The main purpose of TEGV, established on 23 January 1995, is to help children of primary school age (7-16) with the basic education provided by the state and to equip them with various life skills. TEGV develops and implements training programs to contribute to the development of children as individuals who stick to the basic principles and values of the republic, who do not discriminate based on gender, race, religion, or language in human relations, who think and question, who are rational, sensible, self-confident, peaceful, and respectful of different thoughts and beliefs, and who can activate their creativity.
TEGV provided educational support to more than 3 million children across Türkiye with the help of its more than 97 thousand volunteers, reaching more than 60 thousand children through activities carried out at “8 Education Parks,” “29 Learning Units” and “18 Firefly Learning Units” between 2021 and 2022.
Since its foundation, TEGV has been working on protecting human rights and raising children’s awareness of human rights based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. All activities at TEGV consider children’s rights and the right to education, and activity environments help enable children to develop life skills and discover their potential. Activity planning and implementation is child-centered, age-appropriate, and play-based, and it encourages participation and sharing. TEGV signed the United Nations Global Compact in 2007 to adapt to global values and published the Global Compact Progress Report between 2007 and 2022.
TEGV Training Programs are prepared and implemented by considering the development level of the children in the target group. Training programs aim to develop children’s multi-dimensional development, including cognitive, emotional, psychomotor/physical, and social aspects.
TEGV aims to encourage children to question and guide them on issues such as access to information and the use of different resources in this sense. TEGV sees respect for human rights as an indispensable part of life, and after signing the Global Compact, it has been accelerating its actions by extending them. The following studies serve as an overview of TEGV’s activities in this field:
At TEGV, we prepared the “Workshops for a Better World” program associated with the skills and values stated in TEGV’s mission regarding “Human Rights and Democracy,” “Discrimination,” “Gender Equality,” “Ecology,” “Peace,” and “the Rights of the Child.” We continued our workshops throughout the year with the participation of our children. At the workshops, we shared detailed information and experience with our volunteers.
Through “Free Workshop,” “Design and Skills Workshop on Climate,” and “Istanbul Asks Children” projects, our children and volunteers were encouraged to display solution-oriented approaches. In addition, we tried to raise awareness of the sensitivity and importance of the issues by providing multiple training programs and organizing events on climate, environment, health, transportation, sustainability, and recycling.
As part of our “Four Seasons” training project, we sent our “Firefly” mobile activity unit to schools in the regions where seasonal agricultural workers work during the harvest period. We helped our children develop a positive attitude toward learning and improve social and emotional skills, such as recognizing and managing emotions, establishing and managing relationships, and making responsible decisions, through relevant content, materials, and activities suitable for their age levels, in consideration of the principle of active learning, play, and experience.
The Van Nirun Şahingiray Education Park, opened by TEGV on 28 October, has a closed area of 1,850 square meters and an open area of 12,900 square meters, consisting of a multi-purpose hall for 120 people, a library, a design and skills workshop, a knowledge and technology room, seven activity rooms, sports fields, and an agricultural area. The park was designed with the contribution of relevant disciplines to achieve a sustainable “green campus.”
Electronic wastes are recycled within the scope of our project called “Do not Throw Away. Donate,” to reduce the damage to the environment and increase efficiency,
Distance volunteer training programs and virtual volunteering activities that we started in 2022 during the pandemic period made progress. Our volunteers continued to provide quality education support to our children. With the hope that 2023 will be a special year in terms of volunteering, TEGV aims for virtual volunteering to become more common and to reach 100 thousand volunteers by the end of the year. In the coming period, we will focus more on digitalization in education. Motivated to continue carrying out our face-to-face activities, we will continue to build a better future for children.