As part of the Erasmus+ project of Bülbülzade Association, 40 young people from 5 countries who came to Gaziantep met with Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin and examined the city’s global success model and future vision on site.
The Erasmus+ KA151 project titled “Borderless Youth for an Inclusive Future,” carried out by Bülbülzade Association, supported by the Turkish National Agency and hosted by Bülbülzade Foundation, continues to bring international youth together with the cultural and administrative richness of Gaziantep. Within the scope of the project, a youth delegation of approximately 40 people from 5 different countries such as Germany, England, and Serbia visited Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin in her office. During the meeting, which took place in a sincere atmosphere, the young people had the opportunity to ask Mayor Şahin directly about the city’s historical texture, tradesmen culture, and local government achievements.
THE ART OF BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION
During the visit, Fatma Şahin, who made comprehensive statements about the “Gaziantep Model,” which attracted great interest from the young people, defined this concept as the embodiment of the principles that the world calls productivity and coordination at the city scale. Şahin emphasized that the basis of success lies in the understanding of being part of the solution rather than the source of the problem by saying “we, not I” in every field from the refugee crisis to the mobilization in education. Giving concrete examples of work in the fields of migration management and social services, Şahin shared strategic steps with the young people, ranging from the integration of refugee children into the system to the construction of 126 schools built in cooperation with industrialists.
GAVE ADVICE TO YOUTH
Answering questions from young people from different countries about personal development and success, Mayor Şahin referred to the life philosophy of Nobel laureate Aziz Sancar in her speech. Şahin reminded young people of the following three basic principles that will guide them in their career journeys:
First of all, work very hard to make the long life ahead of you productive.
Do not be afraid of failures; learn to rise quickly by taking a lesson from every fall.
Begin the ideal of changing the world by first focusing on your own development and transforming yourself.
