A Letter from Dearest Evelin Lindner

Dear Participant of our Istanbul Conference!(This email goes also to those of you who were with us in spirit, so as to keep you all in the loop!)
Our conference still fills Linda's and my soul and heart with joy! We just spoke on Skype and reveled in memories!

Dear All!

Please see a final conference report uploaded at www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting15.php. It was compiled by our dear Hayal after the conference (and edited by Linda and Evelin). Thank you, dear Hayal, for so marvellously organising this conference!

Linda and Rick have arrived safely in Oregon and you are warmly invited in their Oregon HumanDHS Dialogue Home (see www.humiliationstudies.org/intervention/dialoguehome.php)!

I had some hectic days after our conference. Emanuela Del Re, professor at the University La Sapienza, and our esteemed Global Advisory Board member had kindly invited me to Rome (see her background at www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/board.php). I gave three talks, in moral philosophy, in sociology, and in gender studies, at La Sapienza and University Tre. It was fascinating to meet Italian students (see the pictures at www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelinpics10.php).

Just now, I read through all the wonderful post-conference conversations and they touch me deeply!

During the past days, I have worked during nights and on planes on editing our conference photos (removing red yes, etc.). I made a number of web galleries and uploaded them on www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting15.php. Do I have your permission?
Please, if you have more pictures, could you send them to me? (And indicate to me how I can make them available on our website, if you permit?)
And if you wish to receive certain pictures in larger format, let me know, and I send them to you as attachments.

We have furthermore worked on our post-conference newsletter no. 15 at www.humiliationstudies.org/publications/newsletter15.php.
We would love to include your thoughts and reflections in this newsletter!
I would be extremely glad, if you could send me your comments that you would like to share so that I can upload them in newsletter 15 under "your feelings and comments"! Thank you!

May I say this also on behalf of Linda: We were deeply touched by your extremely dignifying warmth! This warmth was like the glue that held our group and our conference together. You manifested this in such rich and diverse ways. You made our conference an unforgettable experience and a sound foundation for future collaboration!

Evelin & Linda

PS I: We greatly appreciate your patience in case we do not reply immediately to your messages. Enthusiasm for our HumanDHS network is constantly growing. We sometimes receive hundreds of emails a day. Linda and I, and our emerging Global Coordinating Team, we are doing all we can, but we need still more support. If you would like to help, please let us know! See our "Growing Together" page at www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/growingtogether.php! We are currently developing a team of mentors and look for people with wisdom, time, and energy, and with a talent for "appreciative emailing," who could nurture our network. Perhaps you know people who are about to retire, and who would like to invest some years into a greater cause? Developing our global network with the aim to build a world of equal dignity for all, transcending humiliation, represents a very worthy greater cause!

PS II: Some of you approached me saying that they wanted to write a review of my books. Please contact Rachel Neal RNeal@ABC-CLIO.com and give her the title of the book(s) you wish to receive:
- Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict, 2006, see www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin04.php.
- Emotion and Conflict: How Human Rights Can Dignify Emotion and Help Us Wage Good Conflict, 2009, see www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin041.php.
- Gender, Humiliation, and Global Security: Dignifying Relationships from Love, Sex, and Parenthood to World Affairs, 2010, see www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin042.php.

Future Leadership Consultancy Program

Dearest Collagues,
I have developed a new "PROGRAM” to bring some kind of solution to the future leadership problem. I started my life as a successful and happy child under the educated and dynamic leadership of my dearest parents and it has been going on as a successful and respected teacher and a loved mother. Combining all the skills and experiences accumulated within 35 years (including teacher training, quality and project leadership, ethical-standards commission membership, human dignity and peace oriented studies and ICT use), I have designed a kind of Leadership Program based upon “Learning by doing and enjoying”:

© FUTURE LEADERSHIP /CONSULTANCY PROGRAM
FOR YOUNG LEARNERS' PARENTS, ADULT STUDENTS & NEWLY GRADS)

That program starts with a detailed interview with parents and a survey focusing on the child. It is tailored for each child and a roadmap is designed to the individual needs of him/her. I know that mothers and fathers rarely behave objectively for their lovelies. The concerns of parents for their children's future start with their birth, for the educational systems are in such confusion for all. One of my friends was trying to analyze how normal the situation was for her two-year grandson who was murmuring classical music. Many parents are so much worried about the future of their children and lose their happy sleeps due to the educational problems of the present time: school types, teacher qualifications, peer problems, physical conditions of classrooms, quality and quantity of knowledge, skill and attitude to be given to their babies...etc. You should make good decisions for them, but how?

For senior students, the future planning gains much more importance, for they start paving way for their future careers: Their needs, wants, expectations, talents and skills, career plans, university entrance exam, overseas opportunities, parents involvement for the career determining process, happy and fruitful university- and then professional- lives... Have they prepared their career portfolio? Do they know which university and faculty best fits into his/her dreams? Finance? Technology? What about good and bad friends? Gender problems? Drug addicting? Politics and terrorism... Many parents even do not want to think all about these issues. All these issues are frightening. Many young people “walk and talk” with big question marks in their minds. They try to find solutions. Who can lead them? Are you informed or ornamented with the answers of these questions?

If you are worried about the future of your child; let's talk all these points together! Let's prepare a well-planned “Career Plan” for your dearest child taking into consideration his/her character, expectations, skills and dreams.

In order to ge rmore information, please call me or write to me (hayal@hayalkoksal.com). Loves,

Hayal KOKSAL

CONFERENCE REPORT

Dearest Dosts,
I want to share the report of the 15th Annual Conference of Human Dignity & Humiliation Studies with you:

15th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, “Peace at Home, Peace in the World was held on” 28th - 30th April 2010, at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS, www.humiliationstudies.org), a global transdisciplinary fellowship of concerned academics and practitioners who wish to promote dignity and transcend humiliation. We wish to stimulate systemic change, globally and locally, to open space for mutual respect and esteem to take root and grow, thus ending humiliating practices and breaking cycles of humiliation throughout the world. We are currently around 1,000 personally invited members, and our website is being accessed by between 20,000 and 40,000 people from 160 to 180 countries per year.
During the closed part of the event, which was on 28 and 29th April, the "frame of appreciative enquiry" was used as the main vehicle for beginning the conference dialogue. Guests coming from different countries shared their views and created some solutions for the issues they worked on. The conference’s Public Event found place on 30th April 2010, in the Albert Long Hall/BTS & BTS Fuaye. This event was open to everybody who is interested in the topic and entrance was free. The Public Event featured speakers from Turkey who spoke to topics related to dignity and humiliation, and the President and the Director of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies.
They were as follows:
 Appreciative Enquiry and Humiliation, by Linda Hartling, Ph.D., Director, HumanDHS; Former Associate Director, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, Wellesley College, Boston, USA.
 Introduction of the whole guests, by Evelin Lindner, Founding Director and President of HumanDHS.
 Education as a Vehicle for Social Transformation: How to Promote Dignity, Unity and Transcend Humiliation, by Vineeta Kamran, Principle of the City Montessori School, Kanpur Road Branch, Lucknow, India
 The Role of Dignity and Humiliation for Refugee Law, by Paresh Kathrani, Director, Centre for Global Morality, is currently undertaking his PhD in Refugee Law and Philosophy at the School of Law, Kings College, London
 Disability, Dignity, and Humiliation, by Ramazan Baş, President of the Spinal Cord Paralytics Society of Turkey (SCPST), an NGO whose work is related to the wellness and empowerment of the disabled.
 Human Rights of Women, by Nazan Moroğlu, author of Human Rights Treaty of Women. She is the general coordinator of the Istanbul Women Associations Unity. She is also giving the course: Women Law” at Yeditepe University, Law school.
 The Meaning of “Peace at Home, Peace in the World" by Hayal Köksal, Ph.D., Member of the HumanDHS Global Advisory Board, and the HumanDHS Education Team.
 From Shock to Awe: From Humiliation to Dignity, by Evelin Lindner, Founding Director and President of HumanDHS.
 A Peace Exhibition in the lobby painted by the world children and designed by the famous Turkish Sculpture Füge Demirok was also opened during the event. http://www.hayalkoksal.com/V1/index.php
28th-29th APRIL: THE CLOSED PART OF THE CONFERENCE
Linda Hartling points out that in the meetings of HumanDHS, the aim is creating a humiliation-free, collaborative learning environment characterized by mutual respect, mutual empathy, and openness to difference. The perspective of "appreciative enquiry" is a useful frame of our work. Our HumanDHS efforts are not just about the work we do together, but also about HOW WE WORK TOGETHER. At appropriate points during our meetings, for example at the end of each day, we take a moment to reflect on the practices observed that contributed to an appreciative/humiliation-free learning experience.
It is important to emphasize that an appreciative approach is not about expecting people to agree. In fact, differences of opinion enrich the conversation and deepen people's understanding of ideas. Perhaps, this could be conceptualized as "waging good conflict" (Jean Baker Miller), which means practicing profound respect for differences and being open to a variety of perspectives and engaging others without contempt or rankism. As we have seen in many fields, contempt and rankism drain energy away from the important work that needs to be done. Most people only know "conflict" as a form of war within a win/lose frame. "Waging good conflict," on the other side, is about being empathic and respectful, making room for authenticity, creating clarity, and growth. It should be noted that participation in the program is by personal invitation only, except for our public events, in which everybody who is interested is welcome. The closed parts of our programs have limited enrollment. We like to get to know our participants prior to issuing an invitation to our workshops and conferences.
Day 1, 28th April
The number of participants was around 40. Kadri Özçaldıran, Rector of Boğaziçi University welcomed everybody. Then, Hayal Köksal and Linda Hartling welcomed everybody to the closed part of our conference and explained our appreciative frame.
Linda keeps our workshops together with her continuous caring interventions and her wisdom carries our conferences through crucial moments. Linda selected the following Turkish proverbs for our conference:
1. This proverb is to recognize the importance of collaboration: "Baş başa vermeyince taş yerinden kalkmaz." Literal translation: "The stone will not move from its place, unless you cooperate," meaning "Hard tasks can be accomplished by collaboration." See also "Bir elin nesi var, iki elin sesi var."
2. This proverb is about understanding when we make mistakes: "Hatasız Kul Olmaz." Literal translation: "Flawless human is impossible," meaning: "Nobody is perfect."
After the participants presented themselves, a musical contribution by Gülcan Yeten and her friends was presented. She played Bağlama (a Turkish musical instrument with three double strings played with a plectrum) and presented some ethnical music from the Northern Anatolia region.
During the Introductory presentation: “Who We Are” and “Our Latest News” were shared.
Our Open Space Sessions are usually launched by Linda M. Hartling. It emerged from the observation that the coffee breaks are often the most productive parts of conferences. We, as HumanDHS team, draw on the Open Space idea and adapt it to dignify our conferences. Open Space process involves collobratively developing the programme of the conference on the first day. In order to make this process smooth, we depend on the kind understanding, support, and flexibility of all conference contributors and participants as we co-creatively collect the topics for our Open Sessions and make the programme for the rest of our conference. During the first day, two sessions were held:
 How Can We Realize "Peace at Home, Peace in the World?" by Hayal Köksal
 Advancing Dignity in Schools by Yoav Peck and Avi Shahaf

After the Closing Comments, guests moved to Gala Dinner at Vakıftepe, İTÜ which was supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Association Turkey Office. We extend a very warm thank you!
Day Two, 29th April 2010
The second day started with the talk of Kailash Tuli, Professor, Ph.D. in Psychology, Gestalt therapist, New Delhi, India. His talk was on: Humiliation in the Indian Context: Effectiveness of Zeitgeist to Inculcate Human Dignity . Two issues of the Open Space sessions were:
 Crafting Gentleness: Dynamics of Enclosure and the Transformation of Humiliation, by Anthony McCann, Ireland.
 Advancing Dignity via the OLPC Project, by Ulrich Spalthoff, Germany.
The musical contribution of the day belonged to the masters students Özge Solar, Nil Koroglu, and Aslıhan And of the "Flute" section of the "Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University" . We thank them and their instructor Assistant Professor Ayla Uludere for her wonderful support!
Open Space Session 3 hosted two leaders:
 Transgenerational Legacies of Collective Violence. Observations from Germany by Uta Ottmüller, Germany.
 Social Displacement by Maggie O'Neill, UK and Moira Rogers USA.
Three other topics were also shared by;
 Ardian Adžanela: Human Dignity and Humiliation in Post-conflict Transitional Societies: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
 Salman Türken: Ideology as Common Sense and Humiliation in Intergroup Relations,
 Merle Lefkoff: Knocking the Buzzard off the Manure Spreader.
Guests participated in a Bosphorus Boat trip with fish and bread, supported by the Sarıyer City Council. We extend our warmest thanks!
30th APRIL: THE PUBLIC EVENT OF THE CONFERENCE
The final day of the Conference was open to the public. Turkish interpretation was available and the participation was free, however the number of the guests was low. Nearly 100 people participated in the event. After the opening talks, given by Hayal Köksal, Linda Hartling, Evelin Lindner and Füge Demirok the first session included four foreign speakers:
1. From Humiliation to Human Dignity: Toward a Science of Right Relationships was presented by Linda M. Hartling, Ph.D., Director, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies; Former Associate Director, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College.
Linda used Relational-Cultural Theory as a foundation for describing a relational analysis of the experience of humiliation. The latest research in neuroscience suggests that relationships are central to human development. Humiliation can have a profoundly destructive impact on the relationships we need to survive and thrive. Referencing studies on social exclusion, Linda proposed that humiliation leads to social pain, which leads to decreased self-awareness, which leads to decreased self-regulation and increased self-defeating behavior, all of which increases the risk that a person will engage in violence. The work of HumanDHS is largely about healing and transforming relationships, especially when relationships lead to violence. The HumanDHS network is dedicated to building “right relationships,” relationships that support the dignity and development of all people involved.
Vineeta Kamran, the Principle of the City Montessori School, Kanpur Road Branch, Lucknow, India, was the second speaker. Her topic was: Education as a Vehicle for Social Transformation: How to Promote Dignity, Unity and Transcend Humiliation.
Paresh Kathrani, Director, Centre for Global Morality, is currently undertaking his PhD in Refugee Law and Philosophy at the School of Law, Kings College, London, pointing out the importance of “The Role of Dignity and Humiliation for Refugee Law”, he on: Inside or Outside - Asylum Seekers on the Periphery of Borders.
Evelin G. Lindner, Founding Director and President of HumanDHS, started by Presenting the Participants of our 15th Conference to our Turkish Audience. She invited all the guests to respond to this question: “When do they feel themselves somebody”.
During the tea break, the group enjoyed the opening of a Peace Exhibition in the lobby painted by the world children during the “11th ICSQCC” in Istanbul in 2008 and the “12th ICSQCC” in Lucknow in 2009. World famous Turkish sculpture Füge Demirok had also placed five of her works of art to the Exhibition and had done the design of it. After the tea break; guests felt happy with the wonderful contribution by opera singers from the Cultural and Collaborative Society of Artists and Art-Lovers (SANSEV). The director was: Nursel Öncül, Soprano: Nalan Bilen, Piano: Burcu Savaşman and Mahmut Kelpetin. A very warm thank you!
The second session featured Turkish speakers. The first speaker was Ramazan Baş, President of the Spinal Cord Paralytics Society of Turkey (TOFD/SCPST). He talked about: Disability, Dignity, and Humiliation. He mentioned about the activities of his NGO and also as a journalist who interviewed with Evelin Lindner, Hayal Köksal and Brigitte Wolz, a therapist from Germany who works with children who have developmental delays.
Nazan Moroğlu, talked about “Women’s Human Rights in Turkey”. She is the author of Human Rights Treaty of Women. She is the general coordinator of the Istanbul Women Associations Unity. She is also giving the course: Women Law” at Yeditepe University, Law school.
Hayal Köksal, talked about the “Human dignity through “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”. She is the convener and the Turkish Founder of the “WCTQEE-CMS-QOMER Initiative for Peace Education.” She is the advisor and ex-coordinator of the Innovative Teachers Program of Microsoft Turkey, and consultant of Educational Quality, Leadership and Project Management. In her talk, she talked about building bridges between courses, between groups of people, between countries and also continents on the way of realizing peace in the world.
Evelin G. Lindner, Founding Director and President of HumanDHS, gave the last speech titled as;
From Shock to Awe: From Humiliation to Dignity. Her talk briefly explained the overall aim of the HumanDHS work. It then highlighted how globalization is interlinked with new and unprecedented psychological dynamics that call for novel solutions at all levels - macro, meso and micro levels - and in all fields of public policy. After the closing of the event, guests took a Covered Bazaar Tour and Galata Tower Dinner. The Istanbul Conference of the guests ended with a wonderful City Tour on 1st May.
SOME FINAL REMARKS…
I had accepted to be the convener of such a challenging event four years ago. During those years, I tried hard to pave the way of organizing it. I had gotten the responsibility of such a challenging event with such an unusual topic not only for my country but also for many. I chose the motto: “Peace at Home, peace in the World” deliberately, for among the many conflicting issues Türkiye has been preserving its place as a bridge between the east and the west between the oriental world and the western world. The feedback coming from the dearest guests, prove that we realized the expected outcomes.
How happy we are! I am grateful to all İmece partners (Bogazici University and Peace Education Center /BUPERC, Sü Ge Der, Kalbe-Mer and the Turkish Center for Schools of Quality) and main supporter (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Association Turkey Office). With their great support we realized our dream. I am also thankful to my dearest students from SCED who hosted our guests well and thus they have learned a lot. I thank to Sarıyer City Council_ especially Adnan Ayber for the Boat Tour. The bağlama player one of my innovative teachers_ Gülcan Yeten and her team, San-Sev and the Flute Masters of the Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University’ added wonderful music notes into our event. Kuru Kahveci Mehmet Effendi and Boğaziçi Catering added taste of the Turkish cusine. Posters to inform the participants were prepared by Doğan Advertising. Klas Tour realized safe and qualified transportation, and Fora Tourism, with Murat shared the spectacular sights of Istanbul with our guests. Without the great support of Evelin and Linda and also all our guests and speakers, that Conference would not leave such incredible memories in our hearts and brains. We know and believe: TOGETHER WE STAND!
You might see the list from the webpage: www.humiliationstudies.org and http://www.hayalkoksal.com/V1/index.php .

You are invited!

PRESS RELEASE
15th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, “Peace at Home, Peace in the World,” 28th - 30th April 2010, at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Türkiye
On 28th - 30th April 2010, the 15th Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies will take place at Bogazici University.
The conference’s Public Event finds place on 30th April 2010, in the Albert Long Hall/BTS & BTS Fuaye. This event is open to everybody who is interested in the topic and entrance is free.
Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS, www.humiliationstudies.org), a global transdisciplinary fellowship of concerned academics and practitioners who wish to promote dignity and transcend humiliation. We wish to stimulate systemic change, globally and locally, to open space for mutual respect and esteem to take root and grow, thus ending humiliating practices and breaking cycles of humiliation throughout the world. We are currently around 1,000 personally invited members, and our website is being accessed by between 20,000 and 40,000 people from 160 to 180 countries per year.
The Public Event will feature speakers from Turkey who speak to topics related to dignity and humiliation, and the president and the director of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. They are as follows:
• From Shock to Awe: From Humiliation to Dignity, by Evelin Lindner, Founding Director and President of HumanDHS
• Education as a Vehicle for Social Transformation: How to Promote Dignity, Unity and Transcend Humiliation, by Vineeta Kamran, Principle of the City Montessori School, Kanpur Road Branch, Lucknow, India
• The Role of Dignity and Humiliation for Refugee Law , by Paresh Kathrani, Director, Centre for Global Morality, is currently undertaking his PhD in Refugee Law and Philosophy at the School of Law, Kings College, London
• Appreciative Enquiry and Humiliation, by Linda Hartling, Ph.D., Associate Director, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, Wellesley College, Boston, USA.
. The Meaning of “Peace at Home, Peace in the World" by Hayal Köksal, Ph.D., Member of the HumanDHS Global Advisory Board, and the HumanDHS Education Team
• Human Rights of Women, by Nazan Moroğlu, author of Human Rights Treaty of Women. She is the general coordinator of the Istanbul Women Associations Unity. She is also giving the course: Women Law” at Yeditepe University, Law school.
• Disability, Dignity, and Humiliation, by Ramazan Baş, President of the Spinal Cord Paralytics Society of Turkey (SCPST), an NGO whose work is related to the wellness and empowerment of the disabled.
• The Role of Dignity and Humiliation for Positive Psychotherapy, by Tuğba Sarı, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Head of the Positive Psychotherapy Centre in Ankara (only on 30th April)
A Peace Exhibition in the lobby painted by the world children will also be opened during the event.
Evelin G. Lindner

Celebrating the "National Sovereignity and Children's Day" & A Reflection from Iran

Dear All,
Today is the National Day of Turkish people (23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day) and it really a unique event. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation. It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, Ataturk started his task of establishing the institutions of the new state. Over the next eight years, Ataturk and his followers adopted sweeping reforms to create a modern Turkey, divorced from her Ottoman past. In unprecedented moves, he dedicated the sovereignty day to the children and entrusted in the hands of the youth the protection of this sovereignty and independence.
Every year, the children in Turkey celebrate this "Sovereignty and Children's Day" as a national holiday. Schools participate in week-long ceremonies marked by performances in all fields in large stadiums watched by the entire nation. Among the activities on this day, the children send their representatives to replace state officials and high ranking bureaucrats in their offices. The President, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Ministers, provincial governors all turn over their positions to children's representatives. These children, in turn, sign executive orders relating to educational and environmental policies. On this day, the children also replace the parliamentarians in the Grand National Assembly and hold a special session to discuss matters concerning children's issues.
Over the last two decades, the Turkish officials have been working hard to internationalize this important day. Their efforts resulted in large number of world states' sending groups of children to Turkey to participate in the above stated festivities. During their stay in Turkey, the foreign children are housed in Turkish homes and find an important opportunity to interact with the Turkish kids and learn about each other's countries and cultures. The foreign children groups also participate in the special session of the Grand National Assembly. This results in a truly international Assembly where children pledge their commitment to international peace and brotherhood.
The importance of April 23 as a special day of children has been recognized by the international community. UNICEF decided to recognize this important day as the International Children's Day (Source: www.delinetciler.net).
With love and peace...
Dear All,
Upon my sharing the above article I got a very lovely letter from a Dost in Iran. I want to share it with you. Thanks a lot Hesam...
Hayal KÖKSAL

Dear Hayal,
YOU ARE A GREAT (F) HERO!I really admire and commend your spirit both the national sphere as well as international.
I enjoyed very much Ataturk's short citation in 1934. It has all energy for a nation to move ahead and conquer future, as it happened:
" Those heroes that shed their blood and
lost their lives...! You are now lying in
the soul of a friendly country, therefore
rest in peace. There is no differences between
the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they
lie side by side here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away
countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now
lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having
lost their lives on this land they have become
our sons as well."
ATATURK, (1934).
Great men are always remembered and respected and their inspiring existence will continue for a very long time.
I would like to CONGRATULATE you on this very outstanding day of our Turkish brothers and sisters. please convey my deep hearty message to all your friend, colleagues and all others.
I think I can understand this historic great day. Thank you very much for sharing your joy and exciting moments with me. I am with you and with my Turkish friends in celebrating your great day!
Love,
Hesam AREF KASHFI

Many Events

Dearest Dosts,
I would like to start my blog today with an unlucky event from Icelend. As you have already known all Europe and partly Asia have been suffering from the cloud coming from Icelend. It affected all the international flights. A massive cloud of volcanic dust has covered vast areas of northern Europe after the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano erupted in Iceland on 14 April. See below link for details on the extent of the dust cloud and for projections of its future spread. The cloud appears on the satellite images (left) as black, pink and then red as sporadic eruptions launch ash into the atmosphere where it mixes with different thicknesses of ice clouds. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8625813.stm (Source: BBC News)
Our dearest Dost, the president of Human dignity and Humiliation Studies Network_Evelin Lindner also has been stranded in Schiphol on her way to Istanbul. We have been looking forward to meeting her for two days and she is still in Amsterdam. Some instructors of students of Bogazici University are blocked in Amsterdam as well. Human beings cannot still find way outs before the natural disasters. Whenever we will learn how to think scientifically and start finding rpoactive measures; only after that humanity will find sllepping himself/herself safe.
Dearest Dosts, the month April is full of activities:
On 9th April, we hosted the introductory seminar of Dr.Katrin Rabanus from Germany. With 180 teachers from different parts of Istanbul, we witnessed a new methodology of teaching how to read and write for difficult learners. It was interesting!
Yesterday (17th April) was the 70th Anniversary of the foundation of deucational miracle_Village Institutions. Within ten years more than 17,000 village children had been trained as teachers and a huge step was taken in bringing villages into modern levels, however, they were closed by some political reasons. Thus, a huge wall had blocked the improvement of village children. Those institutes were the schools of Enlightenment Period of Turkey. Atatürk had guided tham in 1935 just before his death. I would like to include an article of a village instutute graduate_author Mr. Gursen Kafkas_ below. you will like reading it. He was also one of the panelists yesterday which I chaired.
This week we are going to host Dr. Jagdish Gandhi for a Child-Law Meeting at a Turkish university. A disabled students team with their teachers are also from CMS in ıstanbul to participate in 4th Smiling Child Festival, held by the Society of the Spinal Cord Paralytics_ www.tofd.org.tr_.
On 28-30 April, I am hosting the "15th Annual Conference of Human DHS" along with Peace Center of Bogazici university. I hope that bust month will be beneficial for all participants and humanity as well.
Lots of love from a rainy Istanbul day.
Hayal Koksal

Village Institutions as a Sample Case
Dr. Köksal’s one of the main interests has also been “Village Institutions“for years due to their quality-based essence. She had graduated from Izmir Teachers’ Training Institution in 1976 and she was trained mostly by the graduates of Village Institutions throughout her education. She was aware of the great value of those teachers.
Village Institutions were the schools opened under the guidance of great leader Atatürk. She believes that the main functions of Village Institutions were to train contemporary villagers (TQPs) and to take the torch of Ataturk’s reforms to small towns and even very small villages. However, those quality philosophy focused institutions did not live long and they were closed due to some political reasons.
Dr.Köksal always believed that it was one of the biggest mistakes within the educational history. For, during her first years of teaching professionly, she had worked in the north-east corner of Türkiye (1978-1981) at a very small town and she had seen the social and educational needs and expectations of the people living there and felt sorry for them. The interesting side was that village institutions were opened in late 1930s and closed in late 1940s. If they had still been living in 1970s, Türkiye would have been in a totally different position among the world's countries.
After so many years, Dr. Köksal has been working at the educational faculties of different universities and training teacher trainees. Her courses are TQE-focused and all the mid-terms and final exam projects are designed in SQC/İmece Circles form. Thus, teacher candidates learn about the quality applications during the pre-service education.
For 3 years, she has been also conducting a project concerning “Village Institutions“. Teacher trainees focus on one of the most important characteristics of “Village Institutions.“ After reading books and watching videos about them, they study in circles, list the present problems of schools and based upon the village institution understanding they try to bring solutions to those problem areas. Then, they present their projects via technology. There have been 18 village institution projects up to now, and when they total 21, she will collect all of them in a book.
Some Final Words and...
Village Institutions trained nearly 17,000 teachers in a limited time. Most of them became very famous authors, educators and politicians. Their second and third generations are still very contemporary and productive. After that point, a Village Institution graduate teacher and author Mr. Gürşen Kafkas’s article will be placed to the Conclusion part of the paper. He is one of the well-known authors of Village Institutioners. He is very productive, with 36 books.
THE MIRACLE OF VILLAGE INSTITUTIONS by Gürşen KAFKAS
Village Institutions were an unforgettable miracle of our educational history. With the light there, human beings were gaining a secular viewpoint based upon logic and science. The system was teaching the young village children how to be productive through personal efforts and social team work (called İmece). The main aim of the Turkish Republic and the reforms of Atatürk were in fact to create the enlightenment period in education. The only way of realizing this was to reach at the small towns and villages. Villagers had been seen and accepted as tax payers and volunteer soldiers for ages. Whereas, with the Village Institution Project, the village people and the government would have been hugged. Of course, it was a long and difficult job. So, Mr. Ismail Hakki Tonguç, who was one of the architectures of this project, used to whisper the following lines continuously with a great joy: “I try the steep roads and I overcome each obstacle....”
He was very happy to be training young, bright and professional village people whose efforts and productivity would have returned back to their villages again. The system of training “Village teacher“ program of Mustafa Necati had been transferred to multi-functional, full-equipped “Village Institutions“. That change in education was behind some new developments. A great amount of population of Türkiye had been living in villages and the aim was to turn their lives to a modern, productive and rich way. In other words, to improve the way of thinking and living of all those villagers who had been slaves of the Sultans and Aghas for centuries was the target of Atatürk and his Ministers. Thus, slavery would leave its place to free and scientific thinking.
Through their training, social development and personal improvement would have been realized. That project would also stop the immigration of villagers to cities. We would never witness the suburb area problems and all the villages would now have been modern and cultivated lands to be visited by the city people. On the other hand, there was a great need for some leaders who are good at healthcare, technical issues, environmental consciousness and ethical values. As a result of the hard work of Hasan Âli Yücel and Ismail Hakki Tonguç, the “Village Institutions Law” was prepared. While preparing that law, they made use of the systems and success stories of the various developed countries.
They believed that the students of those institutions must have come from the villages and they must have had a villager’s agricultural knowledge, understanding rural area habits and health. Within the foundation philosophy of Village Institutions; respect, love, collaboration and tolerance were the main ingredients. After the difficult battles and the Victory after a great Independence War, it was the time of being a social state. For a better and productive, modern life, they must have been trained and enlightened. It was a great need to send all kind of services to villages and also to train such teachers who would take that spirit to the villages in Anatolia. That was the reality and essence of “Village Institutions!”. They had formed such a system that in which all the villagers would grow whatever they needed and it would have been based upon working and laboring, and within the educational system everyone would learn by doing.
In that system, theory and practice would go hand in hand. As a result of those efforts, all the empty, neglected fields turned green. Wheat and oats covered all the land. Mr. Tonguç was sending trained teachers to villages by saying: “You are our hope for the future”. All the village teachers were solving all the problems of the village people one by one, teaching them the virtues of ethical values, women rights, social responsibilities and rules of citizenship.
Cultural training was being realized through practical applications and scientific research was the essence of all solutions. Through the productive training, all the young people were gaining self-respect and courage for problem solving. Twenty-one different village institutions had become the source of hope and achievement for many young village children. Our folklore which had been covered for years had started to shine again. Every corner of Türkiye has been changing with the Aegean children’s “Zeybek”, and Black sea region children’s “Horon”. All the Turkish people from East to the West corner were hugging each other and their values had been mingling with each other on the way of attaining the same goal. The culture of Anatolia had been appearing with the poetry, songs and cultural dances of the children. That was not enough for the village institutions. Students were also learning the values and products of international cultures. The Classical books of the Western Renaissance were being read by the village people and thus the curtain over their eyes had been opened, and they had tasted the enlightenment.
The following lines were one of the most popular rhymes on their lips:

On the same route, the same effort
The same wish in all the hearts
To see the villagers ahead
To improve the villages...

Village Institutions would be the hope of our future, all the future would have been founded by them. The form of the new state was Republic, the throne of it was Democracy and the light of it was education. Within that educational system, the only honorable and prideful source was the village institutions. The children of ignorant villagers were running to institutions and then to their own villages as they trained human resources. That system was such a system that it was student-centered, far from memorization, leading and preparing the youngsters to the problem-solving futures.
Village institution students were those who were not affected by hunger or bad living conditions such as hard beds; they were strong and full of hope and motivation. Only through that system villagers would read, learn and improve. For their hygiene, their nurses and healthcare personnel would have run to villages. They would do their agriculture through scientific methods, take care of their cattle through modern systems and share their folklore with joy and fun. Things and/or people taken from villages would go back to villages again as stars and lights. They would enlighten the darkness.
Villagers would have been conscious about the values and responsibilities of citizenship, would have spoken a better Turkish, would have gained national values and would love their nation and land in a different way. They would carry their flag, Independence Rhyme and Atatürk as national symbols in their hearts. For, village institutions were giving the feeling of being a nation to all minds and hearts.
Dark hands and cruel tongues resisted the improvement of the villages. Some evil people related to the Business world, politics and religious order collaborated with those who were against the development of Türkiye. They closed those schools and they re-powered the darkness again. What a pity that; since 1923, we have been struggling with huge educational problems without making use of that excellent educational system we once had. The fate of those schools started with Ataturk’s Enlightenment Period; however, the light of that torch had been turned off. What a big loss for Turkish people!

YOU ARE INVITED!

Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
Breaking the cycle of humiliation
15th Annual Conference
“Peace at Home, Peace in the World”
Public Event: 30th April 2010,Bogaziçi University, South Campus, Albert Long Hall

We warmly invite you to attend the Public Event for the
15th Annual Conference of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network
Friday, 30th April 2010 (09.00-13.30)

Human Dignity and Humiliations Studies (HumanDHS) is global transdisciplinary network of concerned academics, teachers, practitioners, peace activists and others dedicated to cultivating mutual respect and equal dignity, thus ending humiliating practices and breaking cycles of humiliation throughout the world.

This event is free and open to the general public! Translation from English to Turkish is available.
To learn more about the program and conference, please visit:
www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/annualmeeting15.php.
We are looking forward to having you join us!

Hayal Köksal (Convener)
Linda M. Hartling (Director, HDHS)
Evelin G. Lindner (HumanDHS President)