500 thousand women received training at this center

The Mayor of Metropolitan Municipality, Tahir Buyukakin, stated that 500 thousand women have received education at KO-MEK, saying, ‘Each trainee at KO-MEK has a story. KO-MEK has been a place where stories of starting life anew and achieving success again are written.’ Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Vocational and Art Training Courses (KO-MEK) concluded with district exhibitions in Gebze, showcasing unique artworks created by trainees over a year with great effort and skill. The exhibitions where the handcrafted products of the trainees met with the public displayed beautiful and unique items. Approximately 16 thousand products were exhibited in the exhibitions composed of products of trainees attending courses at 44 course centers in 12 districts. From needle lace to painting, from amigurumi to wire bending, from leather crafting to wood carving, a variety of unique artworks were displayed in the exhibitions, where the music group trainees performed unforgettable pieces and the practical branch trainees, along with Mayor Tahir Buyukakin, enjoyed the exhibitions by participating in practical activities. The Gebze exhibition opening, which featured beautiful pieces performed by the KO-MEK music group instructors, also included a performance by children’s playroom trainees in the scope of World Environment Week, delivering meaningful messages about the environment and receiving great applause from the audience. Following the performances, in a speech on behalf of the trainees, diction trainee Ebru Ferman said, ‘I have been a radio broadcaster for 10 years. While researching diction courses to further improve myself, I came across KO-MEK. Here, we had the opportunity to improve ourselves with many different activities. We covered all visual and auditory materials related to broadcasting and news presentation. The trainings provided at KO-MEK were more than just a regular course. I thank everyone who provided us with this opportunity.’ Mayor Buyukakin, addressing the process at KO-MEK, stated, ‘We started with 8 course centers and increased the number of KO-MEK centers to 44. As we increased the number of courses, we introduced many innovations to KO-MEK over time. The most important of these innovations were our course centers where mothers and children received education together. Many mothers were unable to leave their children at home and attend courses. With our efforts, we opened children’s playrooms in course centers with sufficient physical infrastructure. Thus, mothers were able to attend courses with their children at the course centers, ensuring that children played games safely with instructors in the playrooms while mothers continued their courses with peace of mind.’ Referring to the fact that half of the women living in Kocaeli received education from KO-MEK, Buyukakin said, ‘KO-MEK has a story for each trainee. KO-MEK has been a place where stories of starting life anew and achieving success again are written. KO-MEK provided education to nearly 500 thousand women trainees in Kocaeli. This number is almost equal to half of the women living in Kocaeli. Even these numbers show how important these places are.’ Continuing his speech by addressing the issue of Palestine, Mayor Buyukakin said, ‘The world seems blind and deaf to the issue of Palestine. There is an incredible atrocity there. When children die in Ukraine, the world reacts, but when the same atrocity happens to a Muslim child, they do not show the same sensitivity. We are trying to do our best for Palestine, but I also ask for your support in awareness projects and to show your reaction in every field.’ Mayor Buyukgoz of Gebze stated, ‘Nothing comes without effort. In this regard, I thank everyone who contributed here. KO-MEK centers are places where citizens breathe and experience cultural interaction. I thank all the trainees with products exhibited here for their efforts.’