AÇEV, with the goal of ‘Okuyan Bir Gelecek’ will bring together 100 thousand children with books

The Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV) established the ‘Okuyan Bir Gelecek’ platform (www.okuyanbirgelecek.org) to support the children’s language development, creativity and imagination by enabling more children to meet with books at an early age. It is aimed to bring together 100 thousand children with books and, within the scope of the project it is supported by Fazıl Say, with his music and by Beren Saat, Cem Yılmaz, Demet Evgar, Fatih Türkmenoğlu, Genco Erkal, Selçuk Method, Songül Öden and Yekta Kopan by reading books. Emphasizing that thousands of children will receive books for the first time thanks to the Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform, Ayşecan Özyeğin Oktay, Member of the Board of Directors of AÇEV, said, “Developing basic competencies such as language development is of indisputable importance for our children's future. For language development, it is necessary to introduce them to books as early as possible.”

 

AÇEV General Manager Burcu Gündüz Maşalacı stated that 71 percent of 5-6-year-old children in Turkey have less than 3 children's books or pictured books at home, and said, "Scientific researches indicate that children from families with high socioeconomic status at the age of 4 use 45 million words when, however children at the same age from low socioeconomic status hear only 13 million words. In order to close this gap of 32 million words, it is of great importance to introduce children to new words and concepts through books from a young age.

 

The Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV) carried the Okuyan Bir Gelecek project to the digital platform, which has been on board since 5 years and has reached 12 thousand children. Children visiting AÇEV's Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform (www.okuyanbirgelecek.org) can listen to books read by famous artists, while parents can access books that will support their children's language and mental development. Starting a donation movement through the platform, AÇEV aims to bring books to 100,000 children who do not have books in their homes. Beren Saat, Cem Yılmaz, Demet Evgar, Fatih Türkmenoğlu, Genco Erkal, Selçuk Method, Songül Öden and Yekta Kopan give voice to children's books in the project, whereas Fazıl Say supports the project with his music. On April 23rd, National Sovereignty and Children's Day, AÇEV presents the Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform, created with the aim of inspiring more families and creating a greater social impact, to all children.

 

Stating that she is very proud and happy to contribute to AÇEV as a Board Member and to continue the Foundation's mission, AÇEV Board Member Ayşecan Özyeğin Oktay said:

 

As Özyeğin family and FIBA ​​Group, we act on the principle of "The most important investment is the investment in people" in all our social investments. AÇEV, Hüsnü Özyeğin Foundation and Özyeğin University; are all education oriented. But AÇEV has a very important place among them. Because it works to lay the foundations of education in early childhood. We are really proud to be one of the first institutions that come to mind in this field with the works we carry out. I have also been involved in the work of AÇEV since its establishment, and AÇEV was a very important part of my life. In a sense, I can say that we grew up together. I have always found the foundation's work very meaningful and valuable, but after I became a mother, I understood its importance better. Children receive whatever you give during this period, and they reflect it to you by developing it. The development of basic competencies such as language development is of indisputable importance for the future of our children. For language development, it is necessary to introduce them to books as early as possible.”

 

 

Books will enter the homes of thousands of children for the first time

 

Stating that they set out with the goal of Okuyan Bir Gelecek 5 years ago, Özyeğin Oktay said, “Today, we aim to reach more people by moving our project to a digital platform. Thanks to this platform, our goal is to bring together 100,000 children with books. Thus, perhaps for the first time, books will enter the homes of thousands of children. It makes us very excited to think that even a child meets the book and enters the world of books. We look forward to the support of everyone and all institutions who share our excitement and will be a part of our dream of Okuyan Bir Gelecek. I am very happy that we were able to give such a meaningful gift to all children on such an important day as April 23.”

 

Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform is being implemented with the support of 16 publishers, 42 authors and 41 illustrators, with the solution partnership of Kidega and İhtiyaç Haritası. While the books are procured through the Kidega book sales platform and delivered to the children in need determined through the İhtiyaç Haritası, the project is aimed to spread throughout the country.

 

Fazıl Say supported the project with his compositions and interpretation of classics

 

Interpreting his own compositions and classics Fazıl Say, who also put great effort in bringing famous names together to support the project, said the following about the project:

 

“As a child who grew up in Ankara in a family close to literature, I know very well how important books are for mental and intellectual development, and the importance of words in understanding and describing a child's world. Language development is a very important issue for children at an early age, but the luck I had in my childhood is not possible for every family. Unfortunately, some families have very limited access to materials that will contribute to language development.

In some families, though access is possible, the place of books in development is not well known. For this reason, I believe that every work to be done in this field is very important and I try to give my best support. In my opinion, Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform is also important in terms of increasing the awareness of not only children but also families about books. I’m excited and happy to contribute to this project by taking on the music. I supported the project both with my own compositions and by interpreting some classics. In this way, we combined literature and music and brought children together with the colorful and rich world of art.”

 

The need for materials to support home education has increased during the pandemic

 

Scientific research shows that children who grow up in high socioeconomic families hear 45 million words when they are 4 years old, whereas children who grow up in low socioeconomic levels only hear 13 million words. According to Turkey's 2018 PISA results, socioeconomically students who are in the top 25 percent has the average reading score of 513, while those in the bottom 25 percent have 437. The difference comes from this inequality starting from early childhood.

 

AÇEV's General Manager Burcu Gündüz Maşalacı stated that it is very important to introduce children to new words and concepts through books from a young age in order to close the 32 million-word gap.

 

Despite the important findings of scientific research on reading books, unfortunately, when we look at our country, 71 percent of 5-6 year old children have less than 3 children's books or pictured books at home. Unfortunately, during the pandemic these inequalities have the risk to increase. Even before the pandemic, many studies were telling us that as income and education level decreased, parents' knowledge and skills to support their children and the amount of learning materials in the home environment decreased. However, the children who were deprived of the opportunities offered in the school and neighborhood environment due to the epidemic were limited to the resources available in the home environment. The pandemic has therefore guided and encouraged us to support household environments. With the Okuyan Bir Gelecek platform, we try to prevent children living in adverse conditions at an early age from falling behind their more advantageous peers. We do this in two ways: First, with each book read on the platform, children learn new words; Parent-child interaction also increases with the game and activity suggestions we have prepared for each book. Secondly, the kits prepared within the scope of the project are delivered to families in need with the support of donors. Everyone has an option to contribute in line with their budget and possibilities, as long as you share our dreams. Let's build Okuyan Bir Gelecek together.”

 

A donation of 120 lira is enough to bring a child together with books.

 

Prepared to be sent to children, the set includes 5 illustrated storybooks selected by AÇEV's early childhood experts, book activity instructions, 1 children's magazine, 1 picture book and a dry paint set. Books are purchased through the Kidega book sales platform, and sets of 120 TL are created. By sending an SMS to 3747 or donating the desired amount via FonZip, more children can be supported to benefit from the project.

 

 

Reading videos:

Beren Saat / İnek Möli Asla Unutmaz: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/inek-moli-asla-unutmaz

Cem Yılmaz / Elmer: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/elmer

Demet Evgar / Kocaman Küçük Deniz: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/kocaman-kucuk-deniz

Fatih Türkmenoğlu / Okula Başlarken: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/okula-baslarken

Genco Erkal / Sihirli Kelimeler: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/sihirli-kelimeler

Selçuk Yöntem / Hadi Uç: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/hadi-uc

Songül Öden / Victor’un Balkabakları: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/victor-un-balkabaklari

Yekta Kopan / Oyuncaklarını Kıran Çocuk: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/oyuncaklarini-kiran-cocuk

Ayfer Gürdal Ünal / Arkadaşım Yılmaz: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/arkadasim-yilmaz

Bahar Eriş / Terzikuşu’na Ne Olmuş?: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/terzikusu-na-ne-olmus

Gülçin Alpöge / Şaşkın: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/saskin

Sevda Mustafaoğlu / Kendini Arayan Ornitorenk: https://okuyanbirgelecek.acev.org/kendini-arayan-ornitorenk

 

About AÇEV:

 

AÇEV since its foundation in 1993, works to make sure every child is safe, healthy, happy, and learning. It develops and implements evidence-based educational programs for children, parents, and young women in need across the country.

Reaching over 1 million adults with the support of 14 thousand volunteer educators, AÇEV supports its efforts to ensure equality of opportunity through early childhood interventions and advocacy activities. In addition to training programs and fieldwork, AÇEV carries out awareness and advocacy activities to raise awareness and support.