between human dignity and the spinal cord, which enables physical uprightness. Emphasizing that protecting human character is vital, he said, “Honor is what the spinal cord is. The spinal cord forms the backbone of a person. Honor is related to a person’s character. Harming the honor of people whose dignity has been hurt and whose voices have not been heard is like damaging their spinal cord.”IT IS TIME TO ELEVATE THE WORDIn the seminar, examples were given from the Prophet’s eye-level communication with children and the compassion he showed to other living beings. Stating that real communication is the ability to hear the weakest voices, Aldemir said, “Communication is hearing the weak voices. Today is the time to elevate not the voice, but the word.” Giving advice to students on reading discipline, Aldemir stated that an individual with a rich conceptual world will stand more firmly in life. Recalling the “cat’s eye” analogy of the late thinker Alev Alatlı, Aldemir said, “Reading is to have concepts. If you have many words, those words guide you like cat’s eyes while walking on a dark road. If you do not read, you become the object of others’ ideas.”At the end of the program, School Principal Ömer Arslan thanked Turgay Aldemir for his visit to the school and for the valuable information he shared, and presented him with a gift.

A delegation consisting of board members and university students from the Diriliş Association, which carries out humanitarian aid and educational activities in Kilis, visited the units of Bülbülzade Foundation in Gaziantep and examined the ongoing activities on-site.The Kilis Diriliş Association, one of the member associations of the Anatolian Federation, paid a visit to Bülbülzade Foundation on Saturday with a large delegation. During the visit, which included board members of the association and university students, detailed information was shared about the institutional experience and fields of work of the foundation. As part of the program, the social and cultural areas located within the foundation campus were toured one by one. During the visit, the delegation also attended as observers the workshop activities of the Children’s Workshop, organized for the third time by the Education Teachers Unit, gaining a different and instructive experience in terms of civil society work.SCIENCE AND ART ACTIVITIES WERE EXAMINEDThe main stop of the visit was the Katre Art and Science Center. Here, the delegation had the opportunity to closely observe the artistic education and scientific workshop activities carried out. In the later part of the visit, the delegation and foundation representatives came together in the meeting hall. In this section, a comprehensive presentation covering the general activities of the Bülbülzade Foundation was delivered. During the meeting, where mutual exchange of ideas took place, emphasis was placed on strengthening the civil society network between Kilis and Gaziantep. The visit concluded with the hope of developing joint projects.

Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Head of the Department of Education, Youth and Sports, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Özdal, visited our foundation and examined the ongoing youth projects and educational activities on site.Bülbülzade Foundation continues to share its multidimensional efforts aimed at youth development with local administrations. During his visit to the foundation center, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Özdal received comprehensive information about the projects being carried out. During the consultations held within the scope of the visit, potential areas of joint work to increase young people's participation in social life were evaluated.INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MOBILITYVolunteer projects, youth mobility programs, and the activities of the Anatolian Student Union operating within our foundation were presented to Özdal. Emphasis was placed on the contributions of the Secondary Education and Teacher Training units to the academic and personal development of young people. Examples were provided to illustrate how the activities carried out by these units mobilize the youth potential in the field.THE CENTER OF ART, MEDIA, AND SPORTSA detailed presentation was made about the workshops and ongoing courses within the Katre Art and Science Center. The sectoral experience offered to young people by the Media Academy organized by the Middle East Media Communication Center and the athlete training processes of the İstikrar Sports Club were also among the prominent topics of the visit. These efforts, which consider physical and mental development as a whole, revealed the foundation’s multidimensional service approach.THE PRINCIPLE OF “REFORMING THE GENERATION, DEVELOPING THE EARTH”The principle of “Reforming the generation, developing the earth,” which lies at the center of all activities, was emphasized as the main source of motivation for the projects. Our foundation positions youth not merely as an age group, but as the main actor in building the future. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Özdal expressed his appreciation for these comprehensive efforts and highlighted the importance of cooperation in youth services.

Bülbülzade Foundation hosted a strategic planning meeting that will strengthen its educational vision. During the meeting organized by the Education and Teachers Unit, workshops and rich-content summer activities to be implemented in the upcoming period were discussed.The Education and Teachers Unit of Bülbülzade Foundation outlined the educational roadmap for the new term through a comprehensive meeting held at the foundation center. With the participation of teachers working within the foundation, the preparation process for four strategic workshops to be carried out under the themes of children, concepts, youth, and digitalization has officially begun. Participants aim to develop innovative models in education and integrate digital transformation into the process through these workshops.The workshops, whose planning phase has begun, stand out with the following themes:Children Workshop: Focuses on the developmental needs of early age groups.Concept Workshop: Aims to ensure the accurate transfer of fundamental values and concepts.Youth Workshop: Seeks to respond to the social and academic expectations of young people.Digitalization Workshop: Focuses on the use of technology and digital transformation in education.FIRST STEPS TAKEN FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIESOne of the main agenda items of the meeting was the highly anticipated summer programs. Foundation teachers initiated the preparation process for camps, summer schools, technical trips, and artistic workshops in order to offer students a fulfilling holiday. Participants reached a consensus on a comprehensive schedule where social and cultural activities are integrated with education.HULUSİ YİĞİT SHARED HIS EXPERIENCESHulusi Yiğit, General Manager of the Istanbul-based Values Education Center (DEM), also attended the planning meeting. Yiğit, who examined the work carried out by the foundation’s teachers on-site, provided important information about the current projects and institutional experiences of the Values Education Center. By sharing new models that can be applied in educational processes, Yiğit contributed to the projects planned by the foundation.

Volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), who gathered in Gaziantep hosted by the Bülbülzade Foundation, experienced environmental awareness in practice by maintaining the trees in Kurtuluş Forest.The Bülbülzade Foundation brought together international volunteers who came to the city through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) in nature activities. As part of social and cultural integration processes, Azerbaijani Ali Ghuliyev, Ukrainian Viktoria Kotelevets, Dutch Elisa Dijkhuis, and Bosnian Emir Fojnica participated in maintenance work in the foundation's Kurtuluş Forest. On this special day when the spring sun showed itself, the young people undertook an important responsibility for the protection of nature and the sustainability of green areas.BREATH FOR THE FUTURE FROM YOUTHDuring the maintenance work carried out to ensure the healthy growth of trees in the forest area, volunteers meticulously conducted fertilization processes. Throughout the activity, the young people learned the technical details of tree care from experts and had the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in the field. Moving away from the chaos of city life and establishing direct contact with nature, the team observed firsthand how valuable soil cultivation and every stage of production are.BROTHERHOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS TOGETHERThis solidarity displayed by different cultures for a common purpose made a great contribution to the foundation’s vision of green heritage. Emphasizing the importance of labor and effort, the activity increased the environmental sensitivity of the volunteers while strengthening the bonds of friendship among them. As the Bülbülzade Foundation, we aim to regularly continue such activities that add value to the environment and society together with our international volunteer team.

The Chairman of Bülbülzade Foundation and the delegation under his leadership visited Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin in her office and held a comprehensive meeting on joint projects to be carried out and future vision.The Bülbülzade Foundation delegation met with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin to evaluate the activities carried out at local and international levels. During the meeting, the municipality’s visionary projects in the fields of education and culture and the foundation’s plans for the upcoming period were discussed in detail. One of the main agenda items of the visit was the “Common Future Meetings” to be organized with the participation of the Metropolitan Municipality and Syrian opinion leaders. It was emphasized that the cooperation between the two institutions in this regard is of critical importance for social cohesion and regional peace. In addition, the foundation delegation provided detailed information to Mayor Şahin about the Anatolian Cultural Centers (ACC) in Syria and especially the latest situation in Aleppo.PROJECTS ARE EXPANDING TO A BROADER GROUNDThe results of the workshops successfully conducted by the Foundation’s Education and Teachers Unit were shared. Views were exchanged on the educational, cultural, artistic, sports, and media activities planned to be implemented throughout the summer season. In particular, the process related to the Kurtuluş Forest project and the camp center designed within this area was discussed. At the end of the meeting, it was decided that the international activities carried out through the Bülbülzade Foundation Project Unit would be expanded to a broader scope in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality. It is aimed that joint projects will accelerate the cultural and educational development of Gaziantep.