Students and project executives who successfully implemented the ‘Araman Yeter’ project were presented with certificates of appreciation at a ceremony. At the ceremony, attended by Üsküdar District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek, one of the project executives, Demiryürek stated, “I hope this project transforms into a ministry project.” Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing the importance of investing in the elderly, touching their souls and lives, stated that during periods like these, when loneliness has increased due to the pandemic, the most common victims are the elderly.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Üsküdar District Governorship launched the “Araman Yeter” project. The ceremony for presenting certificates of appreciation for the project, in which 25 young volunteers provided psychosocial support to 500 elderly individuals, was held. The opening speech of the ceremony, which took place in the Üsküdar Üniversitesi Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, was given by Project Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Ayhan Özşahin.
Dr. Lecturer Ayhan Özşahin; “My mother and father used to say ‘Your call is enough’…”
Dr. Lecturer Ayhan Özşahin, Head of the Department of Family Medicine at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Medicine and Project Coordinator, speaking about the project’s inception; “We had the encouragement of our Professor Nevzat, who constantly told us to create projects to generate benefit. Following this, we presented our project to the esteemed Üsküdar District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek. As a statesman with field experience, he foresaw its importance and said, ‘Let's do this first,’ and so we took action with zero financial support, using our own resources, spirit, and energy, and with the support of our students. We started calling selected individuals over 65 years old in the Üsküdar district. Here, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the social services department students. I was very happy with their dedication, cheerful faces, and positive, friendly youthful energy. Our teacher İsmail, who educated you, certainly put in a lot of effort; thank you, teacher. We also wanted to add a youth story to this youthful enthusiasm. The idea for this project also comes from my late father and mother. When I called them and asked, ‘How are you, are you well? Do you need anything?’ they always told me, ‘We have everything, thank God, your call is enough,’ probably because I didn’t call them very often. Through this, I was able to partially repay my debt to them. Now we have a good service model. It needs to live on, and we are now entrusting it to the hands it belongs to.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Social Services Department 4th-Year Student and Project Volunteer Hilal Yıldırım; “We had both funny and sad memories”
Hilal Yıldırım, a student from Üsküdar Üniversitesi Social Services Department, speaking on behalf of the project management team; “I volunteered for the Araman Yeter project. The people we called were over 65 years old and living alone. This situation made us realize that people truly want someone, even a stranger, to ask about their well-being. The conversation that affected me most was, ‘You didn't even distinguish us from your own children.’ They saw us not as staff, but as their grandchildren. They spoke with such sincerity. We had both funny and sad memories. There were also comments like, ‘Can't you call us again? I live alone anyway.’ I hope such volunteer projects continue and reach more people. Thank you.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış; “A good social worker is trained at Üsküdar Üniversitesi”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış, Head of the Social Services Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences and also a project consultant; “Social work is a humanitarian profession. This humanitarian profession has four indispensable pillars. Primarily, as public servants, one pillar consists of well-trained professionals. And from here, I can say that a good social worker is trained at Üsküdar Üniversitesi. Indeed, 15 young people among those trained carried out a project both institutionally and individually professionally. The second is, without a doubt, science. Üsküdar Üniversitesi is a hub of science, and another indispensable element is the public sector. The Üsküdar Üniversitesi's interest in this project serves as an example of how public service, aligning with statesmanship, can be wonderfully realized through district governorships. The fourth is civil society. The civil society organization is an association formed by our young people. With the purpose of this association, led and followed by Ms. Nebiye, this project was carried out on four pillars. I thank our Rector, our District Governor, our teacher Ayhan, who is the father of the project, and our dear students.”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar; “We touched the wounds of society”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Young Brains Academy Application and Research Center, speaking about the values the project added to young people; “We were with young people in updating the sense of meaning and value in society. The young people truly volunteered in the most sincere way. In projects where young people were involved, while adding value to society, we also added value to the young people themselves through the projects. They learned to manage time, to communicate. They learned to find innovative solutions to societal problems. They also learned to work in a team spirit in their communication with each other. When the Provincial Health Directorate visited in recent months and saw the young people, they said these young people are nothing like others. I said that within the project, young people mature and become different young people. They educate themselves. As a corporate social project, we carried it out together with both Istanbul Development Agency (İSTKA) projects and ministry projects. I thank our Rector once again for valuing us in these projects.”
Üsküdar District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek; “I hope this project transforms into a ministry project”
Üsküdar District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek, emphasizing that social deprivation has long been overlooked; “Social deprivation is a more painful area than material deprivation. It is an area that Turkey needs to think about and ponder. The need for this situation is felt more and more every day. That's why I see that the field of education you are currently receiving will come to the forefront much more in the coming decades, emerging as a much more indispensable field. You must have noticed this during the project process. We have many elders experiencing social deprivation. We have many siblings and disabled individuals. The lack of simply calling and asking ‘How are you?’ is so crucial that it will be difficult to fill that void, which is why we are wholeheartedly ready to work with you on this project. We have done great work with Üsküdar Üniversitesi. We worked with our teachers, especially our Rector. We are keen to continue working with you. I hope this project transforms into a ministry project. The work done is therefore very valuable. I extend my thanks to everyone individually.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Receiving the blessings of the elderly is beneficial for this country”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Psychiatrist, congratulated the young volunteers involved in the project; “Making someone smile, bringing joy, is the most beautiful thing. It is goodness, a spiritual gain. I especially congratulate the young people for volunteering in this matter. I also particularly thank our esteemed District Governor for understanding this. Having this sensitivity is a wonderful sensitivity. It is a sensitivity that will bring back what Turkey has lost. Because there are many elderly people living alone now. A very good job has been done for this. I thank you again. It's wonderful to be a part of such a beautiful work. Now, our students should take notes of the examples they experienced here. We can compile these into a book and publish it as a university publication. We, as the university, will publish it together with our District Governorship. We can even send this book to other places that see and disregard this project. This was like a pilot study, but rest assured, receiving the blessings of the elderly is beneficial for this country. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once said, 'If it were not for the mercy of the elderly, great calamities would fall upon you.' Indeed, making the bent-backed elderly happy and joyful is a tremendous spiritual transaction.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Epidemic is a smaller version of a pandemic”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, speaking about elderly individuals being more solution-oriented; “Something like increasing emotional intelligence skills emerged. For example, there's an argument in a house, tension, children are unhappy… A grandmother comes to the house and says something. The argument in that house suddenly ends. What does that grandfather or grandmother, who doesn't even know how to use a TV remote, do to solve the problem? This is entirely wisdom… To give an example from animals regarding the development of emotional intelligence skills, take deer, for instance… Young deer would look at the older deer in times of danger. Wherever the older deer went, the young deer would flee in that direction. They had experienced where fear and danger would come from. This is referred to as social capital in scientific terminology. Because new generations are raised egocentric. Egocentrism is also a disease of this era.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Touching the souls and lives of these people is very important”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Egoism, narcissism... The affliction of narcissism, the pandemic of narcissism, a book titled 'Narcissism Epidemic' was published. An epidemic is a smaller version of a pandemic. At such times, the most common victims are the elderly. Because they are old and live alone. Significant suicide cases occur in Japan throughout the year. There's even a case reported in the German press. A couple over 70 years old committed suicide by turning on the natural gas and leaving a letter behind. The letter read; ‘For three and a half months, no one knocked on our door except the doorman…’ Therefore, investing in the elderly is very important. Touching the souls and lives of these people is valuable.”
Following the speeches within the scope of the “Araman Yeter” project, realized in cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Üsküdar District Governorship, certificates of appreciation were presented to the project executives and students involved in the project.
The presentation ceremony concluded after a commemorative photo was taken.