We designed comprehensive educational programs with the Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) to help children living abroad connect with their own languages, cultures, and science. Our project is based on developing unique curricula for children, supporting language development, transforming these curricula into digital and physical materials, and training instructors who will implement the programs in different countries.
The YTB Children’s Academy was designed as a digital meeting point for children abroad. In this online program for age groups 4-6, 7-10, and 11-14, children were introduced to science, art, and philosophy in their own languages. We managed every process, from the corporate identity and website infrastructure to the overall project management and the design of the educational content. Through this program, which we ran in 2020 and 2021, we reached 1,958 children from 45 different countries.
The YTB Turkish Language Hour Educational Program: With “Turkish Language Hour,” we designed a curriculum and material set that supports bilingual education in preschool. In a six-month project, we developed two separate educational programs for 3-4 and 5-6 year old age groups with a team of expert consultants. We transformed this curriculum into tangible materials such as practitioner guidebooks, student workbooks, parent agendas, flashcards, and a Turkish cultural map with special illustrations. To ensure the international implementation of the program, we organized trainer trainings for prospective practitioners in Strasbourg, France; where we worked on pedagogy and communication techniques in addition to the curriculum.
For YTB Thematic Camp Programs, we prepared 1, 3, and 7-day thematic curricula for camps organized by YTB for children and young people. We designed these programs specifically for three different age groups: “Nature and Art” for preschool, “Natural Science” for primary school, and “Technology” for secondary school. In addition to the curricula, we produced educational guidebooks, participant activity books, and special training kits for each camp. To implement these camps in Europe, we provided one-week practical trainer training in Strasbourg, France; We completed the program with a demo workshop with 12 children.
In addition to the educational programs we conduct with YTB (Turkish Overseas Turks and Related Communities Directorate), we designed and produced a special “Travel Journal” for children coming to Turkey from abroad. Distributed at border crossings, this journal serves as a guide introducing children to Turkish culture, while also functioning as a permanent memory book where they can record their experiences during their travels.