Irmak Schools, which attaches great importance to Social Responsibility Projects (Community Involvement Projects) based on the principle of “raising individuals responsible for their age” in its vision, starts to implement this programme from the 9th grade as part of the Irmak Anatolian High School curriculum. This programme, which includes societal and social activities that all students in 9th and 10th grades are obliged to implement, has been carried out with great devotion since 2015. The programme in question is a 70-hour training aimed at learning, adopting and implementing social responsibility awareness by individuals. Our school has carried out many social responsibility projects since its establishment in 1995 and continues to carry out various projects with the same consistency today. With these projects that prioritise social benefit beyond personal interests, it is aimed that our students gain lifelong social awareness by learning different lifestyles, the change in the concept of need according to socio-economic structure, respect for individual and social differences, taking initiative, organisation, teamwork, and empathy, the variability of material / moral possibilities and efficient use of time.

In addition to social responsibility projects based on student participation, Irmak Schools attach equal importance to organising projects in which community volunteers outside Irmak Schools can also take part.

At the end of the programme, all students who participate in the projects and fulfil the relevant tasks are awarded a 70-hour bilingual “Certificate of Participation in Social Responsibility Projects (CIP)”.

Our CIP Project Groups carried out in this academic year:

2-KADIKÖY MUNICIPALITY ANIMAL SHELTER GROUP

Street animals are valuable creatures that share life with us. In this project, which was set out with the idea of “He who loves animals, loves people”; the main goals of the group are to meet the basic needs of the animals in the shelter, to walk them, to support the employees there, to protect these animals that have moved away from their natural habitats and to ensure that these animals in need of help are cared for and treated nicely.

4- ZİÇEV ISTANBUL GROUP (FOUNDATION FOR THE UPBRINGING AND PROTECTION OF MENTALLY DEFICIENT CHILDREN)

There is a place for everyone at ZİÇEV, which aims to maximise the potential of individuals in need of special education by taking into account the individual situation and abilities of its students and to ensure that they become self-sufficient, independent and productive individuals!

• By participating in ZİÇEV’s workshops and clubs, our students have the opportunity to have a pleasant time with children with special needs and contribute to their education. By transferring their experience and knowledge to those children through workshops such as handicrafts, painting, photography and ceramics, they help them become more productive individuals.
• They teach children with special needs how to use computers and enable them to use educational games and programmes. They also teach them in the photography club how to use tools such as cameras and lenses.
• They support the students in English education and help them in other subjects if needed.
• They donate or help to collect various items to be sold in bazaars.
• They support the foundation by seeking sponsorships for monetary or other donations and resources from various sources.
• They help translate the documents and information on the website into English, the international language, so that the foundation can open up to the world.

6- YAKACIK SEVGİ EVİ GROUP

Yakacık Hatice Abbas Halim Children’s Home is a residential social service organisation tasked with ensuring the physical, educational, psycho-social development of boys in need of protection between the ages of 7-12, developing a healthy personality and acquiring good habits.

• Our students who choose this group voluntarily support these children by providing them with trainings such as basketball, volleyball, English, football, modern languages, playing instruments, etc. At the same time, they increase their motivation and help them become more self-confident individuals.
• They establish close friendships with them by playing their favourite games.
• They read stories aloud with them and support them to improve their literacy skills to a higher level.
• When appropriate conditions are provided, they put on performances such as theatre and dance with the students of the institution and then perform anywhere.

It is also possible for our students who take part in this social responsibility group to come up with other ideas for the needs of these children…

8- ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEERS GROUP

If the Community of Environmental Volunteers is considered as a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces of this puzzle are forests, rivers, seas, natural resources and living creatures, and all pieces must be complete in order to be completed. Environmental Volunteers Community students try to bring these pieces together and solve the problems in the pieces.

Our students who choose this group voluntarily

• Our students who choose this group voluntarily play a role in increasing the environmental awareness of young people by taking part in activities that increase environmental and nature awareness.
• They internalise this awareness by participating in activities that will enable people to be intertwined with nature, they produce projects related to the protection of nature and the environment and ensure that these projects are implemented. They lead activities such as World Pi Day and World Animal Day.
• While producing projects related to environmental problems, they try to make the issues that do not create a problem when they are alone, but when they come together, they try to make them remarkable by using different perspectives and different materials.
• By drawing attention to an issue on environmental days held every year, they make these problems visible and create high awareness.

The projects carried out in this academic year in all of the above-mentioned groups (Gaya Nursing Home, Kadıköy Animal Shelter, Travelling Books, Ziçev Istanbul, Yakacık Sevgi Evi, Environmental Volunteers, Audio Book, Fund Group) are aimed at supporting the understanding of “creating an awareness that there are other lives other than the one we live” in our participating students. In addition, it enables Irmak students, who we believe will make a difference in society in the future, to develop this sensitivity. Our projects are open to all parents, school stakeholders and the entire Irmak Family who wish to join us as guest participants.