Students at Bilkent are indeed very lucky. But not everyone in Turkey is as lucky as we are. Some students don’t have books to read, clothes to wear, or any opportunity to see the city they live in. Since 1999, a number of projects through the assistance of sensitive students at Bilkent, have been designed and implemented to help these students. The first project, the “Eğitim Gönüllüleri Projesi”, GEP, has been created as an aid for primary education. Today, with the support of the Ministry of Education, volunteer Bilkent students are providing lessons at seven schools whose students cannot afford Dershane’s or private courses. The aim of the project is not only giving courses, but also instilling self-esteem so that they can really feel that they are a part of the society in which they are living. The second project is the “Eğitim İşçileri Projesi” (EİP), which is similar to GEP in purpose but different in scope. EİP involves working in social education centers in poor neighborhoods of Ankara.
Another project is the “Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı Grubu” which is one of the non-profit organizations which provides great support for the TDP (Toplumsal Duyarlılık Projeleri). There are two branches to this project: the first one is to educate the children of Bilkent’s support personnel; the other one is to help teenagers in the Şentepe Neighborhood in such a way that they can use their own creativity to improve their communities.
The purpose of TDP, in fact, is to increase students’ sensitivity towards society and to facilitate their contact with other members of the society. The TDP is an open door through which everyone can be more aware and concerned with the lives of other people around us.
For more information visit http://tdp.bilkent.edu.tr and for further questions e-mail tdp@bilkent.edu.tr. Lastly do not hesitate to get involved not only with the projects but also your own society!

Pınar Yıldız (CS/II)