RELEASE (pdf) | Invitation (pdf) Bios of the Speakers (in Turkish & English) | Release in Turkish

Immediate Release:

Ataturk Society of America and The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organizations, associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications; together proudly present below titled webinar.

RELEASE (pdf) | Invitation (pdf) | Bios of the Speakers (pdf) | Release in Turkish

For more information, email: Event(at)lightmillennium.org | info(at)ataturksociety.org

In support of the International Day of the Girl Child and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #4: Equal and Quality Education and SDG#5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

• TURKEY: PIONEERED THE GIRLS EDUCATION IN THE RURAL AREAS DURING
THE ATATÜRK ERA

Digital Generation – Our Generation

• TÜRKİYE: ATATÜRK DÖNEMİNDE KIRSAL BÖLGELERDE
KIZ ÇOCUKLARIN EĞİTİMİNDE ÖNCÜ ÜLKE
Dijital Kuşak – Bizim Kuşak

• Date/Tarih: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2021
• Time Zones/Saat Dilimleri: 12:00-13:30 (EDT) 9:00 – 10:30 (PDT) | 19:00 – 21:30 (Turkey) | 18:00 – 19:30 (Germany) | 17:00 (U.K.)

PLEASE REGISTER

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ef4Xwkt7SyiS7pvSNwhbeQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.


Confirmed Speakers/Konuşmacılar:
• Ms. Mirat Yavalar, Opening Remarks, Ataturk Society of America
• Honorary Speaker: Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan
• Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel, President, Çağdaş Yaşam Derneği (ÇYDD)
• Ms. Özlem Özdemir, Journalist, Author
• Mr. Davut Ökütçü, Advisory Board Member, Darüşşafaka Cemiyeti
• Mr. Zafer Cınbıl, Composer, Musician – Memories from his mother who was educated at The Village Institutes in Turkey

Participating Students: & Graduates
• Ms. Güller Yazgı Akata, Darüşşafaka High School
• Ms. Sevinç Orman, Darüşşafaka High School
• Ms. Meliha Kılıç, Kardelenler, ÇYDD
• Ms. Melike Külcü, Kardelenler, ÇYDD

Description & Concept:

On the occassion of the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October), Ataturk Society of America and The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organizations, associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, jointly organized the following titled webinar, “Turkey: Pioneered the Girls Education in the Rural Areas During the Atatürk Era”, which is scheduled through Zoom platform on Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 12:00 to 13:30 (EDT).

Having cultural backgrounds rooted in Turkey, and in particular as non-profit organizations committed to do presentations regarding the importance of Atatürk’s political philosophy for international prosperity and peace; both organizers emphasize the Ataturk Era (the first Republic Era) from 1923 to 1938, in their public presentations. During this time, compulsary free public education for girls and boys was established in place; in particular, providing equal education opportunites for the girls in rural areas through Village Institutions. The organizers define that Ataturk Era of Republic of Turkey was a pioneer and an inspiration for equal education in the World, in particular girls education in the developing and Islamic countries.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted on December 19, 2011, Resolution 66/170  to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
Turkey being a pioneering member state in the “girls rights”, along with being one of the founding members of the United Nations, led the resolution along with Canada and Peru in the UN General Assembly.

Based on this background, the webinar’s title and concept is inspired by Atatürk Era along with International Day of the Girl Child. 

As stated in the UN related web page: “the International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.”

2021 UNICEF’s dedication theme for the International Day of Girl Child is: Digital Generation – Our Generation
The webinar aims to present high school, university and new graduate students to cover the dedication theme from the adolescent and young girls views as the first hand sources.

FRAMEWORK of the International Day of Girl Child #GirlChildDay

“Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.”

BACKGROUND (excerpt):https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day

In 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not only women but girls. The Beijing Declaration is the first to specifically call out girls’ rights.

On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

Sources:
UN Intl. Day of Girl Child: https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day
UNICEF – https://www.unicef.org/gender-equality/international-day-girl-2021

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

ATATURK SOCIETY OF AMERICA

The Atatürk Society of America (ASA) is an independent non-profit organization founded 1995 in Washington DC, with the objective of promoting the ideals of Atatürk’s political legacy. ASA has been an associated NGO with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (formerly, UN-DPI) since 2017.

ASA understands Atatürk’s political philosophy to be: Sovereignty belongs to the people.

People alone administer people.

Public sovereignty cannot be shared with any other authority, including religious authority.

Secular education ensures public sovereignty and rationality in politics.

For progress, science and reason must supersede superstition and dogma.

Contemporary civilization is the common heritage of humankind.

Peace at home and peace in the world assures the universality of civilization.

Towards this objective the ASA organizes scholarly lectures, provides research fellowships, develops a resource and reference center, and makes presentations regarding the importance of Atatürk’s political philosophy for international prosperity and peace.

THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM, CHARITABLE GLOBAL HUMAN ADVANCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS (LM)

The LM has sustained a good standing as an associated NGO with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (formerly, UN-DPI since 2005). The LM publishes online issues, organizes public events, produces-and-presents television programs on the local channels (LMTV) and develops/presents various concepts in multi-platforms. It was introduced on the Web in 1999, and officially founded based in New York in 2001 by Bircan Ünver.
The LM mainly has been focused on public awareness via multi-media platforms, has encouraged active participations from the all walks of life and promotes the following matters within its capacity as a ‘rights based’ organization, based on its initial 2001 Certificate of Incorporation: Human Advancement, Democracy-Equality-Justice, Fostering World Peace, Freedom of Expression, Encouraging Intellectual Productivity, Girls-Women Rights, Cultural Diversity, Advancing Culture of Peace, and Global Connectivity…
The LM is a non-religious, non-political, not-for-profit (501-c-3), nongovernmental (NGO), and independent secular organization. The Organization received the “approval” of the “Amended–and–Broadened” Certificate of Incorporation and gained a new capacity towards becoming a ‘service’ and ‘rights’ based organization, effective as of December 17, 2019. www.lmglobal.org

For more information, please email to info(at)ataturksociety.org | event(at)lightmillennium.org

RELEASE (pdf) | Invitation (pdf) Bios of the Speakers (in Turkish & English) | Release in Turkish

Hashtags: #dayofthegirl #girlchild #educategirls #AtaturkSociety #2021LMGlboal #SDG4 #SDG5 #DigitalGeneration #UNICEF #DigitalDivide lightmillennium #AtaturkEra #TurkeyPioneered #EqualRightsToRuralGirls #UNWithCivilSociety #UNDGC_CSO

www.ataturksociety.org | www.lmglobal.org