CHILDREN IN MENTEŞE MET WITH NATURE AND AGRICULTURE

REAL FETHIYE

May 18, 2025

To read the news: https://www.gercekfethiye.com/

In a nature-based event organized in cooperation with Menteşe Municipality and EGET Foundation, children got acquainted with the soil, gained ecological awareness, and received practical agricultural training.

Menteşe Municipality and EGET Foundation collaborated to organize a significant event aimed at raising awareness of nature and agriculture among future generations. Under the title "A Handful of Soil, A World of Hope," children aged 8-11 connected with the soil and experienced a hands-on learning activity focusing on plant cultivation, agriculture, and ecological balance. The children asked questions to experts, thought together, and had the opportunity to apply what they learned. Throughout the event, the children's ecological awareness developed; their relationship with nature gained a deeper and more inquisitive dimension.

Menteşe Mayor Gonca Köksal Aras, in her statement regarding the event, said: “Bringing children closer to the soil and the living things within it is very valuable for the development of ecological thinking at an early age. It is significant for us that this education took place in Menteşe. We believe that the spread of this approach throughout our country will increase children's sensitivity towards nature. We believe that local governments should create space for educational and awareness-raising activities, and we see this gathering as an example of this understanding.”

What did the children learn?

In the program, the children learned about the journey of a seed, were introduced to worm compost, and created their own miniature gardens. They considered solutions through the lens of bees' struggle against climate change; and in philosophy-based group activities, they discussed concepts such as art, science, and clean food, creating their own "new continents." This process of thinking and creating strengthened the children's connection with nature and left indelible marks on their minds regarding the value of nature.

EGET Foundation Board Chairperson Özlem Uzman stated, “For a child to touch the soil, to get to know seeds, bees, and worms up close; to witness the growth and development of a plant they have sown themselves or planted themselves, strengthens their bond with nature. We have observed firsthand in our ecology-based education programs, which we have been conducting for years, how important these kinds of direct contacts are in developing sensitivity towards nature. Coming together with Menteşe Municipality for such a meaningful project was both promising and very valuable for us.”

At the end of the event, children were presented with a children's book titled ‘I Am Ayşen the Worm,’ written and illustrated by Safaî Özer, one of the founders of the EGET Foundation. Along with this book, which introduces the unseen heroes of underground life, children were also given a ‘Nature-Friendly Child Certificate’ to remind them of their connection with nature and encourage them to apply what they have learned to their daily lives.