Specially supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the “Movement of Kindness Project with Volunteer Youth to the ‘City of Hearts’” is in Konya, carried out in cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Maltepe Youth Center, and Nar Masalları Association. The project was realized with the intense interest of Konya Karatay Municipality, Karatay District Directorate of National Education, Karatay Mufti's Office, volunteer youths, children in the target group, and the people of Konya Karatay.
Following the advice of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, “Do silent acts of kindness, but do them from the heart,” volunteer youths, moving to the city of hearts with the motto “Be a Volunteer, Do It From the Heart,” delivered their silent acts of kindness to the children of Konya Karatay Sakyatan Village Primary School.
Nihal Dülger, President of the Medical Students' Association: “By crossing paths with beautiful hearts, we became hope for little hearts”
Nihal Dülger, President of the Medical Students' Association, who sowed the seeds of the kindness movement, said: “As Üsküdar Medical Students' Association, our project, which started with the idea of helping a village school, grew by crossing paths with beautiful hearts and became a source of hope for little hearts. These beautiful hearts, driven by a passion for volunteering, joined hands, and the children's school was renovated. At Sakyatan Primary School in Sakyatan Village, Karatay district of Konya, with the support of our Karatay Municipality, the toilets were renovated, the exterior was maintained and painted, and pictures were drawn by medical students. She thanked those who contributed, saying, “Let's meet, let's make the work easy, let's love and be loved, the world belongs to no one.”
Tuğba Malatyalı, President of the Nar Movement Club: “We will continue to reach village schools until equality of opportunity in education is achieved”
Tuğba Malatyalı, President of the Üsküdar Nar Movement Club, said: “As the Üsküdar Nar Movement Club, we feel great pride and happiness in all the projects we carry out under the leadership of the Nar Masalları Association. We implemented our Nar Children's Library and Nar Taneleri Kindergarten project, which we started in February 2022 to ensure all our children receive quality education, in Konya after Bursa. We thank all the volunteers of our Association and Club, and everyone who contributed to the renovated Sakyatan Primary School here, in cooperation with many institutions. We will continue to reach village schools until equality of opportunity and facilities in education is achieved.”
Nar Children's Library, Nar Taneleri Kindergarten, and Nar Children's Workshops with children were carried out by volunteers of the Üsküdar Nar Movement Club.
Melissa Gündoğdu, President of the Sustainable Development Club: “The strongest aspect of beginnings is love”
Melissa Gündoğdu, President of the Sustainable Development Club, expressed her feelings with these words: “To share the love in our hearts with children and bring peace to our souls with the happiness we see in their eyes. The strongest beginning and end of ideas, of starting journeys, is love and knowing the purpose of what we do. Pure love, happiness, peace come with these, and they will come again. Doing good things, knowing well the purpose of what we do, accepting with a smile what fate and the path will bring us...”
Meanwhile, awareness workshops on the climate crisis were held with children in the school garden by members of the Sustainable Development Club.
Mustafa Şanverdi, President of the Nature Sports Club: “Volunteer activities make significant contributions to solving social issues in society”
Mustafa Şanverdi, President of the Nature Sports Club, said: “It is truly very important for volunteer youth to teach the culture of volunteering to children. I share the excitement of passing on kindness gatherings to future generations by sincerely living our national and spiritual values. The 'culture of volunteering' created with young people also points to a common value that we strive to carry into today and the future in our new world, without straying from our traditions. I believe that volunteer activities carried out with young people will bring significant advantages to solving social issues in society, in order to benefit more from this common value...”
Nature walks were organized within Konya by the Nature Sports Club, and workshops were held with youths and children as part of Environment Week.
Emre Kuşçu, President of the New Generation Culture Platform: “It is a great pleasure to realize our pilot application with such a meaningful project”
Emre Kuşçu, President of the New Generation Culture Platform, said: “As the New Generation Culture Platform, we were very happy to realize our first pilot application with such a beautiful and meaningful project. Firstly, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, Director of the Young Brains Academy, for bringing us together and for her unwavering support. We also express our gratitude to Karatay Municipality for their support in Konya, to Şerife Ünal Yıldırım, President of the Konya Handicrafts Cooperative, and to Rafiye Hodja for her hospitality and determination. Furthermore, I sincerely thank the Nar Masalları Association for their special efforts.”
The New Generation Culture Platform supported visits to Konya's historical and cultural sites and the promotion of Konya's local dishes.
İklima Çiçekdal, Founding President of Nar Masalları Association: “We will continue to open Nar Children's Libraries and Nar Taneleri Kindergartens”
İklima Çiçekdal, Founding President of Nar Masalları Association, said before the ribbon-cutting: “We are very happy and proud to crown our Nar journey, which we embarked on 5 years ago, with the Nar Children's Library and Nar Taneleri Kindergarten. With our volunteers, we have always tried to raise awareness through our tales, but now, saying 'We are in Tales with Our Awareness, We are in the Library with Tales!', we are proud to rebuild Konya Karatay Sakyatan Primary School, our second stop on this path. From now on, we will continue to open both Nar Children's Libraries and Nar Taneleri Kindergartens in village schools to provide equality of opportunity and facilities in education, as much as our strength allows. After a preparation process that lasted for months, we are completing our 3-day Konya journey, which we embarked on with the support of many institutions, by bringing our school together with our children today. Hundreds of people have contributed to this school; we entrust the library and kindergarten we have opened here to all the people of Konya, students, and teachers. We sincerely thank our supporting volunteers, sponsors, supporters, and our Nar Family.”
Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, Director of the Young Brains Academy: “Volunteer youth are the true value of society”
Dr. Lecturer Nebiye Yaşar, Director of the Young Brains Academy at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, said: “Volunteer youths are the true value of society. Developing young people through volunteer work will strengthen trust and solidarity within the community. Especially for young people, volunteering is a good way to learn. Volunteer activities offer important opportunities for young people's talent development, teamwork, learning cooperation, gaining new life experiences, learning organization, getting to know different institutions, developing values, and increasing self-confidence. The personal skills and competencies young people acquire through volunteering also contribute to their professional development, and are important for finding solutions to common societal problems and strengthening social solidarity. Our deep-rooted history stretching back centuries, our unique geography holding many treasures of wisdom, and the values we inherit, advise us to volunteer. The sages, scholars, bards, and artists who lived in these lands instill in us the consciousness of volunteering with their instruments and words. With this consciousness, we consider it a virtue to do every task we undertake voluntarily 'from the heart', and we embrace volunteering. I see volunteer youths as responsible, exemplary young people and 'volunteer community leaders' who provide multifaceted contributions to society and take an active role in solving social problems. No matter how small, no act of kindness done from the heart in volunteering goes to waste. The famous philosopher Aristotle was asked, 'What is the essence of life?' He replied, 'To serve others sincerely and do good...' Volunteers are people who reflect compassion, empathy, altruism, solidarity, patience, and love on earth. Life is the art of love. Love is the art of compassion. Compassion is the art of sharing. Sharing is the art of living. Therefore, to live better, let's do something for the world we live in; 'Let's volunteer, let's do it from the heart,' she said, emphasizing the importance of volunteering and thanking everyone who contributed to this project.
“A Fruitful Opening Like a Pomegranate”
Sami Sağdıç, Karatay District Director of National Education; Musa İmamoğlu, Konya Karatay District Mufti; Fuat Özcan, Director of Foreign Relations for Konya Karatay Municipality; Şerife Ünal Yıldırım, President of Konya Handicrafts Cooperative; and Songül Dalkılıç from the Maltepe Youth Center of the Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports attended the opening of the Nar Children's Library and Nar Taneleri Kindergarten established at Konya - Karatay Sakyatan Primary School.
Karatay District Director of National Education Sami Sağdıç emphasized the importance of volunteer activities with young people in his meaningful speech at the program's opening. Konya Karatay District Mufti Musa İmamoğlu added value to the program with a prayer following his speech on the importance of "Love".
Fuat Özcan, Director of Foreign Relations for Konya Karatay Municipality, gave the good news that the municipality's support for young people and projects would continue. Businessman Cüneyt Uğurluoğlu, one of the volunteering sponsors, accompanied the volunteer youths on their 3-day journey, transferring his experience and knowledge.