Dear Friends,
As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, we hope you are healthy and safe... Like so many, we are heartbroken about this epidemic's devastating effects in Turkey and the rest of the world. These are very challenging times not only for educators, but for families. With most of the world practicing physical distancing, we want to convey our love and support to children and families coping with their new circumstances and educational paths.
Due to the interruption of education in schools, students spend their days away from their teachers and friends. This period is more challenging for our socio-economically disadvantaged children, since the schools are the only place where they can socialize and access educational resources such as puzzles, books, picture books, crayons, and intelligence games.
We adapted our BTF 4Kids education projects that we sent to village schools as April 23 Gifts and Care Packages that will provide personal support to students during this challenging time.
Together, we want to bring students comfort while supporting their learning habits during this unprecedented time. Our Care Packages include:
Sending these items to children not only satisfy a practical need, but it reminds them that they are cared, supported and loved.
Please consider supporting our students now, when they need it most. Isolation is a challenge for those even in the most ideal circumstances and we can support their needs during this time of crisis.
One Student Care Package is $20 with all gift items included.
Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time.
Wishing you safety and health!
Links:
Dear Friends
The joy of science should not be restricted to children in the richest countries of the world. Some of the greatest minds may be found in the most unlikely places, just waiting for an opportunity to flourish. Discoveries yet to be made may be facilitated by providing the opportunity for scientific discovery to children ripe for learning in rural Turkiye.
Science4Kids is a program that provides hands on, experiential scientific learning in under-served classrooms throughout Turkiye. Our program provides the opportunity for scientific discovery to students who might not otherwise have access to science equipment or supplies. While our immediate goal is to change young lives, we seek a long-term goal as well, which is to encourage further study and create a love for science and learning. The wonders of scientific discovery could very well be provided through our efforts to the child who will grow up to one day cure cancer or neurological disease and change the course of history!
The Science4Kids hands-on curriculum provides experimental learning in fields from biology and ecology to the solar system and everything in between. Science4Kids provides students the opportunity to learn via observation, problem solving, cooperation, and critical thinking as they work their way through well-designed labs, exercises, and partner activities.
To date, Science4Kids has provides science kits to 43 elementary schools, 10 Junior high schools, and 6 K-8 schools. Through its efforts, Bridge to Turkiye has shared the love of science, and more important, access to the world of scientific discovery, to thousands of children in Turkiye.
We thank you for your support as we change the world, one student at a time.
Student testimonials:
"Dear Bridge to Turkey Team,
We would like to thank you for allowing us to explore science more closely in our courses, expanding the limited opportunities we had, taking us one step further through science. Our teachers work so hard for us as they utilize the available resources, books and materials, but thanks to your donations, you have given us the opportunity to study more thoroughly and you have provided stability to our science curriculum in this new program. It is good to be able to experiment, examine and observe positive and negative results through trial and error. Learning new things, moving forward and studying the fine points of experimental results is incredibly enjoyable. We took a step, and you are the beginning. We cannot thank you enough for your interest and support.”
Elanur 8th grade
“I have always wondered about my blood type. In our class, no one knew their blood type but with the BTF Science kit, we were able to find out. It was very exciting and I will never forget it.
Thank you for providing Science lab materials to us.”
Nermin 7th grade
“We are grateful to you for thinking of us, for bringing us to be able to experience science. I was very surprised today when I looked at the onion peel through the microscope. I once again realized that science is our only salvation. Science is all mankind, but it is difficult to reach science when opportunities do not allow it. Up until now, it was hard for us. People say my sense of curiosity is very strong, maybe we will contribute to science one day and on the way to that day you were with us today. I hope you can help other village children to experience this power. We are grateful to you.”
Sevgi 6th grade
Thank you for considering coming on board and igniting a fire for learning across Turkey in the young learners as they discover the fun they can have with science, while building their critical thinking skills, their powers of observation, and problem- solving abilities. You can make a huge difference in the lives of so many young learners.
Let them know how you value education, all the way from your neighborhood to theirs, showing how you care through science- Science4Kids!
Science is real! Lets spread the love of Science…
Links:
Dear BTF friend,
With your unwavering support, Bridge to Turkiye Fund continues to reach out to teachers and students in rural Turkey. Since the beginning of September 2019, we have sent backpacks with school supplies, books, art supplies, educational toys and dictionaries to schools. As you know, these are much needed products for school kids and great help for teachers to educate and motivate students...
In rural schools, every pencil is more valuable than you know, every book is more meaningful than you can imagine, every backpack gives more hope than you expect, every toy creates more happiness than you know, every dictionary motivates more than you think...Everything that we take for granted paves the way for educating and empowering rural school students...
Since the beginning of September, we have sent 14 sets of books and 6 sets of educational toys, 410 school bags, 350 dictionaries to different schools in Turkey. In the coming months, we will continue to reach out with our science4kids, math4kids and music4kids projects...
We are grateful for the support you have provided to transform the lives of so many students and teachers...Still many more of them are awaiting to receive much needed supplies...With your continued support, we are hoping to reach as many teachers and students as we could in 2019-2020 school year...
As always, thank you so much for allowing us to touch the lives of so many students and teachers in Turkey...
We wish you Happy holidays and a New year:-)
Links:
To Ensure No Child is Left Behind, We Need to Ensure No Teacher is Left Behind!
At Bridge to Türkiye we are committed to rural students and their teachers in rural classrooms and schools... Many rural students in Turkey go to schools that are lacking adequate educational materials. Rural school teachers are in constant need of basic classroom supplies to better educate their students, and to improve student achievements required by today’s standards. Our 4Kids Projects support both rural teachers and students by investing in Better Education, and delivering happiness and hope in the classroom.
It has been a very busy year for our dedicated and talented Bridge to Türkiye team. Throughout the school year, they have connected our donors to teachers and students to fund essential classroom materials in rural Turkey. During the 2018–2019 school year, our teams have sent 33 classroom sets of elementary level story books,16 classroom sets of kindergarten level books, 24 classroom sets of educational toys, 1,800 English-Turkish / Turkish-English dictionaries to 1,800 students in 17 schools, 300 English Story Books to 300 students in elementary and secondary schools, 16 classroom sets of Science4Kids sets, 18 classroom sets of Arts4Kids, 14 classroom sets of Music4Kids, 998 school bags to 20 schools, 1,250 pairs of sneakers to 31 schools, as well as 2,000 boots and coats to 2,000 students…
Thank you so much for supporting Better Education with your gift. Your generosity will allow us to fund more students and teachers in rural Turkey to succeed in the upcoming school year. Together, we can support rural classrooms with the educational supplies they need, and help teachers create the bright minds of the future.
With your support and generosity, we are planning to enrich the lives of many children in the coming months with the following Bridge to Türkiye STEM/STEAM/STREAM programs:
Links:
Recently we started sending Art Kits to classrooms in rural Turkish schools. Thank you for your continued support... Our newest project is called BTF Art4Kids... Every child in her/his inner world is a real artist. Unfortunately, children in rural areas do not have the opportunity to reveal the artistic talents due to socio-economicinadequacies. We wanted to launch a project and introduce the children in all the rural areas to art, and make the world a better place with art.
Global Giving donors support is very important making a difference and empowering the rural students by giving them hope through the power of art.
As BTF, we believe that the art / STEAM movement will have a positive effect on education, so we aimed to add the Elementary School Arts Set to the 4Kids projects for rural area schools. Experts advise that the highest level of recycling investments in education correspond to preschool and elementary school, so that visual arts education should start early on. The pre-school period is the period when children develop their mental, social, emotional, muscular, and nervous systems. Therefore, art education in this period allows the child to be stimulated more. This brings about a better development.
Technological developments in today’s world, STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) caused an increase in the number of projects. No matter what you do with in real life, you need creativity, a strong imagination, critical thinking, application of information, and good relationships with people. The most effective way to bring these talents to people is through good education. These achievements will not be provided with only STEM programs in education, but the tendency to be possible with the STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Mathematics) approach is increasing.
BENEFITS OF ART
Art helps children develop fine motor skills:
Playing with materials like clay, using paintbrushes, cutting things with scissors, using stickers, etc. This helps improve the hand eye co-ordination of the children, along with their skills and fine motor development. This will help kids with their writing skills in the future.
Art contributes to social emotional and language development:
Children develop their language development through art, expressing themselves verbally using symbols and objects. Through group work, they improve communication with their friends, learn to cooperate, become leaders, and increase their confidence.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
• To support the creativity of the students, to ensure aesthetic values and artistic sensitivity,
• Supporting children, all development areas through art,
• To ensure that children use their own senses effectively,
• To allow children to live their freedom of thought and movement through artistic activities,
• To create productive, self-confident participating, responsible individuals with what they put forward,
• Ensuring that children get an interesting field experience,
• Ensure that they are able to take responsibility, be sensitive to the protection and development of the environment,
FEEDBACKS FROM THE PILOT RURAL AREA SCHOOLS:
Degirmenüstü Elementary School / Beseri-Batman
Recep Teacher’s Note:
“We opened the package with the students, and the first reaction of a student: My teacher, is this all ours? It was. The economic level of our students is generally lower than their peers living in the city. it is often very difficult to get good quality and enough material. I know that students know that the picture book is not to use the back-front of the page, so that the paint is not enough to use the pen to complete the paintings, using the materials in a common way with his brothers …With these materials, they are more free in these matters and they are more certain than the works they do and the happiness they face. Like art, the child is completely free and it is a great chance that she/he has enough and variety of materials in an area where the child can express her/himself. They were very surprised when we told our students that our friends were living in America. Even if they were too far away, it made them very happy to have someone who was thinking about themselves. And I’m sure that they know it and their self-confidence. I would like to thank this beautiful community for myself, my teacher friends, and all my students.”
Sarbugday Elementary School / Hamur-Agri
ZelihaTeacher’s Note:
“There is sufficient amount of everything in our Art Set. It fits the children’s level of development. Each material is handy and in sufficient quantities. We, as Sarbugday Elementary School, send you lots of love and thanks. Whether you’re miles away, you’re heart-touching the children’s little hearts. We are grateful to you. Thanks again for everything.”
Sehit Er Inan Akçam Elementary & Middle School / Bagdesen—Ardahan
Busra Teacher’s Note:
“First of all, I would like to thank you among myself and my children. The materials you sent came on top of what my class needed. The excess and variety of materials is very useful for the efficiency of our activities. I’m grateful to think of us in this beautiful project.”
Papatya Kindergarten/ Beseri- Batman
Selma Teacher’s Note:
“You know, that kids know they can live happiness even with the smallest things Your touches have brought great happiness to both children and us. The set that you have sent, many of the materials we felt lacked made our work very easy. Thanks to the rich content they provide to children, they were able to address them directly. When they opened our gifts, they were eagerly waiting to see what they would come up with. We tell them about you. We say that your sisters / brothers who have been living in the distance sent you these gifts. The beads in the set were not used by the children. It makes them very excited to make new events. Children are more willing to participate in the event. I thank everyone for everything. May the happiness of children’s eyes reach you.”
Maz Elementary School / Ürgüp Nevsehir
Hatice Teacher’s Note:
“Sometimes people can’t find the right words to describe the happiness of children. Thank you very much, you have brought great happiness for my children. We have a lot of activity materials. I am very pleased with the amount of materials sent. Obviously I couldn’t find anything missing, all of them good quality and very useful. I’ve had all my deficiencies in supplies solved for art activities. Thank you very much again. I feel very lucky for myself and my children for finding you.”
Ballca Elementary School / Akhisar-Manisa
Gözde Teacher’s Note:
“I thank you very much for supporting the education of small children from far away.”
Turan Elementary School / Dülkadiroglu—Kahraman Maras
Ömer Teacher’s Note:
“Thank you very much for the help you have made in Turan Elementary School. Our school is located in a poor neighborhood, so students have trouble getting school supplies. Incoming materials helped us to do our job easily and comfortably. The materials are of good quality and very useful. Thank you again.”
Çandarl Mehmet Dilsiz Middle School / Dikili—Izmir
Meliha Teacher’s Note:
“We received the Art Kit, the happiness of the little children was seen in their eyes. It was a good case study to teach them how important it was to help them. We told the children that the materials were sent to you from far away, and they all thought about you. They were all very happy. We send the smiles and kisses to all of your volunteers. Your work should be exemplary and there should be a light to other people. The teaching profession starts by touching the hearts. I thank you on behalf of all my colleagues for your help. We are ready to do whatever we can to develop a society that attaches importance to art and science.”
Ekinciler Elementary School / Mardin
Hüseyin Teacher’s Note:
“We started to use the materials of the art set you sent. We have very nice activities. It was a rich art set that we never used before. Our children’s hand skills, small muscle development and creative thinking skills will make a great contribution. I would like to thank each one of you for your contributions to our children’s development and our happiness.”
Art4Kids—one set $250
No matter how talented a person is, artists can not show her/his talent and artworks without art supplies. To support artists of the future from this day, $250 will be enough to cover the art material needs of a classroom.
You can choose the schools you like to help from our map:
We like to thank you in advance for your support and generosity. We are planning on reaching more rural children and delivering happiness the lives of as many kids as possible in the coming months.
Links:
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