Wisdom Program, organized specifically for the elderly, graduated its first students.

Istanbul Aydin University (IAU) and Anadolu Education and Culture Foundation (AKEV) organized a special ‘Wisdom Program’ for individuals over the age of 60. The program, which completed its 2nd year, graduated its first students this year. The ‘Wisdom Program’ graduation ceremony was open to individuals over 60 years old who are high school graduates. Emphasizing the importance of shaping a healthy, active, and wise elderly period by redefining aging in Turkey, 27 people graduated from the program this year. During the 2-year program, students received education in various fields such as health, philosophy, music, sports, painting, and physics.”They receive classes in different fields 6 hours a week”Dr. Ali Efe Iralı, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Istanbul Aydin University, stated that the program is taught by academicians. He said, “Individuals over 60 years old come two days a week and receive 3 hours of classes. So, they receive classes in various fields for about 6 hours a week. Among these are mathematics, philosophy, communication, theater, dance, music, and health. We have a few reasons for implementing this program. Firstly, we aim to disrupt their daily routines by providing socialization. We want them to reach social life from different aspects. The second reason is to eliminate some negative factors indirectly brought about by aging. This year, we are graduating our first students.””40 people participated in the program”Dr. Ali Efe Iralı continued, “40 people participated in the program, but we graduated 27. We have a quota of 40 people every year. Applications can be made under the name of the Wisdom Program on our university’s website. To make the curriculum understandable, we prefer individuals with at least a high school diploma. Our graduates’ educational period was very successful. Some of them even do not want it to end. They ask, ‘How can we continue?’ We are working on that.””I graduated with my spouse”Expressing that he benefited greatly from the program, Çelebi, aged 70, said, “For example, I had prostate issues, I learned about it here, went for examinations, and found out the results. I learned communication. Now I feel a gap because I graduated. I say, ‘Why did it end, we could have continued a little longer.’ I came here with my spouse, and we graduated together. I think everyone should come and participate in this program. Their days, lives, and perspectives will change.” “When I retired, I felt like a fish out of water”Leman Oral, a retired 74-year-old teacher who participated in the program, said, “There is no age for learning. There is no limit to knowledge. With this awareness, I joined this program. When I heard about the program, I came running because after retiring, you feel like a fish out of water at home. I missed the buzz in schools, the smell of schools, and the students. So, I joined this program and started school as a student. I was very happy. It was a beautiful process. Although I live in Erenköy, I constantly traveled back and forth from the other side of the city. We learned many things here, but unfortunately, it ended. When you are at home, you stay away from social environments and forget what you learned. This place gave me a social circle. This program is very good for us to protect ourselves from the diseases our age group is afraid of.” “I would participate again if given the chance”Güler Balta, a retired 67-year-old banker, said, “I worked at the bank for 20 years. I would work for another 20 years, but unfortunately, I retired. Then we were confused about what to do next. I deal with art. Especially, I made a presentation on opera in this program. It’s different here. I learned how lacking people are in knowledge, meaning that you always need to acquire knowledge throughout your life. I understood that I need to be careful about health, do dieting, especially in this program. If given the chance, I would participate in such a program again. I would participate forever. Because I have a fighting spirit.” “It was an incredibly beautiful experience for me”Nisa Aytekin, a third-year student in the animation department, mentored in the Wisdom Program. Aytekin said, “We gave painting lessons to the wise with my friends in the program. Within this program, we taught technical drawing knowledge, shading, and how to draw certain geometric shapes. They willingly attended the class. It was an incredibly beautiful experience for me. They have amazing energies. I learned a lot from them.”