The Volunteer Education Project is about to launch its second semester of a Saturday program designed to improve the educational opportunities of Ankara’s youth. This project, initiated by Bilkent students and organized by the Çocuk İşçiliği ile Mücadele Kulübü, 40 Ambar Edebiyat Kulübü, and Club Positive, with support from the Tiyatro Kulübü and Diplomasi Kulübü, will begin teaching and providing social activities to elementary schools in the Ankara suburbs in March. In the fall semester, 82 Bilkent students spent their Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with 194 students from two primary schools located in Dikmen: Reşat Bey İlköğretim Okulu and Pakize Erdoğu İlköğretim Okulu. Three Bilkent students, İhsan Sönmez, Hüsnü Ada, and Ekrem Karademir designed an education project with both an academic and social component. The program was designed to complement what the elementary teachers were already doing in the classroom.

In the academic component of the program, Bilkent students taught Math, Turkish, Science, Social Science and English. For the social component, the volunteers offered drama, literature, folk dance, chess, basketball, volleyball and table tennis classes. As evidence of the need for and success of the program, there was no attrition. Not only did all the children attend the program regularly, but they also showed up early every week!

The children of Dikmen obviously benefited from the Volunteer Education Project, but so did the Bilkent volunteers. They have gained a sense of great personal development from participating in this project, but perhaps more importantly, they have experienced a part of life that they might not have experienced before. If you want to make a difference in your own life and that of a child, get involved with the Volunteer Education Project. New volunteers are welcome. For more information contact İhsan Sönmez at ext. 7297 or Hüsnü Ada at ext. 7301 or by e-mail at
hada@ug.bcc.bilkent.edu.tr.