INVITATION: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Turkish Village Institutes: 
A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL MODEL
With CENGİZ ÖKSÜZ, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institution

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM (EST) | 19:00 (TR)
Language: #Turkish
REGISTER here (required):
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CDjlJeCwRsm3ChTSAYlVJw#/registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the event details. We look forward to your participation!

[LMGlobal.Org] Join us for an exclusive one-on-one virtual session with Mr. Cengiz Öksüz, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institution, organized by The Light Millennium and IşıkBinyılı.Org, in collaboration with, the Atatürk World Platform (ADDP) and Turkish Women League of America, along with the New York Atatürk School. This special event will provide insights into the legacy and impact of the Turkish Village Institutions. 
Further, via this special session on the 85th Anniversary of the Turkish Village Institutions (17 April 1940), along with, it is a Turkish version of the “Compulsory Peace Education and Information Communication Technologies from Kindergarten to K-12, and Beyond” vision and campaign since the Turkish Village Institutions has been one of the core inspirational sources of the #CompulsoryPeaceICTEducation vision towards  #OurCommonFuture and #PactForTheFuture.

Invitation is updated.

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM (EST) | 19:00 (TR)
Language: Turkish

REGISTER here (required): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CDjlJeCwRsm3ChTSAYlVJw.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the event details. We look forward to your participation!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Welcome, Opening Remarks & Moderator: Ms. Bircan Ünver, Founder & President of The Light Millennium Global


Opening Remarks:
Ms. Kadriye Akkuş Bayraşa, Teacher (Music), via The Atatürk World Platform (ADDP)

Keynote Speaker:
Mr. Cengiz Öksüz, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institutions Association
Interactive

Interactive Session


Closing Remarks:
Ms. Bahar Yasemin Ünlüsoy, Turkish Language Educator, Translator, and Editor

Opening & Closing Music:
Ali Tuna Özer, Koç High School Student, Pianist and Composer

To this date, Light Millennium Global has led four public programs since September 29, 2024, along with the specially formed international Coalition, towards contributing to the #CompulsoryPeaceICTEducation vision. In particular, the Inaugural Session was in support of the #OurCommonFuture and #PactForTheFuture was organized and presented in collaboration with 16-18 international organizations’ active involvements. Some of the specific topics, also collaborated with a couple of the members of the Coalition like this one.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 
Cengiz Öksüz is an educator, researcher, and writer dedicated to advancing education in Turkey. A graduate of the Bursa Education Institute’s Turkish Language Department, he taught Turkish and Literature across the country and held leadership roles in teacher organizations such as TÖB-DER and EĞİTİM-İŞ. After retiring, he focused on education research, writing for various publications, and producing media content. He currently leads the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institutions Association and contributes to Yeniden İMECE Dergisi.

OPENING REMARKS
Ms. Kadriye Akkuş Bayraşa, Teacher (Music), The Atatürk World Platform (ADDP)
After graduating from Manisa/Demirci Primary Teacher Training School, she worked as a teacher for two years at Ankara/Kalecik/Tüney Village Primary School. Later, she was accepted to Ankara Gazi Education Institute Music Department and continued her education. She went to the United States with a scholarship won by her husband who was a music teacher. After returning to Türkiye, she worked as a music teacher in Izmir and Istanbul.

CLOSING REMARKS
Bahar Yasemin Ünlüsoy is a passionate linguist dedicated to making cross-cultural communication more fluid and natural. She holds a degree in English-Turkish Translation and Interpreting from Boğaziçi University and completed an MBA program at Istanbul Technical University. With extensive experience in simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, she actively works at high-level meetings, academic panels, and corporate events.
In addition to her interpreting work, she teaches Turkish and English, guiding students on an engaging and exploratory language-learning journey. An accomplished translator of various books, Ünlüsoy currently works part-time at New Jersey public schools and as a Turkish instructor at NY Atatürk School. She is also a member of the American Translators Association.

OPENING & CLOSING MUSIC:
Mr. ALİ TUNA ÖZER, Pianist and Composer; “Echoes of the Past“ and “Aydınlık Yarınlar”(To Bright Tomorrows), IB student at Koç High School in Istanbul, a 17-year old, 11th grade. He has been playing piano since he was 5 years old and composing since he was 14 years old.

Leading Organizations: The Light Millennium Global and IşıkBinyılı.Org
www.lmglobal.org | www.isikbinyili.org
In Collaboration With:
The Ataturk World Platform, Turkish Women League of America and New York Ataturk School | www.ataturksociety.org | www.atkb.org | www.ataturkokulu.atkb.org

EDUCATIONAL APPROACH IN THE VILLAGE INSTITUTES
by Cengiz Öksüz, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generation Village Institutes Association

ABOUT THE TURKISH VILLAGE INSTITUTES OF THE REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE
[Source: TongucVakfi.Org.Tr] The Village Institutes were founded upon egalitarian principles in 7 regions and 21 different locations across Turkey. These Institutes aimed to liberate villagers through education and culture and to provide a means to enlightenment for Anatolian villages, which were enduring middle-age-like conditions at the time, and through this to rejuvenate the whole country in the social, cultural, and educational spheres. In this sense, the Village Institutes were a social transformation project.
The education provided by these institutes utilized a secular, democratic, and scientific curriculum with a student-centered pedagogy, which aimed to help participants realize their full human potential. Unfortunately, a forced change in their curricula in 1947 hollowed out Village Institutes and was officially terminated in 1952.
Widely accepted by academics and civil society institutions as having helped students develop and further all aspects of their potential by bringing out and nurturing their creative strength through the application of learner-focused, democratic, and humanistic pedagogic principles, the Village Institute system with its focus on the person remains relevant to this date.
Source: https://www.tongucvakfi.org.tr/village-institutes.html

©2025, The Light Millennium Global – www.lmglobal.org & www.isikbinyili.org