An event titled “Humanitarian Aid and Search & Rescue Activities in NGOs” was organized in collaboration between the Occupational Health and Safety Program and the Social Services Program of Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services (VSHS). Emphasizing the significance of volunteering and the role of youth in the field, the event was held with the participation of representatives from Pusula Association and ANDA Istanbul. Topics such as humanitarian aid, social responsibility projects, and university-NGO collaborations were also discussed during the event.
The event, held in the Çarşı Campus Emirnebi 2 Conference Hall, was attended by Advisor to the Rector and Head of the Social Services Department Prof. İsmail Barış, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Program Asst. Prof. Gamze Kağan, Head of the Social Services Program Asst. Prof. Melek Çaylak, President of Pusula Association and ANDA Istanbul Rümeysa Alkoç, Vice Presidents of Pusula and ANDA Istanbul Tuğçe Doğan, Head of Search and Rescue at ANDA Istanbul Emre Özbek, ANDA Istanbul Youth President Zeynep Tosun, and Pusula Board Member Münteha Erdem.
Prof. İsmail Barış: “The law of brotherhood is a vital duty”
Emphasizing the importance of the law of brotherhood, Prof. İsmail Barış stated: "To feel the pain of others, to care for others' children, to comfort them, to support those who are alone, and these are important duties that fall upon us due to the law of brotherhood. This law may stem from being born of the same parents. Secondly, it may arise from being citizens of the same homeland or the same state. Every citizen from east to west, from north to south, has a bond of brotherhood. Thirdly, as members of the same religion, I consider myself a brother to nearly two billion Muslims worldwide. They are my religious brothers and sisters. We must acknowledge all of these. We must treat our biological brothers and sisters well. We must share with our fellow citizens. We must feel the pain of our religious brothers and sisters in places like Palestine and Gaza. Lastly, whether a person is Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or atheist, whether they are citizens of Türkiye, Germany, or the United States, we are all brothers and sisters by creation. If we do not fulfill these principles, we may have the name and appearance of a human, but we must ask ourselves how human our actions truly are."
Asst. Prof. Gamze Kağan: “We greatly enjoy doing projects with students”
Speaking on social responsibility projects, Dr. Gamze Kağan shared: "We met on common ground with my professor Melek. We have collaborative work with the Red Crescent. First, I would like to explain how this event began. A year ago in May, we held a meeting on social responsibility. That is where we met Ms. Erdem. She shared such meaningful insights that we said, 'These can be turned into valuable projects.' Since then, we have held meetings at intervals and come up with many wonderful ideas and plans. If it is meant to be, we will start implementing them next summer. We truly enjoy doing these together with our students."
Asst. Prof. Melek Çaylak: “We have formed a very good team”
Dr. Melek Çaylak said: "We formed a very good team among our students. Through that team, we planned to establish a Pusula campus and to engage in humanitarian aid and search and rescue activities through it. While caring for these children, we also thought, 'Let us do something for their mothers too,' and we will implement a very good project this summer."
Rümeysa Alkoç: “If our youth enter the field, we can follow them”
Highlighting the challenges of volunteering, President of Pusula Association and ANDA Istanbul Rümeysa Alkoç said: "Volunteering is a very difficult task. It involves no expectations of gain or benefit, and it must be continuous. Sometimes you will have no weekends, sometimes no time with your family. You will encounter many disadvantaged and needy people. They will expect solutions from you. But how will you provide those solutions? As human beings, we cannot rely on trial-and-error. We apply what we know, and if it does not work, we abandon the effort. If you intend to make this a profession, if you will place this at the center of your life, and then you must truly be present. At ANDA, from the top to the newest volunteer, everyone is involved in the field. That is how we know where problems lie. When you visit someone’s home with humanitarian aid, you understand that person. If our young people go into the field, we will gladly follow. If you take the lead, we can confidently entrust this mission to you."
Tuğçe Doğan: “Volunteering is very important in humanitarian aid”
Vice President of Pusula and ANDA Istanbul Tuğçe Doğan explained: "Due to your fields, you will all work with people. Whether in humanitarian aid or aid organizations, I am sure you are familiar with NGOs and have perhaps volunteered before. Volunteering is extremely important in humanitarian aid. Turning this into a professional activity when the time comes is also very important. We can only provide true humanitarian aid if we act based on understanding what people need. Sometimes a person needs only a smile. More than the package you deliver, they may need a kind face when you knock on their door, or a simple ‘How are you?’ We must establish those emotional connections. Humanitarian aid is not as easy or simple as it sounds. We are currently being directed by a culture of self-interest, 'I am important, focus on yourself, if you are well, life is good.' But life is not like that. The purpose of human creation is not based on that either. Yes, we are important individually, but we are even more important together. We are more successful, more helpful when united. You must understand why people do what they do. While most NGOs provide material support, touching the dreams and futures of children is something very different. Being conscious and intentional is extremely valuable."
Emre Özbek: “We are in a position to establish order”
Speaking about real-life experiences in the field, ANDA Istanbul Search and Rescue Head Emre Özbek stated: "Search and rescue is purely operational. Your field activities are immediate and direct. When helping a friend or relative, you might say, 'I will help you tomorrow.' But in this field, that is not possible. We are in a position where we must establish order right there. The cases we deal with usually do not unfold in a predictable way."
Zeynep Tosun: “We enjoy being with different people”
Highlighting youth contributions and the role of youth in society, ANDA Istanbul Youth President Zeynep Tosun said: "We try to help as much as we can. They guide us, they share what they know, and many among us change direction toward humanitarian aid or search and rescue as a result. Genç ANDA was established to reach young people between the ages of 18 and 35 from across Türkiye, which is to create a social space for talented youth and offer them areas of activity. In line with these goals, Genç ANDA organizes academic, cultural, and sporting activities. We operate on all front, that is, cultural, athletic, and academic. We all enjoy being with different people. Our aim is to help youth integrate into society and also give them opportunities to gain and develop personal and professional skills for the future."
Münteha Erdem: “My dream and goal is to guide young people”
Pusula Board Member Münteha Erdem gave a speech on organizational structure, sustainability, and the motivations behind volunteering. She shared: "My dream and goal is to guide you young people. We have worked very seriously on this. We have created wonderful projects about how to prepare young people for work life and how to help them love it. Like you, I graduated from university and started working the next day. It was a huge shock, and I had no experience. I realized what real life was only when I entered the working world. Pusula and I share the same concern, and we both aim to raise people. As part of my project, we decided to establish Pusula Academy to help orphans and socially orphaned children prepare for work life. Then our projects expanded rapidly. During a meeting with our professors Gamze and Melek, we asked ourselves: 'Why do we not establish a campus at universities? Why should Pusula not have a student club in universities?' We held serious meetings with our colleagues on this matter. These projects have grown greatly. If you become mentors to these children, open pathways for them, and support them in their university journey, we would be very happy."
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)