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Reach Out '09

Participants of Reach Out '09, please download the waiver form here

Cost: $1600 - 1800
Dates: May 16 - 27, 2008
The Reach Out trip to Turkey will focus on introducing both the historical atmosphere of Istanbul and the social environment in a traditional village. Istanbul will introduce the participants to the historical aspect of the trip. Istanbul has been the capital to many civilization before Turkey gained its independence in 1920 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and ever since it has established its own identity as a proud, democratic country. Turkey also is the bridge between the cultures of East and the West and therefore has an range of eclectic religions, a variety of cultural activities and delicious food. The social service part of the trip will take place, in the Northern Region of Turkey and will introduce the participants to the social relationships, the atmosphere, the daily life and the hospitality in a Turkish village. Participants will get the opportunity engage in the process of transforming rural and poorer areas and immerse themselves in Turkish culture.
Trip leaders: Berrak (berrak.kocaoglu@yale.edu), Ege (ege.gurdeniz@yale.edu) and Merve (merve.gurel@yale.edu)

Reach Out '08

Reach Out Turkey '08 was led by Berrak Kocaoglu DC '10 and Ege Gurdeniz TD '11. With the participation of 13 students from 4 different countries Reach Out Turkey '08 took place from the 17th until the 27th of May. The first five days of trip was spent in a small town called Orhangazi in the city of Bursa near Istanbul. Here, the participants had the chance to interact and spend time with the local children while doing voluntary community service which included painting the local elementary school and teaching English to children. The children greatly appreciated the foreigner's visit since most of them will probably not be able to go to a foreign country, so this was one of their few chances to interact with foreigners. The latter 5 days took place in Istanbul with more focus on the Turkish culture and was sponsored by Bahcesehir University, a private university in Istanbul. For 2 days the group worked at an orphanage and helped create a small garden where the orphans could grow vegetables. The rest of the trip consisted of visits to famous mosques, museums, bazaars, Turkish baths and other tourist hot spots. In this sense Reach Out Turkey '08 allowed the students to get to know the Turkish culture while helping the underprivileged.

Reach Out '07

The second Reach Out trip to Turkey took place under the leadership of Yasemin Tarhan'09 and Volkan Doda'10 in the second half of May 2007. Thirteen Yale students from five different countries spent two weeks in Turkey to do community service and to explore the Turkish culture on site. The trip offered a snapshot of two extremes of the Turkish life. Students first spent a week in the rural Kuzucardagi and Karacoglan villages near the province of Kirklareli, where they built a small library for the elementary school with the sponsorship of TEMA and Ulker. They stayed with local host families and had an opportunity to interact with the people of the region directly. In the second part, the group moved to Istanbul to experience the hectic life of this ever-growing metropolis. In Istanbul, the students visited the head offices of two more NGOs, TEGV and Cekul, in order to gain a broader perspective on the NGO structure of the country. They also visited most of the major sights that make the city one of the most lively cultural centers of the world, and enjoyed the Turkish way of entertainment to the fullest in their free time.