A delegation of journalists and academics who were in the city for the 3rd Gaziantep Forum held meetings at the Bülbülzade Foundation.Leading media representatives and academics from Türkiye who were in Gaziantep as part of the 3rd Gaziantep Forum, hosted by Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University (GİPTÜ), visited the Bülbülzade Foundation. The delegation, which included Ahmet Agırakça, İhsan Aktaş, Murat Alan and numerous academics, met with foundation executives. During the visit, Bülbülzade Foundation President Turgay Aldemir briefed the delegation on the foundation’s extensive activities. The meeting covered the foundation’s vision, ranging from its work in the media field to its European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects, while the new-generation understanding of civil society and issues concerning Syria were discussed in detail.A PLATFORM FOR EXPERIENCE SHARING AND DIALOGUEThe diplomatic engagements continued with a visit to officials of the International Solidarity Forum EMMAUS (Međunarodni Forum Solidarnosti - EMMAUS), with which the Bülbülzade Foundation cooperates. During this meeting, ideas were exchanged on civil society experiences. These consecutive meetings once again demonstrated the strong ties that the Bülbülzade Foundation has established with both national media representatives and international civil society organizations. During the consultations, which took place in an atmosphere of mutual dialogue, the importance of generating collective solutions to regional issues and developing projects that place young people at the center was particularly emphasized. The visits concluded with the guest delegations expressing their satisfaction with the hospitality and the evaluation of future cooperation steps.

The Bülbülzade Foundation Aid Store offers a warm example of solidarity that places human dignity at its center by allowing people in need to freely choose their own clothes.The Bülbülzade Foundation Aid Store, which has been building bridges of kindness in Gaziantep for many years, brings a deeply humane dimension to the culture of helping one another. Unlike conventional aid distributions and standard aid packages, this is a special place where everyone who walks through its doors feels as though they are in an ordinary clothing store. Those in need, browsing among the shelves carefully arranged by volunteers, can comfortably choose the clothes that best suit their tastes and sizes, just as they would when shopping at a boutique.NOT A RECIPIENT OF AID, BUT A GUESTAt the heart of this valuable initiative lies the preservation of the dignity of those receiving assistance. Without having to accept pre-prepared standard packages, families fully experience the freedom to make their own decisions and meet their needs. The store's friendly team of volunteers welcomes visitors with the same care and consideration shown to customers and assists them while engaging in warm conversation. This system, which demonstrates that solidarity means more than simply giving away goods, reveals the power of kindness in its most elegant form.With its shelves constantly replenished through the contributions of benefactors, the store continues to weave a network of brotherhood that grows quietly and steadily.

Art and technology training for children and young people continues uninterrupted within the “Strong Tomorrows” project, carried out by Bülbülzade Association with the support of the Ministry of Interior.The “Strong Tomorrows” project, implemented under the umbrella of Bülbülzade Association, continues to significantly accelerate the social and cultural development of children and young people. The strong participation of orphaned and migrant students in this initiative, launched with the aim of fostering inclusive social solidarity, is particularly noteworthy. Within the scope of the project, a comprehensive training program is being implemented to discover young talents. As every weekend, last Saturday, Bülbülzade Foundation's Katre Art and Science Center welcomed students, enabling them to take solid steps toward the future.MULTIDIMENSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLEThe training program, designed to raise well-equipped individuals for the future, offers young people opportunities for multidimensional development. Through instrumental music lessons, including violin, guitar, bağlama, and piano, participants are introduced to the universal language of music. In addition, students explore the intricacies of art with great enthusiasm in painting workshops. Through robotics and coding training, which is among the most important competencies of our time, young people are encouraged to become conscious and productive individuals in the digital age. These lessons, successfully conducted under the guidance of educators, make a significant contribution to improving students' technical skills, building their self-confidence, and helping them socialize.

Training continues uninterrupted at the Young Career and Digital Media Skills Academy, launched by ANTEB Association to enhance young people's skills and competencies in the digital field.Launched under the umbrella of ANTEB Association to help young people integrate into the rapidly evolving media landscape, the academy continues to guide young people pursuing careers in the communications sector. In line with a comprehensive curriculum developed with sectoral needs in mind, an extensive training program is implemented to enable young people to apply their skills in practice. As it does every weekend, the academy welcomed students in recent days, bringing together theoretical instruction and practical workshops.NEXT-GENERATION COMMUNICATION SKILLSThe weekly training program, designed to equip young people with the qualifications sought by the industry, offers opportunities for well-rounded development. While courses in digital content production, video editing techniques, social media management, and basic journalism introduce participants to the dynamics of the media sector, practical workshops allow them to explore the behind-the-scenes aspects of the profession. Through training in digital media strategy, one of the most important competencies of our time, young people are encouraged to become informed and productive individuals who can keep pace with the rapidly changing world. Delivered successfully under the guidance of experts, these courses make a significant contribution to developing students' analytical thinking skills, building their confidence in the field, and expanding their professional networks.

The 2nd Concept Workshop, organized by the Bülbülzade Foundation, brought together foundation volunteers and educators at Zade Life Hotel with the aim of rebuilding the intellectual framework of societies.The second of the Concept Workshops organized by the Bülbülzade Foundation was held at Zade Life Hotel with high attendance. At the program, which attracted the interest of foundation volunteers, educators, foundation staff, and numerous guests, the concepts forming the foundation of our intellectual world were discussed. Focusing on the importance of societies finding their own language in the process of defining themselves and building the future, the workshop featured rich presentations and in-depth discussions. The program, shaped around the theme “The Ontology of Concepts: How Is a Tradition of Thought Established?”, addressed the establishment of a tradition of thought.SOCIETIES THAT LOSE THEIR CONCEPTS LOSE THEIR WAYIn his opening speech, Bülbülzade Foundation President Turgay Aldemir emphasized the need to move forward with new concepts in a new era. Stating that they aim to rebuild the intellectual framework of societies, Aldemir said, “Concepts offer us a perspective that reveals how a society sees itself and how it reads and interprets the world. For this reason, as we also see throughout history, societies that lose their concepts lose their way.” Drawing attention to the characteristics that the language of civil society should embody, Aldemir continued, “The language of civil society needs to manifest itself as a language that aspires to transform society, is inclusive, assumes responsibility, and produces solutions.” Pointing to the importance of investing in ontology rather than physiology, Aldemir reminded participants of the necessity of building a new language that appeals to the hearts and minds of young people simultaneously.HOW IS A TRADITION OF THOUGHT ESTABLISHED?The main speaker of the workshop was author Tahsin Görgün, whose works are published under the Tire Kitap imprint. Leaving a profound mark on our intellectual world through his books, Görgün evaluated the historical process of Islamic civilization and Muslim societies within an ontological framework in his comprehensive speech at the workshop. In his thought-provoking analysis comparing Islamic and Western civilizations, Görgün highlighted how a tradition of thought is established.THERE CAN BE NO CONCEPT WITHOUT KNOWLEDGEAddressing the struggle for existence and historical stance of Muslims, Görgün said, “We Muslims, as an entire ummah, have gone through a great ordeal over the last 150 years. We are only now beginning to recover, and our greatest achievement is preserving our existence despite all these negative conditions.” Explaining that we need to understand the conditions of our own existence, Görgün pointed to the heart of the matter with the words, “We exist; what are our own categories of existence, and within which categories does our existence unfold? The answer to these questions lies in concepts.” Stating that the construction of concepts depends on self-awareness, the author observed, “A society that lacks self-awareness and is therefore deficient in making itself an object and source of knowledge cannot have its own concepts and terms.”KNOWLEDGE AND THOUGHT CANNOT BE TAKEN FROM ANOTHER SOCIETYExplaining the distinctiveness of Islamic civilization by comparing it with the West, Görgün stated in his speech, “We are increasingly realizing that the formation of what we call the modern Western world is actually related to the misuse of the accumulated heritage of Islamic civilization.” Emphasizing that knowledge and thought cannot be obtained by copying them from one society to another, the author explained that every society must find its own reasonable ways of solving problems, saying, “A society cannot obtain knowledge and thought from another society. They talk about technology transfer and so on, but such a thing is not possible.”WORKSHOPS WERE HELD FOR NEW SETS OF CONCEPTSFollowing the joint sessions and speeches, participants divided into three different groups and moved on to workshop activities. While these workshops aimed to identify institutional sets of concepts, brainstorming sessions were also held to develop new concepts. The working groups, which sought practical applications of the theoretical framework in everyday life, concluded productively with contributions from the participants.

Within the scope of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), supported by the Turkish National Agency and coordinated by the Center for Science, Education, Culture and Research (BEKAM), four young people completed their month-long individual volunteering activities in the city of Cambados, Spain.Four young people, Şamil Efe Daşdemir, Azra Er, Başak Eminoğlu and Zehra Aydağ, participated in the programme held between 1 September and 1 October 2026. In addition to activities focused on the environment and sustainability, the young people took part in various events supporting intercultural interaction.The activities were carried out within Fundación Condado de Taboada – Casa dos Maza. The volunteers contributed to the preservation of shared living spaces by participating in the maintenance of the historic building where they stayed and its surrounding garden. They also supported efforts to raise awareness about environmental cleanliness and sustainable living through waste collection activities organised in the streets and along the beaches of Cambados.Various activities aimed at intercultural learning were also organised within the scope of the programme. Through language learning activities, presentations, educational games and group activities, the young people had the opportunity to discover different cultures and work together.During the volunteering period, the volunteers also visited the cities of Vigo, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela, gaining the opportunity to experience Europe's historical and cultural heritage firsthand.The month-long volunteering experience contributed to the development of the young people's foreign language, communication, teamwork and social responsibility skills. Participating in volunteering activities in a different country, the young people experienced a process that both supported their personal development and strengthened international solidarity.Bülbülzade Foundation and BEKAM continue to support young people's participation in international volunteering activities and create new opportunities for interaction with different communities through their work carried out within the scope of the European Solidarity Corps.