Akbank Beautiful Tomorrows Movement continues to support university students in the earthquake zone.

Akbank has launched the second phase of the Akbank Beautiful Tomorrows Movement aimed at social recovery for youth in the earthquake-affected region. The project aims to reach 12,000 university students in Adıyaman, Hatay, Malatya, and Gaziantep.

Akbank, in collaboration with the Community Volunteers Foundation, has expanded its goals in the Akbank Beautiful Tomorrows Movement, which was initiated to contribute to the development of youth affected by the February 6 earthquakes and to support social recovery. Initially aimed at reaching 5,000 young people, the project received significant interest from youth and families in the region. In the first year of activities, more than 10,000 young people were reached in five provinces most affected by the earthquake, surpassing the initial target.

In the second year, the bank and the foundation will focus on universities and support 12,000 university students in acquiring career and life skills. Activities will continue for one year in Adıyaman, Hatay, Malatya, and Gaziantep, providing young people with competencies related to the business world, financial knowledge, and productive experiences.

Evaluating the topic, Akbank’s Brand and Communication Director Beril Alakoç stated, “As a bank, we see the education and development of our youth as a cornerstone of sustainable development. We believe that the way to create a strong and healthy society lies in unlocking the potential of our youth. The Akbank Beautiful Tomorrows Movement reflects this belief and offers inclusive solutions for recovery in the region following the disaster we experienced. Together with the foundation, we have supported the education, psychosocial development, and discovery of productive aspects of over 10,000 young people in the program’s first phase. In the second phase, we aim to contribute to the career journeys of our university students by providing them with diverse experiences such as job preparation, financial literacy, and artistic skills. We will continue to stand by our youth to help them step into a more equal, stronger, and hopeful future and to invest in Turkey’s future,” she said.

Ayşe Kırımlı, General Manager of the Community Volunteers Foundation, stated, “The work carried out by the Akbank Beautiful Tomorrows Movement in the disaster area supports young people in developing themselves in many areas from education to social life, from art to technology, and helps them rebuild their hopes. We are alongside young people affected by the disaster in socializing, developing their skills, and building a strong future through a nationwide example of solidarity. In the first year of the program, young people living in container cities found an opportunity to express themselves, moving past the feeling of being trapped. At the same time, they received strong support in education and career choices. In the second phase, we will provide development opportunities in their own spaces on campuses for our university students. We provide a wide variety of opportunities for them to shape their careers confidently. Today, removing the barriers in front of young people’s dreams and reintegrating them into society should be our collective responsibility. In this direction, it is our fundamental duty to come together as public, private sector, and civil society to pave the way for young people, to give them hope, and to build tomorrow’s strong Turkey.”

Career and life skills training are at the service of youth
According to the announcement, in the new phase of the movement, training will be offered in areas such as financial literacy and communication skills to help young people succeed in life. Additionally, with the career planning program, the bank’s employees will voluntarily assist young people in areas such as CV preparation, interview techniques, and job readiness.

Youth will shape the future with art
Art continues to be among the fundamental trainings offered by the movement. The productive workshops that attracted significant interest from young people in the first year have been developed for university students this year. In this context, young people will have the opportunity to explore their productive aspects in the ‘Stop Motion Animation’ workshop presented with the contribution of Akbank Art. Young people will learn animation filmmaking through comprehensive training and will bring their animated films to life by designing every stage from script to voiceover at the end of the program. In the ‘Short Film’ workshop, young people will learn all short film production processes, from scriptwriting to shooting and lighting, through hands-on experience under the guidance of trainers. At the end of the training, they will have gained experience in the cinema and short film world and produced original works. Additionally, selected films will be included in the Akbank Short Film Festival program.

Support will be offered for psychosocial resilience
The movement will provide support to university youth to cope with difficult living conditions through areas such as psychological resilience, combating peer bullying, and anxiety management. These programs, conducted with volunteers from the Community Volunteers Foundation, will help young people achieve a healthy psychological structure and strengthen their social bonds. At the same time, projects targeting youth in the region will be implemented under the bank’s volunteer program, ‘Good State of the City’, which encourages young people across Turkey to take responsibility in social issues.

In its first year, it gave confidence and hope to youth
In its first year, the movement saw significant interest from youth in the region. The project strengthened young people’s artistic, technical, and social skills through 690 workshops and nearly 1,200 hours of training. According to the Impact Assessment Report of the initiative, 97% of participating youth expressed that they left the centers happy, 98% felt lucky to have access to the center, and 88% felt safe at the centers.