Within the collaborations of Yeniboğaziçi Municipality and Famagusta Ravelin Lions Club, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Education Faculty, Department of Elementary Education organized an awareness event on the occasion of 20 November World Children’s Day.
Commencing with an awareness march from Yeniboğaziçi Municipality Park, the event continued with the children’s rights declaration reading and distributing leaflets to children. The first speech of the event was delivered by Yeniboğaziçi Children’s Mayor Sevilay Öztemiz. During her speech, Öztemiz said: “Each individual who is under the age of 18 is a child. We are the building blocks of the future. With what we have learned today, we are taking firm steps towards becoming hope and light for the future. I owe it to myself to emphasize that we have rights not only one day, but every day, and that we deserve to live in peace and prosperity in line with these rights. Regardless of language, religion, race or color, every child in the world has rights. Every child, regardless of beliefs or views, should enjoy the rights available”.
Famagusta Ravelin Lions Club President Çiğdem Duvarcı also delivered a speech during the event underlining the importance of the event by stating her desire in continuation of such collaborations in these meaningful events. Duvarcı emphasized the necessity of owning and protecting the children’s rights.
Yeniboğaziçi Mayor Mustafa Zurnacılar also addressed the participant during the event and said: “Our children are our future. Therefore, we should protect each child for a healthy, happy and successful generation. Children’s rights should be applied in our country as well as around the world. Atatürk entrusted the Republic to our children and youth. This, once again showed us, the importance of our children and their values. We should always own and protect our children and their rights. I would like to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to our event”.
Later in the event, a workshop themed 'Right to Play' was held with a group of children aged 5-10 years, with the organization of EMU Education Faculty, Basic Education Department graduate students, taking into account the pandemic conditions and increasing number of cases. Within the scope of “defending the children’s right to play” in OOEG 508 course titled “Play and Drama Materials in Early Childhood” taught in Elementary Education Department Early Childhood Education Postgraduate program delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eda Yazgın and EMU students who took the course emphasized the importance of presenting this event for the benefit of children, especially in order to support the developmental needs of children in epidemic conditions, in terms of raising awareness of the places where children want to play, their needs for play, their rights, and emphasized that these opportunities should be increased without delay. At the end of the event, Deniz Plaza distributed various gifts to the children. Children who had fun, educational and enjoyable hours, left the event happily.
Another event to be held by EMU Education Faculty, Elementary Education Department as part of 20 November World Children’s Day was planned on 6 December 2021 to raise awareness among teacher candidates regarding “Child-Friendly Protection Environments”. Specialist Clinical Psychologist Eşmen Tatlıcalı will attend the online conference for all teacher candidates studying in the Department of Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education and Elementary School Teacher Education programs with her presentation titled “Abuse and Child Interview Rooms” and will answer the questions of the students on the subject.
