The closing program of the 'My Support Is With You Everywhere Darülaceze Volunteers Project', executed by the Therapeutic Brain Mapping and Neurotechnology Association and supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was held at Darülaceze. Within the scope of the project, where Üsküdar University and Darülaceze Presidency participated as stakeholders, 60 Darülaceze residents and 40 volunteer students participated in the 6-month training and workshops.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Young people and the elderly need each other”
Speaking at the project's closing program, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “One of the most striking features of this project was the gathering of our students and experienced people during the pandemic period and the reduction of loneliness during the Covid period.” Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that older individuals need to share their life experiences, and the younger generation needs to benefit from these experiences.
The 6-month workshops and training sessions of the 'My Support Is With You Everywhere Darülaceze Volunteers Project', supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports within the scope of the Youth Projects Support Program, with Üsküdar University and Darülaceze Presidency as stakeholders, have been completed.
The closing program of the project, executed by the Therapeutic Brain Mapping and Neurotechnology Association, held at the Darülaceze Presidency, was attended by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector and Chairman of the Executive Board of Üsküdar University; Hamza Cebeci, President of Darülaceze; Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Rector's Advisor of Üsküdar University; Lecturer Dr. Zeynep Gümüş, Project Coordinator; and Lecturer Dr. Nebiye Yaşar, Project Consultant. During the program, which was also attended by Darülaceze residents and volunteer students involved in the project, a special film reflecting the training and workshop processes was screened. Lecturer Dr. Tuğba Aydın Öztürk, who also participated in the Art Therapy Workshop, presented a Turkish Art Music concert to the guests during the program. Öztürk's performance was well-received.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Young people and experienced individuals came together”
Emphasizing the importance of the 'My Support Is With You Everywhere Darülaceze Volunteers Project' being carried out during the Covid period, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Actually, with this project, I want to address those who questioned, ‘Can there be a social project during Covid?’ One of the most striking features of this project was the gathering of our students and wonderful experienced people during the pandemic period to produce something. It was also very valuable that they reduced the great loneliness experienced during the Covid period. In terms of both its goals and good timing, it was a truly good and very accurate idea.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Young people and the elderly need each other”
After watching the project film, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan expressed his respectful remembrance of Darülaceze and its founder Sultan Abdülhamit, and continued his words as follows:
“Generally, we see that in the new generation, 'vefa' (loyalty/faithfulness) is known as a district name or a boza seller’s name. But 'vefa' was not a district name; 'vefa' was a value. There were young volunteers who wanted to keep this value alive and implement it. Every person’s story is unique, and each story emerges from a great experience. The understanding age of young people and the understanding age of the elderly greatly overlap. One is at the beginning of their life journey, while the other is at a very advanced stage, having accumulated life experience. Both sides need each other. One needs to share and tell their life experiences. Logical intelligence is singular, traditions do not change much, but emotional intelligence is plural and can change. This feature is useful in the transfer of great experience from older individuals to younger ones in developing emotional intelligence. The younger generations also need to benefit from these experiences.”
Darülaceze President Hamza Cebeci: “Foreign countries are taking us as an example”
Darülaceze President Hamza Cebeci stated that people at Darülaceze support each other wholeheartedly, not rudely, saying, “The spiritual atmosphere and peace here stem from this volunteering spirit. Visitors from other countries see this and openly express that they wish it were like this in their own countries. A short while before the pandemic, a German delegation came one day. Led by a former police chief, now 85, his wife, and a Turkish-origin citizen. They only had nursing homes serving 1,500 elderly people in four industrial regions. Looking at the general picture, they said there were 235,000 residents and 39 nursing homes. That place is always depleted; they are seeking remedies and solutions. We usually take the West as an example, but they want to cooperate with us. Our principles and beliefs require us to set an example in this field, and we will help them.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “We cannot make young people touch life”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, stated that the project is a social responsibility and volunteering project, adding, “For us university lecturers, it was also a project to introduce a brand new world to our children. While raising young people, we equip them with valuable information in education from kindergarten to university, trying to convey things we learned from books or experienced, but we can never make them touch life. This is a very serious problem for us. Our esteemed Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan takes a very great initiative in this regard. Creating environments where our students can touch life and gain information about how things are shaped and transpire at every stage of life is very important for us. We tried to build a bridge.”
Lecturer Dr. Zeynep Gümüş: “With the project, we wanted to draw attention to volunteering”
Lecturer Dr. Zeynep Gümüş, Coordinator of the 'My Support Is With You Everywhere Darülaceze Volunteers Project' at Üsküdar University, stated that their main goal in the project was to draw attention to volunteering by bringing together university students and older individuals in society, and continued her words as follows:
“Our project consisted of various workshops and training modules and lasted for 6 months with the participation of 60 Darülaceze residents and 40 volunteer students from the Psychology department of Üsküdar University. First, we put our students through various training sessions for a month to enable them to be with elderly individuals. They took many courses such as adaptation to old age and active aging, communication with the elderly, and psychology of old age. Our workshops also started in the academy. Our workshops consisted of an art therapy workshop, an older writers' workshop, a music workshop, and a short documentary filmmaking workshop. One of our most popular workshops was the art therapy workshop, and we thank Dr. Volkan Demir, who led us there, accompanied us, and helped us see magnificent changes. In the older writers' workshop, we published a very beautiful storybook consisting of the life stories and poems of our elderly individuals.”
Lecturer Dr. Nebiye Yaşar: “The ratio of the elderly population to the total population is 9.5 percent”
Lecturer Dr. Nebiye Yaşar stated that the 'My Support Is With You Everywhere Project' is a model project built on the theme of volunteering, and said, “Before starting the project, we worked on statistical data with our coordinator Zeynep Gümüş. According to statistics, the elderly population, defined as over 65 years old, has doubled globally. Especially in our country, it increased by 22.5 percent in the last five years, reaching 7 million 953 thousand 555 people in 2020. The ratio of the elderly population to the total population is 9.5 percent, and our country ranks 66th among 167 countries in the elderly population ranking. In Istanbul, 1 million 79 thousand 196 people over 65 years old live. This data is truly saddening for Turkey.” She continued:
“In Turkey, 1 million 478 thousand 346 elderly individuals live alone. Sinop is the province with the highest percentage of elderly population, and Şırnak has the lowest. Istanbul is also one of the provinces where the most people over a hundred years old live. Indeed, we all know that old age is a period where life is questioned, but learning and development continue. It is a period where one beautifully understands and conveys the points discovered by humanity, and all experiences gained with old age can only be transferred through such beautiful projects and passed on to future generations by such wonderful young volunteers. Therefore, our elderly are truly our values. Our values are also our cultural assets; we must project such beautiful relationships and multiply such beautiful environments before it’s too late.”
