Community Engagement Center
As Hisar School, we do our best to raise awareness about community services in order to encourage active citizenship. We aim to make a contribution to our society by raising global citizens who can identify problems and deficiencies in society and work on them to bring solutions. In line with this philosophy, Hisar students are actively involved in almost 40 community service projects incorporating all grades.
Examples From Our Projects
"Active Student, Active Citizen"
“Active Student, Active Citizen Project” is a community service project that was initiated by our school about 10 years ago, promotes international education. Our students who participated in the project, visit schools in disadvantaged areas in Turkey and abroad and support students in activities focusing on critical thinking skills, human rights, arts, sports and English language.
Our students’ most recent visit was to Ciryazi School in Prizren, Kosovo where they organized courses on human rights, citizenship and critical thinking as part of the peer learning experience.
Details:
With the participation of our volunteer students and teachers, we launched “Active Student, Active Citizen” summer school program in Ağr, in 2010. In the following years, this project is organized in Gaziantep (2011), in Sinop (2012), in Samsun (2013) and in Kars (2014).
Throughout the project, students had many different experiences. They worked as instructors, so that they could develop new social relationships by sharing their knowledge and skills. They also had the opportunity to get to know the natural and historical cultural riches of the regions visited. In June 2015, Community Services Coordinator Nurcan Sonuç and volunteer students took the project one step further overseas.
Hisar students travelled to Ciryazi School in Prizren, Kosovo, where the Turkish student population is the highest. Our students taught Ciryazi students about human rights, citizenship and critical thinking for three weeks. This peer-learning experience was deemed highly beneficial for both parties. During the closing ceremony, more than 100 participating students received their certificates as Kosovo officials expressed their appreciation for the project which was many steps ahead of the run-of-the-mill sister school projects they have been accustomed to.
"I am a Child, I Have Rights"
The project “I’m a Child, I Have Rights” started in 2010 with the organization of workshops by Hisar students to raise awareness on children’s rights in public schools in Mardin and Istanbul.
Within the scope of the project studies were carried out on ecology. Hisar students worked on the thermal power plant in Sinop, gold exploration facilities in Kaz Mountains, hydroelectric power plant in Antalya, copper enterprises in Artvin, lignite plants and thermal power plant in Elbistan.
"A Gift For My Sister/Brother"
Every year our Middle School Student Council, volunteering High School students and PTA get together to send winter clothes for students in need in east of Turkey.
"Support For Education"
Every year, Preschool 4-5 year old students prepare puppets for the puppet scene to provide educational material for their peers in a school in need of support. Preschool 5-6 year old students prepare picture flash cards, memory cards and number-object matching cards.
"Shoe Box"
In the project carried out by our Preschool English Department every year, all Preschool students decorate a shoe box and fill it with gifts in order to make a child happy,. Prepared boxes are sent to children in need in different regions of Turkey.
"YRE Project To Reduce Plastic Bag Usage"
Our High School students collaborated with the Young Representatives of Nature (DGT) to reduce the use of plastic bags and increase the use of canvas bags in shopping and daily life. Students raised funds with a bake sale to buy supplies for canvas bags and they painted their own designs on the bags. Bags were distributed to increase awareness about the toll of plastic bags on the environment and to encourage canvas bag usage.
"Hisar's Support to KAÇUV"
