Turkey Trip with Leeds Metropolitan University Staff

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:00 in Intercultural Exploration Trips

Where: Turkey

An intercultural exploration of Turkey, Turkish culture and history. Delegates not only visit popular historic and touristic sites, but do so in comfort and with the lead of experienced guides. What is more, this is not a tour of simply sites and museums but one of people and culture. Therefore, the tour is specifically tailored to maximise such exposure. One way this is achieved is by hosting the group for dinner at a Turkish family’s home; another way is by arranging meetings with locals and students. Each trip also includes meetings with those of the same or related field to the visiting delegates to help facilitate partnerships through which lasting friendships and meaningful dialogue can be achieved. Ample time for shopping and dining is also provided.

Objective

To project a positive image and understanding of Britain in Turkey.
To develop links with key Turkish educational, media and voluntary sector organisations.
To develop a better understanding of 'Turkish Muslimness' and civil society.

"On the terrace of the Goldern Horn hotel we found ourselves once more watching over the Blue Mosque, with all his splendour, and Haghia Sophia, with all her grace. This was the third visit by Leeds Met to Turkey to build partnership with the Gülen community. This is a community of volunteers inspired by the teachings of Fethullah Gülen (b.1941), a revered Islamic scholar and peace activist. The community believes in achieving peace through inclusive education and dialogue and to this end has established hundreds of nondenominational schools and thousands of dialogue centres across the world, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sydney, London and Washington.

The com0munity builds on dialogue through developing partnerships and has extended its welcome to Leeds Met University. This visit was about agreeing terms with the various Gülen-inspired institutes such as the Journalists and Writers Foundation, the community's first interfaith dialogue NGO, which brings together intellectuals, academics, journalists and politicians to discuss pressing social issues. The many projects agreed prove how a resolve in dialogue can yield meaningful results.

On the terrace of the hotel we saw the past and present of Istanbul in a glance, in one another, we see the future of lasting dialogue and friendship."

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