Üsküdar University Young Brains Academy (GBA) Application and Research Center and Optimum Academy signed a protocol under which 41 young people received “Applied Entrepreneurship Training.” Speaking at the project and protocol signing ceremony, Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stated that the 41 young participants in The Youth Have the Floor Project would take steps in innovation and entrepreneurship. Tarhan said, “They will start writing their own stories, create start-ups, and perhaps, starting from here, experience an important turning point in their future lives.” Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the most important 21st-century skills are innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, warning, “These qualities are very important. In areas where one cannot be innovative and entrepreneurial, one falls behind in global competition.”
A collaboration and protocol signing program was held for The Youth Have the Floor Project.
The program, held online under pandemic conditions, was attended by Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Üsküdar University Young Brains Academy (GBA) Application and Research Center Director Dr. Nebiye Yaşar, Optimum Media and Promotion Services Inc. Agency Head Barış Sürekli, Ventures & Mentors League (Entrepreneurship and Mentor League) CEO Ufuk Batum, and prospective entrepreneur students.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “41 young people will take significant steps in innovation and entrepreneurship”
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stated in his speech at the ceremony that the 41 young people participating in The Youth Have the Floor Project will take steps in innovation and entrepreneurship, saying, “They will start writing their own stories, create start-ups, and perhaps, starting from here, experience an important turning point in their future lives. This project is actually a very important opportunity for young people.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Those who want to dominate the world must have a database”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that different skills have come to the forefront in the current century, saying, “Unlike the 20th century, the 21st century has a unique characteristic; skills existed in the 20th century too, but now there are skills that are much more prominent. We live in a 21st century that hosts Industry 4.0. In Industry 4.0, there are autonomous robots, big data databases, simulation, the Internet of Things, and 3D printers. Currently, anyone who wants to dominate the world and have a say must possess a database. There is a digital generation. Especially generations born after '90 are called the digital generation, and they were born directly into the digital world. They are natives of the digital world, while we are immigrants to the digital world. Adapting to young people is very difficult in old age because they are a generation extremely different from previous ones. One of the important issues found in Sumerian tablets and Egyptian papyri is generation conflicts. Generation conflicts have always existed, but they have not been as intense as in this era, because the lifespan of information renewal has shortened. While information used to change every 30 years, now it becomes obsolete in three years. We are in such a time because there is digital transformation and incredible communication.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “The most important skills of the 21st century: Innovation, entrepreneurship, collaboration”
The most important 21st-century skills are innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration. These qualities are very important. In areas where one cannot be innovative and entrepreneurial, one falls behind in global competition. One needs to either produce something new or try to do an existing thing differently or in a shorter way. When this is done, a difference is created, and at the same time, life becomes easier. When there is no innovative and entrepreneurial perspective in the work being done, rapid obsolescence occurs. The fundamental skill of innovation and entrepreneurship is being open to new experiences. This is referred to as neuroscience, or brain-based learning. In neuroscience-based learning, if fun and discipline are combined, individuals can learn; they cannot learn through forced memorization and rote work. Learning occurs through experiencing, disassembling, and reassembling. Learning by experience is the method of this era. Project schools and design workshops have been opened in Turkey's education system, but these do not offer an advantage to students attending them in exams. Students who go there and work to produce projects should be able to gain an advantage in university entrance. There is a serious need for a revolution in the education system. This will be done sooner or later because circumstances demand it.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We must produce innovations in science and technology”
Emphasizing that innovative and out-of-the-box thinking young people should not be hindered, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If we want to be subjects rather than objects of global powers, we must produce innovations in science and technology. A science-technology understanding based on imitation and repetition is a medieval understanding. Those with an attitude of 'Others are doing it anyway, why bother?' are masters at deceiving themselves.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We organize a festival for young people to generate ideas”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that Üsküdar University launched the Science and Idea Festival in 2013, adding that children and young people should be supported to produce projects, and said: “When we started this festival, we wanted to organize a festival among high school students in cooperation with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education. At that time, when we asked 'Is there such a festival in Turkey?', we received the answer that there wasn't. We asked 'Is there one in the world?', and apparently, there was a small-scale event at a university in Utah, America. Following that, we signed a protocol with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, and we have been holding it since 2013. Our first topic was artificial intelligence. We did this with the students. Students brought very interesting and beautiful projects. We couldn't do it last year only due to the pandemic, but projects had come in. We determined the rankings of those projects, and we will hold a ceremony this year. Children should feel joy and excitement for projects. Only if there are children pursuing such projects can we teach science. Our youth have this quality. We saw the excitement of young people in their projects. After seeing that sparkle in their eyes, we thought we were on the right track. Even though the directors changed, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education always supported us. In fact, we, as a university, applied for 7-8 of the designs that emerged from there and obtained patents for high school students.”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar: “We aim for young people embarking on an entrepreneurial journey to set an example”
Üsküdar University Young Brains Academy (GBA) Application and Research Center Director Dr. Nebiye Yaşar said, “With our project titled 'The Youth Have the Floor', 'Entrepreneurial stories of young entrepreneurs';
we aim for the 'entrepreneurial stories' of young people who embark on an entrepreneurial journey and realize their ventures by taking 'Applied Entrepreneurship Training' at our university, to serve as an example for other young people, to spread entrepreneurship among youth, to raise awareness on this issue, and to contribute to the 'Youth Entrepreneurship' ecosystem in our country.”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar also added, “We chose 41 young people who realized their ventures, specifically 41, because it corresponds to the word 'mashallah'. We aim for the entrepreneurial stories of these young people to serve as an example for other young people, to spread entrepreneurship among youth, to increase awareness and understanding of this issue, and to contribute to the young entrepreneurship ecosystem in our country.”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar: “Our project is the meeting point for the ideas and courage of young entrepreneurs”
Noting that if The Youth Have the Floor Project were to be expressed in one word, it would be “the meeting point for the ideas and courage of young entrepreneurs”, Dr. Nebiye Yaşar said, “The comprehensive study, digital publication, and documentation of young entrepreneurs' stories, and bringing them together with important figures from both the private and public sectors on this issue, will add privilege and value to our university, to young entrepreneurs, and to our country.”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar: “Participating in social responsibility projects brings important experiences”
Dr. Nebiye Yaşar noted that through projects, young people develop awareness on many issues such as what planning is, what project design is, what job tracking is, and how cause-and-effect relationships work, saying, “All these are elements that form the basis of business life. Designing, then implementing, and concluding a project, experiencing the process from start to finish, and managing crises if necessary, are also part of learning. Participating in social responsibility projects and entrepreneurial activities also provides many important experiences, such as self-discovery and involvement in teamwork.”
Entrepreneur Ufuk Batum: “Üsküdar University is an entrepreneurial university”
In his speech, Ufuk Batum, CEO of Ventures & Mentors League (Entrepreneurship and Mentor League), said that Üsküdar University is an entrepreneurial university and has undertaken very valuable work. Batum stated, “It is a university with a very open philosophy and welcoming doors. Because of this, entrepreneurship is extremely comfortable, and innovation is discussed and implemented much more easily. Indeed, the participants, especially the young entrepreneurs, have already started receiving some training and support, and this will continue.”
Ufuk Batum stated that our country is behind in qualified entrepreneurship, just as it was in industrialization, but despite this, Turkey is very enthusiastic about the issue. Ufuk Batum said, “Because value-added comes from qualified entrepreneurship, and the corporate world is now struggling to create employment – a similar study was conducted in the US in the 1980s and 2000s. Despite the growth of corporations, their contribution to employment has further decreased. Why? Because they use more technology. Perhaps they can do work more efficiently with the same employment. That is why in many parts of the world, entrepreneurship means employment.”
Barış Sürekli: “Our country is in a good position regarding young entrepreneurs”
Barış Sürekli, Agency Head of Optimum Media and Promotion Services Inc., stated that entrepreneurship is among the indispensable aspects of our era and offered advice to young people on entrepreneurship. Barış Sürekli said, “Supporting and guiding ideas correctly is very important. The widespread adoption of entrepreneurial culture, minimizing the problems entrepreneurs may encounter, will significantly contribute to accelerating economic development, reducing unemployment, and increasing and spreading prosperity. Our country, in my opinion, is also at a good point in terms of the number of young entrepreneurs. Every day we encounter many interesting ideas, and we also hear many investment news from both domestic and international sources. This is a very gratifying situation for our country.”
Following the opening speeches, a signing ceremony took place. The program concluded with attendees taking a souvenir photo.