EGET FOUNDATION HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR OUR COUNTRY AND MUĞLA…

HAMLE NEWSPAPER

15.04.2025

Journalist: Özcan Özgür

To read the news: www.hamlegazetesi.com.tr

Today I will share one of the successes of the EGET Foundation with you.

Before doing so, I asked Google about the foundations in Muğla. I found that each district had a "Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation," and in addition, there were about 10 foundations, including many that we know, such as "Muğla Foundation," "FETAV," "BOYTAV," "Muğla Philanthropists Foundation," "Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Foundation," and "EGET Foundation."

I was surprised… There should have been more. They were mostly in Bodrum and least in Muğla. Perhaps this is because Muğla lacks a "foundation culture"...

Of the three foundations in the city center, the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Foundation, along with the late Sıtkı Koçman, the founding rector and patron of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, and its founder and first president, Prof. Dr. Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı, had a place and respect in "Muğla's social life"... Now, it only comes to the fore on the anniversaries of the late Koçman's death...

The EGET Foundation, established 10 years ago by architect, painter, photographer, writer, poet, and thinker Safai Özer, continues to be active in both the social and economic life of Muğla, while also keeping its founder's memory alive and promoting him… Indeed, on the 3rd anniversary of Safai's passing on March 9th, the foundation's administrators shared a message stating, "He is still with us, in every act of kindness shared, in every young person who continues to learn." The message continued:

"In 2015, he founded the EGET Foundation, realizing one of his greatest dreams: to provide equal opportunities in education and build a future in harmony with nature. Today, we continue to keep his legacy alive through our scholarship recipients, ecological farming projects, and sustainable initiatives."

My intention is not to compare the Sıtkı Koçman Foundation with the EGET Foundation. One lives up to its name, the other to its activities… One only provides scholarships, the other, while providing scholarships, 'produces'; Bursa generates resources and benefits from its economic enterprises. They are not the same. It is inappropriate to compare things that are not the same.

While I was searching for information about Muğla's foundations on Google, the following question came to my mind:

“Although both Sıtkı Koçman and Safai Özer thought deeply about Muğla and, of course, its youth, and contributed significantly, shedding sweat to make it more of a true Muğla native than any of us, why haven’t the wealthy people of Muğla (I exempt those who do charitable work, whether on a small scale or not) undertaken such foundation initiatives?”

Anyway, finally today I can talk about the EGET (Education, Geriatrics, Ecological Agriculture, Tourism) Foundation.

I saw it on the foundation’s social media posts (https://www.facebook.com/EGETVAKFI).

HEEFTA – Holistic Environmental Education from Training to Action, developed by the EGET Foundation, has achieved great success within the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Program. Regarding this, it was stated: “Our project was selected as one of the 60 projects deemed worthy of support out of 631 projects submitted by 15 participating countries…”

The following statements were included in the announcement:

“HEEFTA, one of the seven youth projects supported under the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Program (Interreg NEXT MED), was among the three youth projects selected from Turkey. We are proud to be one of only two institutions in Muğla to receive support under this program, the other being Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. HEEFTA, an extension of EGET Foundation's youth and environment-focused work, constitutes one of the starting points for our Foundation's long-term, regionally impactful projects. With this project, which we are presenting by developing the Nature and Life Academy that we have been running for two years in partnership with TED University's English Language and Literature Department, EGET Foundation's innovative approach in education and the environment is expected to increase its international impact. The project, coordinated by our partner Spain, also includes international partners from Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Tunisia.”

The statement, which considers Turkey's inclusion in this program a crucial step in contributing to a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Mediterranean, continues: "This impact, which will be disseminated throughout our region under the program, is planned to contribute to HEEFTA's goals of strengthening regional cooperation for green transformation, developing approaches and solutions based on shared understanding, creating an international network, and supporting the development of green and blue skills. We would like to thank Ms. Müge Bakioğlu, a member of the EGET Foundation Advisory Board, who is one of the architects of this success and who made significant contributions to the success of the process by undertaking the writing and management of our project."

“HOLISTIC ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION” WITH SPAIN, ITALY, TUNISIA, EGYPT, AND GREECE

To better understand the success of the EGET Foundation, established by S. Safai Özer, who is described as “having developed no expectations for himself in life and basing his entire life philosophy on helping others,” and therefore called “The Living Safai,” and H. Özlem Uzman, an entrepreneur and now a philologist, I contacted Op. Dr. Naki Bulut, a valuable member of the foundation's board of trustees whom I can call my “brother.”

Perhaps I should have called H. Özlem Uzman, the Foundation's Founding President, but my relationship with Naki Bulut is different…

Amidst all his work, he briefly informed me as follows:

“The HEEFTA Project is a project developed under the leadership of the EGET Foundation. ‘HEEFTA’ is an abbreviation for “Holistic Environmental Education from Training to Action.” This project, prepared by our expert colleagues, was evaluated among a total of 631 applications from 15 countries within the scope of the ‘Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Program’ and was one of the 60 projects deemed worthy of support. We find this a source of pride for our country and Muğla. It is also a source of happiness for us.”

HEEFTA aims to offer a holistic approach that addresses environmental problems not only from a technical perspective but also from social, economic, and political dimensions. To this end, the project aims to establish an interdisciplinary network in six countries to identify existing gaps in raising awareness and developing solutions regarding the reproduction of environmental crises in daily life. Furthermore, the project targets all age groups in formal and informal educational settings, and through programs developed collaboratively, aims to enable participants to evaluate environmental crises from a broader perspective, acquire blue (water, maritime) and green (nature, sustainability) skills, and develop solution-oriented thinking abilities.

The project will be carried out through international collaboration involving academics, researchers, and experts from Turkey, Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, and Greece. The network established among participating countries will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience, and will foster a shared understanding that will create an infrastructure for developing solutions to environmental problems through interdisciplinary studies. The educational content will be designed to encompass both theoretical knowledge and practical learning.

ENVIRONMENTALLY WELL-EQUIPPED AND RESPONSIBLE YOUNG PEOPLE

According to information provided by Op. Dr. Naki Bulut, a member of the EGET Foundation Board of Trustees, TED University, a foundation university in Ankara that offers innovative and high-quality education, and the Turkish Community Services Foundation (TOVAK) are also involved in the project. Op. Dr. Naki Bulut provided the following information on this matter:

“The project is inspired by the ‘Living with Nature Academy,’ which has been successfully running for two years in collaboration with TED University, EGET Foundation, and TOVAK. Building upon this strong foundation, the new program aims to share the academy's experience in sustainability and eco-design with a wider audience. The acquired knowledge, methods, and training content will be shared as open source. Thus, not only university students but also different segments and sectors of society will benefit from this transformation in the long term.

HEEFTA aims to cultivate young people as environmentally conscious and responsible individuals, as well as to create a lasting impact on a regional scale for a more just, resilient, and sustainable future.”

In conclusion, Turkey has become a significant partner in the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Program, contributing to the Mediterranean Basin by participating in more than half of the projects selected in the first project proposal call, while Muğla, through EGET, is also making its name known in this field.

According to the information I have gathered, 631 project proposals were submitted under the first call for proposals of the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Program, in which Turkey participated for the first time during the 2021-2027 period, 463 of which involved Turkish partners. Of these projects, 112 advanced to the second stage, and after the evaluation process, 60 projects were deemed eligible to be implemented.

The relevant pages state that "With a call for proposals worth €134 million, 388 partners from 15 countries will offer concrete and transformative solutions to the Mediterranean basin in many different areas."

We also congratulate the EGET Foundation and wish them continued success...

We will continue to tell you about the EGET Foundation...