OKUMUS / TAFSUS Fellowships
Many people in the US know very little about Turkey, its people, culture, history, art, music or food. The purpose of the Okumus/TAFSUS Fellowships is to provide teachers a 2 week travel opportunity to Turkey so that they can experience first hand what the country has to offer, and use this experience for teaching in their classrooms. The Okumus/TAFSUS Fellows also helps support the Portrait of Turkey program for select high school students and the Teacher Workshops on Turkey by teaching or participating in the sessions.
TAFSUS recognizes that a teacher teaches thousands of students in his/her lifetime and that our educational programs on Turkey are a long term investment which will bear benefits over many generations. By going to Turkey, all educators, along with curriculum directors, high school principals and deputy principals, gain an invaluable insight and thus, are able to provide to their students an accurate image and correct facts about this country.
Some recent examples of projects launched by Okumus/TAFSUS Fellows upon their return to the US include:
- The play "The Crescent and the Star", performed by Friends' Central School students about the end of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of Modern Turkey
- Turkish Day events at various schools, such as Harriton High School, West Philadelphia Catholic High School and others
- Various Turkish Ceramics and Art projects
- Teaching projects on Turkish historical figures such as Nasrettin Hoca and Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi
- Writing contests on Ataturk and his influence on Turkey
- Photography Exhibits on Turkey at school lobbies and websites
- Turkish Culture Day at the UPenn Museum planned for May 3, 2008
The direct benefit to the Turkish American community is that for generations to come, accurate images and facts about Turkey and its people will be taught by teachers to American children based on first hand knowledge of Turkey. Helping to initiate and support educational programs on Turkey is one of the ways that TAFSUS is able to fulfill its mission to promote friendship and understanding between Turkish and American communities, while ensuring that Turkish Americans, and particularly their children, feel proud of their Turkish heritage.
Comments from the teachers who won the 2007 Turkey Fellowships and went to Turkey for 2 weeks :
"I had such a wonderful experience through the program in the 16 days we spent in Turkey. As a teacher of world cultures it is invaluable to actually travel to a country in order to accurately present the culture to students...What I hope this letter is conveying is how wonderful trips like this are to teachers and how much value they bring to hundreds of students each year...Again, thank you for this wonderful opportunity and for all your support."
Linda Flexon
Social Studies Teacher, PennCrest High School
The OKUMUS/T.A.F.S.U.S. fellowships will undeniably impart the greatest influence...the ability to enable my efforts over the past four years to 'full circle' in exploring cultural unity, diversity, and diffusion within a society whose global reflection is muted among the neighboring mayhem. I look forward to being an ambassador and advocate for my newly formed bonds of friendship with the people of Turkey and I thank you for making my vision....a reality
Amy Laslow
Visual Art and technology Education Teacher, Dover Air Force Base Middle School
"It has always been my experience in travel that the people of a country are what you remember the most. I have said to others since my return that Turkey is the first(of about sixteen)country I have visited in which I think I would like to live. I believe that best summerizes my experience in Turkey in July 2007".
Joseph Selfridge
Social Studies Chairman & Director International Studies West Philadelphia Catholic High School
"I want to share with you a bit about how I plan to use the information that I gained on this trip. It is easy to pinpoint that use. While I will utilize the photographic material, notes, and books as we assemble the revisions in the ninth grade curriculum for the upcoming academic year(especially ancient Greece and connections with the Roman Empire), I am also in the process of creating a photographic exhibit which will hang in the Special Gifts Gallery at my school. Not only will hundreds of parents see this collection as they attend Back to School Night in early September, but I will use it as a springboard for the ninth grade students' work on ancient Greece early in the year. While I do not teach tenth grade social studies, I will share some of the material with those teachers so they will be able to fresh their coverage of World War I and the Gallipoli experience. Finally, I will share my trip with members of my school's History Club for which I am the faculty sponsor."
Sarah L. Sharp, Ph.D
Social Studies Faculty, William Penn Charter School
"I have already started working on "Turkish Culture Day" celebration at Penn Museum to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 11:00a.m. until 4:30 p.m. There will be activities all over the museum. I have new ideas for art projects for children, new topics of presentations and workshop on archaeology, poetry readings, music, food demonstrations and film screenings. I made contact with Hamza Yildiz, a shop owner of carpets and kilims in Istanbul who also has a business in Philadelphia. I am inviting him to talk about Turkish rugs. I am also delighted that I will be able to organize teachers' workshops better."
Prema Deshmukh
Program Coordinator, International Classroom, Penn Museum
"I plan to incorporate this trip to Turkey in so many ways to enrich my students' understanding and appreciation of history and culture. As an educator, you never know when a little thing I experienced can become a story in the classroom. While each part of the journey brought with it a new lesson idea, one thing I will never forget is being able to witness the Turkish election firsthand. As a government teacher it was an opportunity to see democracy in action."
Christine Waychunas
Teacher World Cultures and Government, Avon Grove High School
Comments from the teachers who won the 2006 Turkey Fellowships and went to Turkey for 2 weeks :
"In all of my travels on this planet, I have never been so captivated by a country and its people. This fellowship surpassed my every expectation. ....I am working on infusing all that I have learned into our 2006-2007 curriculum. ..Since my return on August 26, 2006, I have dedicated myself to studying Turkish language and culture."
Christine Jawork, Harriton High School
"I know that my life has been enriched by my participation in this Study Tour of Anatolian Civilizations in the eigth year of okumus?TAFSUS Fellowships. I have begun the sharing of my experiences and interests with colleagues, family and friends and look forward to my work with students in the coming school year."
Rosemary Northcutt, John Story Jenk School
"As a Social Studies Department Chair, I will be sharing what I have learned with the twenty-three teachers that I supervise at Edison High School and also with the other fifty department chairs that I meet with monthly at our city-wide leadership council."
Stanley Markuszka, Social Studies Chair, Edison High School
"I hope to be able to instill in the students an appreciation for Turkey, a desire to visit, an understanding of the people of Turkey and Turkish American descent. Thank you so much for the opportunity to experience Turkey and its various aspects and to enable me to approach research skills with such dynamic topic."
Constance Streitz, Librarian, Our Lady of Mercy Academy
"Besides gaining tremendous professional experience, I have also been personally enriched. As both a lover and student of history I was constantly in awe of Turkey's rich and diverse history. Walking in the footsteps of Roman Emperors and Ottoman sultans was truly a dream come true. I want to thank you once again for making this possible."
Thomas Howard, Cherry Hill High School East
"What an absolute pleasure it was to have the opportunity to return to one of my favorite places in the world! ....I feel that my job, in addition to the project I am working on for students, is to bring to the world the way I feel about Turkey....I want to share my experiences and knowledge so that others are encouraged to explore Turkey both digitally and personally."
Mary Hausler, Russell H. Conwell Middle Magnet School
Application for 2008 OKUMUS / TAFSUS Fellowships
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Dear Colleague: The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia is pleased to announce the tenth annual Okumus/T.A.F.S.U.S. Fellowships for educators for the summer of 2008. Made possible through a generous grant from the Mehmet Dogan Okumus Charitable Trust, these fellowships will enable six teachers, principals, curriculum directors or other school administrators at the pre-collegiate level to participate in a 16-day study tour of Turkey from July 13-28, 2008. The itinerary will include highlights from Anatolia's civilizations: Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Antalya, Konya, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Kusadasi, Pergamum, Ephesus, Gallipoli and Troy. The tour includes first class or best available hotels, at least two meals a day, sightseeing, transportation and admission fees, group transfers and baggage handling, taxes, service charges and round trip airfare from New York. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from JFK Airport, New York, the few meals that are not covered, tips to the local guide and drivers and their incidental expenses (for example, laundry). Each fellowship recipient will be expected to contribute $750.00 toward the total cost. This increase is due to fuel surcharges, new security fees and higher airline rates. We are currently seeking educators (classroom teachers, principals, curriculum directors and other administrators) at the elementary, middle and high school levels to apply for these fellowships. An application form follows this letter; please print it out, complete it and return it by mail with the required information. Please read the application form carefully and be sure to provide all the information that is requested. Preference will be given to those who can demonstrate their commitment to education about Turkey and who provide specific examples about how they will use the fellowship experience to enrich their curriculum. These fellowships are very competitive. The quality of our applications has been equivalent to national competitions like NEH and Fulbright programs. We ask applicants to take the time to prepare a quality and compelling proposal that includes a strong professional reference that speaks directly to your qualifications to participate in such a program. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, March 7, 2008. The applications should be sent to the Education and Public Programs Department, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, One South Broad Street, 2M, Philadelphia PA 19107. We will do our best to notify fellowship winners by mid-April. There will be an informal pre-trip orientation in late spring. These are wonderful opportunities that we are extremely pleased to make available to educators in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. We look forward to receiving your applications. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me at 215-561-4700, ext 208. My e-mail address is mlonzetta@wacphila.org Margaret H. Lonzetta |
Please download Application Form for more information.
Photos of World Affairs Council and TAFSUS Reception
TAFSUS sponsored the WAC lunchoen with H.E. Nabi Sensoy, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States on November 30, 2007. Below are some pictures from the event.
Portrait of Turkey Program
Portrait of Turkey Program is for select high school students co-sponsored by TAFSUS and WAC. About 20 high school students completed the "The Portrait of Turkey" program in 2007. This is an intensive program of study on Turkey consisting of weekend courses often taught by previous Turkey fellow teachers.
A highlight of Portrait of Turkey of 2006 for the students was a visit to the Embassy of Turkey on May 17, 2006. Other student leaders from the World Affairs Council joined the group for the day-long trip to Washington.
On entering the impressive embassy building, the students were directed to a professional meeting room to wait for their host, Ambassador Nabi Sensoy. The Ambassador was delayed at a meeting so one of his assistants began the briefing.
After about five minutes, Ambassador Sensoy appeared through a private door and engaged in discussion with the students for almost one hour. Everyone in the group felt so privileged to spend that much time with an Ambassador.
Below is a group picture taken at the Turkish Embassy.
2008 Portrait of Turkey Seminar
A group of diverse and highly motivated high school students from public, parochial and independent schools from the Greater Philadelphia area participated in the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia's innovative educational program, Portrait of Turkey, which is funded by TAFSUS. Through special focused sessions taught by Okumus/TAFSUS Fellow teachers, the students explored the Turks, their history, geography, literature, art and architecture, society and culture and US-Turkish relations, in history and current period.
As part of the Portrait of Turkey program students are responsible for a final project on some aspect of what they learned and this presentation is made to fellow students and teachers. The students illustrate their projects with power point presentations, artwork, food and related artifacts. The list of 2008 Portrait of Turkey presentations topics and presenters and some photos from the day are as follows: (March 6, 2008)
| Students | Affiliation | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jazzmin Boyd, Monique Gray, Tolulope Olusada | Bodine H.S.I.A. | Roman and Greek Fashion |
| Katarina Mattila | The Agnes Irwin School | Turkish Language |
| Nilofar Kazi | Bodine H.S.I.A. | Turkish People: Culture and Customs |
| Ronald Metellus | Bodine H.S.I.A. | Ankara: the Capital of Modern Turkey |
| Lin Ying Chen | Lashida Barnes, Bodine H.S.I.A. | Women's Role in Turkey |
| Marcus Biddle Webster | Youth in the Country of Turkey | |
| Hannah Dardashti | Barrack Hebrew Academy | AKP as the Current Government: Controversy about Islamism v. Secularism |
| Haftom Khasai | West Catholic High School | The Evolution of Turkish Weaponry |
| Amisha Vadalia | Eastern Regional High School | Turkish Police |
| Terez Varkonyi | Friends Select School | Turkish Kurds or Kurdish Turks |
| Marcus Onfroy | West Catholic High School | The Copper Age |
| Imma Dela Cruz, Teresa Ea | Cherry Hill High School East | The Evil Eye: Past and Present |
| Christina Williams - Potter | West Catholic High School | Turkish Cuisine |
