Civic Involvement Projects was at Sabancı Primary School in Adana for the Discover Yourself Project

Sabancı University Civic Involvement  Projects was in Adana for the Discover Yourself Project at the Sabancı Primary School supported by the Sabancı Foundation.The project, which took place between January 22-26, was attended by 70 children from Sabancı Primary School and 10 volunteer students from Sabancı University. 

In the project, which was realized with the contributions of Adana Municipality, trainings on topics such as children's rights, gender, environment, approach to people with disabilities, conflict-reconciliation-peace, cultural interaction and cultural heritage were given in order to improve children's communication skills and increase their creativity and self-confidence. In addition to the thematic modules, activities on artistic, numerical, and verbal skills and creative drama were held.

Volunteer students from Sabancı University shared their experiences in the Discover Yourself project as follows:

“Discover Yourself was one of the most impressive projects I have ever experienced. We tried to raise the awareness of primary school students on subjects that they may have never thought about in a fun and educational way. While we were trying to teach them, the children taught us a lot with their pure and brilliant thoughts. In short, both we and the children discovered themselves.” (Rüzgar Renklioğlu, Economics Student)

“Discover Yourself was an experience that I didn't know was so impressive until I went. What I remember most are the bonds I made. The bonds I built with both my teammates and the children taught me a lot. In addition to the opportunity to recognize myself in a different situation, facing and adapting to different realities has radically changed my concept of reality. While teaching the children, we also learned from them and made a difference both in them and in ourselves.” (Gülce Fidan, Psychology Graduate)

“The motivation of 10 volunteers who set out from Istanbul for Discover Yourself, combined with the curiosity and excitement of primary school children in Adana, resulted in a training program that touched dozens of children and games that developed children's social skills. It was very meaningful for me to be able to inspire children, to be inspired by them and to make a difference in their lives, even if it is small. I recommend everyone to take this journey, because this journey is unlike any journey you have ever taken before!” (Can Çakarız, Management Student)

In addition to ongoing projects during the academic year, projects named as “Discover Yourself” are carried out outside of Istanbul during the semester and summer holiday. Discover Yourself Projects have been held more than 50 times in 30 cities since 2000. The Discover Yourself project is also planned to be carried out during the summer semester.