The opening program of the “From Shadow to Light” Project, implemented in cooperation with Üsküdar University and Kastamonu Associations Federation (KASDERFED), with the support of the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Relations with Civil Society and under the patronage of the Istanbul Governorship, took place. The project, aiming to integrate young people who remain in the shadows back into society, garnered significant interest. Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, delivered a conference titled “Effective Communication Techniques with Youth” within the scope of the program. Tarhan, stating that this project is a self-transcendence project, also offered golden advice to young people.
The opening program, held at Üsküdar University Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, was attended by Istanbul Deputy Governor M. Asım Alkan, Istanbul Deputy Hulusi Şentürk, Üsküdar University Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, ITO Council Member İshak Koçoğlu, Science and Virtue Foundation Chairman Mahmut Ekşi, KASDERFED President Fatma Kıranoğlu, Üsküdar University Social Contribution Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, as well as students, public institution representatives, and presidents and directors of civil society organizations.
Before the conference, opening speeches were delivered by Mustafa Asım Alkan, Hulusi Şentürk, İshak Koçoğlu, Mahmut Ekşi, Fatma Kıranoğlu, and Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, respectively.
Mustafa Asım Alkan: “The culture of planned work must definitely be instilled in our youth”
Istanbul Deputy Governor Mustafa Asım Alkan drew attention to project generation and the culture of planned work in his opening speech. Alkan said: “I believe this project is very valuable because the future of a nation lies in its youth. As Atatürk said, ‘We founded the Republic, and it is you who will sustain it.’ The common point of developed countries is to provide good education to their youth and equip them spiritually, physically, and mentally. We also need to educate our young people not only in academic knowledge but also in areas such as art, entrepreneurship, and social skills. It is essential for young people to grow up as individuals with vision, who can dream, and are inclined to teamwork. At this point, Selçuk Bayraktar's dream years ago and its realization is an important example. Project generation and a culture of planned work must also be instilled in our youth. Lack of planning is one of the biggest obstacles we face as a country. Civilizations that plan for 100 years ahead are pioneers today. The inclusion of trainings such as communication, leadership, and innovation in this project is also very valuable. Social intelligence is as effective as academic knowledge in success. It is of great importance to provide these trainings at an early age for the versatile development of our youth.”
Hulusi Şentürk: “Such a youth will build a strong Turkey”
Istanbul Deputy Hulusi Şentürk, who then took the podium, underlined the importance of youth in building Turkey. Şentürk said: “If a youth that embraces our values grows up, both the future of our country and humanity will be filled with hope. Because we are a nation that does not know colonialism, imperialism, or savagery. In our history, there is no killing babies and then shouting as if justified. As Necip Fazıl said, we need a youth that questions, worries, and thinks, asking, ‘What am I and what is this situation?’ A youth equipped with knowledge, able to question their father and grandfather when necessary. They will research, find the truth, and walk diligently on the path they believe in. Brave enough to rush to the front if necessary, but also engaged in science and wisdom. This is the kind of youth that will build a great and strong Turkey. Hopefully, these young people will be you.”
İshak Koçoğlu: “This project puts youth at its center”
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Council Member İshak Koçoğlu, speaking within the scope of the program, also drew attention to the importance of the project. Koçoğlu said: “This project is a multi-layered social responsibility example that puts youth at its center. Opening up space for young people in the business world is no longer a choice but a necessity.”
Mahmut Ekşi: “Protecting youth is protecting the future”
Science and Virtue Foundation Chairman Mahmut Ekşi said, “We are a generation that believes in the potential of youth. Protecting them is protecting the future.”
Fatma Kıranoğlu: “We set out saying, ‘You exist, you are seen, you are valuable’”
KASDERFED President Fatma Kıranoğlu spoke within the scope of the program. Kıranoğlu stated: “We set out to tell all Anatolian youth, especially our youth from Kastamonu, ‘You exist, you are seen, you are valuable.’”
Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar: “'From Shadow to Light' is not an institutional project but a social contract.”
Üsküdar University Social Contribution Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, who took the floor within the program, gave information about the project. Yaşar stated: “Today, we are not just launching a project. We are gifting hope to the inner world of young people and a new breath to society. Every young person deserves light. Every young person just waits for a hand to emerge from the shadow. Extending that hand is our social responsibility. 'From Shadow to Light' is not an institutional project but a social contract. The signature on this contract was not made with a pen, but with effort, love, and faith.”
Following the opening speeches, a conference titled “Effective Communication Techniques with Youth” was delivered by Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “This project is a self-transcendence project”
Tarhan, drawing attention to the importance of the project, began his speech by saying: “This project is actually not a project of emerging from shadow into light, but a project of self-transcendence. A young person needs to have a goal of self-transcendence. Currently, the youth model presented by modernism largely teaches a life philosophy focused on working only for oneself, living centered on one's own interests. Modernism teaches this. Even scientists in America realized this. They said, ‘We are ruining the youth.’ They warned, ‘We are educating young people wrongly by changing their ideals.’ So, they realized this. Self-transcendence is important. For example, there is Silicon Valley; it is a mindset, a way of thinking. In other words, the people there are individuals who have transcended themselves with a mentality in the field of science and technology, rather than just a physical valley. In the same way, we must also show this effort for self-transcendence for our own society and future. If we can adopt this perspective, we too will revive on the stage of history. Because we are a nation that emerged from Central Asia and reached the Adriatic. We are a hyperactive society; we have no equal. We were taught learned helplessness. That is, an understanding was imposed like, ‘The West is a superior culture, we are an inferior culture, let's emulate them, know our place.’ We still have this kind of mental illness. However, overcoming this illness opens the door to many new discoveries. We should aim to do more than what they have done.”
“A purposeless young person cannot find their direction”
Tarhan stated that a youth pursuing meaning and purpose should be raised: “Aristotle, 2,500 years ago, divided happiness into two. One is pleasure happiness, or hedonic happiness. The other is eudemonic happiness, or meaning happiness. Pleasure happiness is a happiness created by dopamine. For example, cocaine works with the same mechanism. Possessions, money, fame… These also stimulate dopamine in the same way. Even when eating, a person feels happy in the same way, but dopamine is short-lived; when it's over, people want it again. However, meaning happiness is a medium- and long-term happiness. In people with medium and long-term plans, who transcend themselves, the brain produces serotonin. In others, it produces dopamine. After this difference was scientifically proven, a serious paradigm shift began worldwide. Many things are being rewritten now. The understanding that 'we need to raise a person, a young person, who pursues meaning and purpose' is now transforming into a strong education system globally. So, if we don't give that young person a purpose for which to work, get tired, and endure hardship, why would they motivate themselves? A purposeless young person cannot find their direction.”
“The youth we raise must be self-transcending youth”
Tarhan, expressing that the new generation matures with difficulty, said: “Previous generations matured in scarcity. Today's young generations have to mature in abundance. This is harder. Maturing in abundance is a choice, but maturing in scarcity is a necessity. That's why the new generation matures with more difficulty. Therefore, let's not be angry with young people, let's not reproach them. We must show them the way. For example, sometimes young people addicted to substances are hospitalized. When working with them, we developed scales for outcome awareness and harm perception, and we apply them. The child doesn't even think 3-5 days ahead. That's why we make them write a letter to their five-years-later self. In the letter, they say, ‘I want to have a villa in Sarıyer, do this and that in the sea...’ There is no other ego ideal. If such a generation is raised, it becomes a lost generation. They become members of voluntary imperialism. Currently, there is voluntary imperialism. In the past, imperialism came with occupation; now our minds are occupied. Unless we change this occupation in minds, we become objects, not subjects, of this global system. That's why the youth we raise must be self-transcending youth. They must be youth who emerge from the shadow. Beyond just discovering a few things, we must raise young people who, when they reach the end of life, think, ‘How do I want to be remembered? What kind of person do I want to be?’”
“This is no longer virtual addiction, but behavioral addiction…”
Tarhan drew attention to internet addiction: “The current situation regarding the internet is very serious. Excessive mental preoccupation, increasing internet use to get the desired pleasure... In other words, replace the internet with cocaine, and the effect is the same. The person struggles to control their internet use. They make attempts to reduce or completely quit but fail. They say, ‘I won't do it again,’ but they do it again. When internet use is reduced or stopped, symptoms such as restlessness, depression, and irritability appear. This is also a type of withdrawal symptom. Initially, people stay on the internet longer than planned. Due to this excessive use, problems arise at school, in the family, at work, and among friends. Educational and career opportunities are jeopardized, and can even be lost. Daily life activities are disrupted. Sometimes, a person may lie to their family, friends, or therapist about how much time they spend on the internet. They use the internet as a tool to escape negative emotions. That is, as a stress reduction method to get away from feelings like helplessness, guilt, depression... All these are symptoms of addiction. This is now called behavioral addiction, not virtual addiction. Like gambling addiction. It disrupts the brain's reward system. This is the risk young people are currently facing.”
“Today’s suffering is tomorrow’s joy”
Tarhan, addressing the benefits and harms of social media, said: “Social media tools make life easier. They teach young people many beautiful things. They offer wide communication opportunities and facilitate access to information. On the other hand, they harbor great risks. That's why today's youth need to be more conscious than ten or fifty years ago. Being conscious means being able to perform cost-benefit analysis, distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, safe from unsafe, friend from foe. These skills are not innate. They are not genetic. These are things that need to be taught. Therefore, being a conscious young person means having the courage to change oneself before changing the world. This is courage. A person must confront themselves, question their mistakes, try to develop themselves, and set a goal for themselves. While pursuing that goal, they must be able to say, ‘Today’s suffering is tomorrow’s joy.’ A young person who can say this will sit down and study. They will put in hours of effort for a goal. This is meaning-oriented thinking. This is an idealistic youth.”
“A person without inner responsibility cannot develop themselves”
Tarhan stated that alongside external responsibility, there is a need to focus on internal responsibility: “When we look at the life of our Prophet, we see that the concept of heaven was used for people's motivation during challenging times, difficult periods requiring effort. This was processed as a type of internal motivation technique. Each prophet's story in the Holy Quran is actually a motivation story. Rest assured, when we read and evaluate them with this perspective, we realize that young people can gain great inspiration and skills in dealing with difficulties, setting goals, and overcoming obstacles. Understanding these examples correctly and showing them to young people is very important. Because today's modern education system is more focused on external responsibility. Not internal responsibility. It has now been understood that a person without inner responsibility cannot develop themselves. They fall into the pleasure traps set by others. They get caught in addiction traps. They become an object, not a subject, of their own life. They become an object of social media, unable to be its subject.”
Tarhan's advice to young people…
Tarhan, offering advice to young people, concluded his remarks by saying: “Social media has become one of the worst tools for time management. That's why I suggest this to young people: set a goal of one quality content per day. Read an article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast. Just one, no more. Follow social media, but definitely have such content alongside it. Don't immediately accept information that comes to your mind; ask, ‘Is this information correct?’ This is digital literacy. If you believe everything you hear, you will be used. Because for a person to make a mistake or do evil, it is enough to believe everything they hear. If you want to transcend yourself, you should not be afraid to take responsibility and you should start with small steps. Great journeys begin with small steps. Just as big fires start with a spark. Those small steps should never be underestimated. For example, take on a small task at home every day. Like organizing, shopping, or taking care of your sibling. Join a student club at school or university. For example, there are young people at our university who participate in projects. I truly congratulate them. They put in effort in these projects, and some even graduated this year. They will understand the value of their time and effort years later. They will say, ‘I'm glad I took part in this project.’ Because these projects change their perspective on life. They accumulate experience and memories. Everything accumulated is psychological capital. When the time comes, they will reap the fruits of this capital.”
At the end of the program, gifts were presented to the speakers in commemoration of the day.
The opening program concluded with a group photo session.
Contribution to sustainable development goals...
The “From Shadow to Light” Project was designed to directly align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this context, it directly contributed to the tags: Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).
