News

 

Hello, I am Merve Özcan. I work as a volunteer at System and Generation Association.

 

Today, as the System and Generation Association, we visited the Turkish Red Crescent. During our visit, we were warmly welcomed and made an important collaboration with our volunteers.

 

System and Generation Association is a prestigious non-governmental organization based in Ankara, established to facilitate young individuals' access to learning and development opportunities in Europe. The association is involved in project development and implementation, organizing volunteer programs, and providing international mobility and entrepreneurship services. It hosts domestic and international volunteer activities to help young people maximize their cultural and educational potential.

 

The Turkish Red Crescent is one of Turkey's oldest and most extensive volunteer networks and is a pioneer in humanitarian aid and disaster response. During our visit today, we reached an agreement with the Turkish Red Crescent to include our volunteers in their activities. This collaboration will allow our young volunteers to reach a broader audience and help more people.

 

As the System and Generation Association, we believe that this collaboration will greatly contribute to the development of our youth and their contributions to society. We would like to thank the Turkish Red Crescent for warmly welcoming us during our visit.

 

Best regards,

 

Merve Özcan

 

This summer, I had one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. Through the Systemand G association, I participated in the European Solidarity Program (ESC) project held in Komotini. This project aimed to help elderly and disabled individuals as volunteers and take care of them, to learn VR glasses experience and social media design. 

 

By staying in Komotini for about two months, I made memories that I will never forget. One of the best aspects of the project was spending time with my friends from five different countries and doing various activities. During this period, I improved my English a lot. I also had the opportunity to travel all over Greece and see every place during our holidays.  I spent my days helping elderly and disabled people. The bond we established with them during this process was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. The stories each of them told, the difficulties they experienced and their life struggles gave me a different perspective. These two months in Komotini both contributed to my personal development and gave me the indescribable happiness of being useful to society. Systemand G Association's support of such projects and providing such opportunities to young people really contributes greatly to societies raising more sensitive individuals. In conclusion, the ESC project in Komotini showed that volunteering is not just about helping, but also about understanding people, empathy and sharing cultural riches. This experience became a precious treasure that I will carry for the rest of my life. If you want to add meaning to your life and accumulate unforgettable memories, you should definitely consider participating in such a project. 

 

Thank you for everything System And Generation!

 

Tahir Rifaioğlu

 

On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, we held the "Volunteers' Perspective on War: Boots Made of Ceramics" event.  As members of the ALF project and S&G volunteers, we created ceramic boots reflecting the children’s feelings about war and peace under the guidance of Ceramics Instructor Figen Ertem. This meaningful event took place at "Kilin İzinde Seramik Perisi."  As a representative from Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was a great honor for me to participate in this project. Through this process, I had the opportunity to better understand the children's inner worlds and the impact of war on them. Being involved in this project not only encourages art and creativity but also contributes to the emotional and cognitive development of children. The drawings and ceramic boots created by the children deeply affected me, as each piece reflected their inner worlds and emotions. At the end of the event, I was immensely pleased to see the positive impact we had on the children's artistic and personal development. This project has become a source of great pride for children's rights advocates, highlighting the message of peace. The children's ceramic works and project experiences will serve as a lasting source of inspiration for all participants.

 

Amina Dzafic

Hello, my name is Leyla Ceren Boncukcu. I successfully completed my short-term ESC volunteering project at Youth Council Prilep in North Macedonia! 

 

This experience was a wonderful journey where I not only discovered myself but also explored the Balkans. We worked on important topics such as sustainability, active citizenship, and media literacy by engaging with young people. Together with other volunteers, we organized workshops to support children's creativity. Additionally, I produced content and recorded podcasts for the organization's radio program, learning to use radio tools for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the radio sector.

 

By having the chance to immerse myself in a different culture in a different country, I gathered many memories. I'm deeply thankful to Youth Council Prilep.

In 2019, Kokkola Finland, we have gathered to talk about human rights and how art is a peaceful way to fight for our rights, bring awareness. Teenagers from countries such as Italy, Romania and more, we all got thinking about which human rights issues are the biggest problems in our countries. With many workshops and discussions we learnt about the different issues in different countries, we saw that even if we are together talking to each other, still we were not in the same place in life, we all had hardships. In the last days of our workshops every group decided on a type of art they want to use to tell their concern about human rights. As Turkey we chose to make a comic with the slogan: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter!”. Although every group made their own art, a common art piece was made too. All these materials were then presented in a street while we explained the purpose of our arts to locals, and let them be a part of an art project by leaving their handprints on our “Hands of The Human Rights” canvas. During this activity, local news came and interviewed us, took some pictures and helped with spreading the word.

Even though bringing awareness with art to human rights issues was so fun, the best parts were the friendships I made, the feeling of self-sufficiency that I experienced and seeing a beautiful country. It was an amazing opportunity to learn more about other cultures as well. 

 

Text by: Sümeyye Elif Herdem

 

Hello, i am Haseeb Ahmad,

 

Today, i got the opportunity to visit the Turkish National Agency situated in Ankara.  They are responsible for erasmus+ projects that will take place in Türkiye. This visit was made possible by System and Generation organization. 

 

I got the opportunity to meet with the president of the agency, Mr. Alper.He explained the role of agency in changing the lives of young people and giving them opportunity to learn in an informal but effective way. He mentioned the importance of allocation of money for right purposes.I was able to know the impact of these projects on individual lives. They were well organized and better informed of the current situations happening around the  globe. They new about the challenges and were willing to play their role in eliminating these problems. 

There also offered us turkish tea and baklawa.

 

It was good experience for me to visit the officials who make the decisions. The things i learned from them will help me organize my future in a better way.Thanks.