|
 REMEMBERING A BUSY YEAR FOR THE BRITISH COUNCIL
|
 We remember the events of last year in the British Council from the perspective of those who were an integral part of our activities and projects, being teachers, students, winners, partners and one Foreign Secretary.
|
|
|
 |
| MY MAGIC CARPET’ INSPIRES YOUNG ARTISTS
|
We recently asked young learners of the English language to show us their creative streak in a competition for the ‘My Magic Carpet Young Learners Art Exhibition’. The response was astounding, with nearly 7,000 pieces of dazzling art by young learners in the 6–11 and 12–15 age groups landing on our doormat. Once we have managed to look through them all, the best will be turned into an animation by the state-run children’s TV channel TRT Çocuk.
|
|
|
|
| YOUNG GIRLS TRANSFORM CULTURE INTO BUSINESS
|
 The upcoming Skills@Work Challenge will provide an opportunity for girls studying at vocational high schools in Turkey to showcase their flair for creativity and entrepreneurship in front of a panel of professional executives. The winning team will be taken to Kingston University in the UK for an intensive entrepreneurship camp.
|
|
|
|
| EXCHANGE OF RECIPES
|
Our Skills@Work programme continues to support skills development in vocational education with a focus on catering. For a group of representatives from Turkey’s catering sector, the next steps are a visit to the UK and the promotion of vocational education
|
|
|
|
| RESPONSIBILITY TO STOP CLIMATE CHANGE
|
The recent International Climate Change Education Workshop in Turkey can be hailed as a success in two respects: Its emphasis of the integral role of knowledge and education in the subject; and its highlighting of the power of collaborative, multiple tasks in tackling climate change.
|
|
|
|
| EVOLUTION; A SCIENTIFIC MATTER RATHER THAN A PUBLIC DEBATE
|
Professor Tayfun Özçelik, Head of the Molecular Biology and Genetics Department at Bilkent University, shares his impressions of the British Council conference exploring Darwin’s legacy, held in Alexandria, Egypt. For Prof. Özçelik, evolution is not a subject that should be left to public debate, but is rather a scientific matter
|
|
|
|
| COPENHAGEN SUMMIT: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE HOPEFUL
|
 The global climate change summit in Copenhagen may have ended on a sour note, but there is still hope for a low carbon, energy efficient world. Kumru Adanali, director of the UK-Turkey Environment Society (UTES), one of the British Council’s partners in its global climate change project Challenge Europe, highlights for us the achievements and disappointments of the summit. The news was good for Turkey though, which jumped on board with UK’s Carbon Disclosure Project.
|
|
|
|
| EXPERIENCING THE COLLEGES FIRST HAND
|
 A recent study tour organised by the British Council provided 13 counsellors from high schools around Turkey with the opportunity to visit 14 institutions across the UK. While hosted in the UK, the Turkish teachers were briefed on the British education system, the programmes offered by universities and the student visa application system. Here is what some of them had to say about the tour.
|
|
|
|
| ELT TEAM HONOURED BY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
|
 Our English Language Teaching (ELT) team was on the receiving end of a nice surprise in December 09, when they were presented with plaques from Minister of Education Nimet Çubukçu for their hard work in collaboration with the Ministry. ‘This has been a very busy year for the team and it is rewarding to see that all our hard work has paid off,’ says Suzanne Mordue from the British Council ELT team
|
|
|
|
| LORD BYRON SWIMS ACROSS THE DARDANELLES ON MAY 3rd.
|
 To commemorate the inaugural crossing of the Dardanelles by Lord Byron in 1810, a once in a lifetime Byron Swim Festival is being organised by SwimTrek, the world’s only open swim operator, to follow in his wake exactly 200 years to the day.
|
|
|
