As the Bülbülzade Foundation, we organized a broadly attended consultation iftar with our organizational units. Gathering in the spiritual atmosphere of the month of Ramadan, we refreshed our foundation’s future vision and our goals of “building meaning.”
Since the day we began our journey in 1994, under the umbrella of the Bülbülzade Foundation we have continued to be the conscience of civil society and to bring our ancient values together with the needs of the modern world. In the Organizational Units Consultation Iftar, which we organized in order to carry our 30 years of deep-rooted experience into the future by enriching it with the new concepts of a changing world, we came together with our colleagues. In this gathering where we shared the blessings of Ramadan, we both evaluated the past and, through collective wisdom, shaped our roadmap for a new era centered on “meaning and humanity” in every field from education to humanitarian aid.
WE ARE FIGHTING A STRUGGLE OF VALUES
Our Foundation President, Turgay Aldemir, emphasized in his speech at the meeting that our institution is not merely a field of activity but a “unity of spirit.” He summarized the foundation of the institution’s identity with the following words:
“A foundation is not the sum of disconnected entities. In fact, a foundation is the art of bringing hearts, minds, and efforts together in a shared direction within a single sentence. Here we are not concerned only with our own success; we must not forget that we are different sentences of the same great story. If one of us falls behind, the chain weakens. Therefore we must move forward by strengthening every segment of society without leaving anyone behind. We are neither a pressure group nor a political party; we are a struggle for values.”
WE CAN BECOME PART OF THIS ERA BY PRODUCING MEANING
Drawing attention to the global crisis of meaning, our President emphasized that our work consists not only of practical services. Stating that those who produce solutions in a period when the world is narrowing will shape the future, Aldemir made the following critical evaluation:
“The future will belong not to those who merely wait for it, but to those who think about it with truth, shoulder it with responsibility, and build it with determination. Our issue is not only to produce activities, but to produce discourse from our own center, to produce concepts, and to engage with the age by producing meaning. If we do not question our own methods, renew our language, and honestly recognize our shortcomings, we cannot develop.”
WE ARE PREPARING FOR TOMORROW
In his presentation during the program, our Vice President Adem Er detailed the wide range of activities carried out by our foundation and their impact in the field. Emphasizing that we design our work with the vision of “preparing not for today but for tomorrow,” Er stated that in every field—from volleyball and basketball to dozens of different branches of art, and from technology workshops to our Teknofest goals—we prepare young people to become productive and capable individuals. Noting that our work is carried out entirely on a voluntary basis, Er also expressed that our international guests and institutional visitors admire the sincerity and working model of our foundation.
THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
In this meaningful gathering that shaped our vision for the future, we clarified our roadmap with valuable contributions from different levels of our organization. Our volunteer Musab Kahraman, who came from Germany and worked tirelessly for six months in our earthquake region, highlighted the difference in social solidarity between Europe and Türkiye, emphasizing the unique spirit of unity in our country. Our earthquake region coordinator Zemzem Çetin stated that as a result of our three years of effort in the region, the people have not only received aid but have personally embraced the culture of foundations and volunteerism.
WE MUST CONSTANTLY UPDATE OURSELVES
One of the veteran contributors to our Syria efforts, Mustafa El Hüseyin, spoke about the atmosphere of trust created by our stable presence in the region for 14 years and the positive response to the hand of brotherhood extended by Türkiye from Damascus to Aleppo. Addressing our institutional development processes, Mehmet Ali Eminoğlu reminded that in order to build a sustainable structure, we must continuously update our human resources and vision according to the changing conditions of the world. Educator and writer Bozan İnce emphasized that when individuals filled with meaning are raised, our activities naturally gain momentum and that our 20 years of experience have now reached an international dimension. In light of all these evaluations, we remain determined to continue producing social benefit and spreading goodness by focusing on digital transformation, strategic foresight, and next-generation advocacy in 2026.
WE ARE ONLY A BRIDGE
As a foundation, we continue to deepen the network of services we carry out with the aim of social transformation. Our Education and Teachers Unit is conducting a process of intellectual construction by introducing modern concepts such as weak signals, collective responsibility, and experimental thinking into our literature. In our humanitarian aid and orphan programs, we preserve our principle of building a “bridge between the giving hand and the receiving hand,” operating a model that places human dignity at the center without exposing those in need. In the earthquake region, through the Child Life Centers we have established in Nurdağı and other strategic locations, we provide sustainable psychosocial support to children and families living in container cities. Beyond the borders, through the cultural centers we have opened across a wide geography from Azez to Damascus, we are building the future today by raising generations who possess national, local, and moral values even in the midst of war and crises.
COMMON MIND, COMMON CONSCIENCE
In order for our civil society work not to lose its spirit, we constantly act with self-assessment and renewal. As our President Turgay Aldemir also stated, we consider self-criticism and consultation as conditions of our institutional maturity with the principle that “critical thinking is not for destruction but for building more solidly.” With the belief that this era will belong not to those who raise their voices the loudest but to those who deepen their words, we continue our work.
