The project, which was implemented in Ankara for the first time in Turkey last year, is the guest of TOÇEV young people in Mardin this year.
Canon has been giving voice to the stories of young talents with its Young People Program since 2015. The Youth Program, which shows young people how limitless their creativity is through photography, provides them with the necessary training and equipment in this context. The program, which has reached more than 6000 young people with insufficient financial means through more than 37 non-governmental organizations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa since the day it started, had its first graduates in Ankara last year, in cooperation with TOÇEV in Turkey. This year, Canon is holding the hands of TOÇEV young people in Mardin.
In the program, which will take place between January 29 and February 4, 15 TOÇEV students will be given theoretical and practical training on the competent use of cameras, lenses, flash and accessories for 5 days within the scope of basic photography training by talented sports photographer Mesut Şen. After the training, young people will have the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice. They will tour the historical city texture of Mardin and transform its unique architecture into a story from their own perspective.
Canon Eurasia Country Director Alexandre Emeryk; 'We are very happy to implement the Canon Youth Program, which has been carried out as a sustainable project in various parts of the world since 2015, with TOÇEV, a valuable NGO in Turkey. Taking photographs means being able to tell, feel and visualize a story, as well as an action, with a single frame. For this reason, he knows that there is a story behind every photo; We can't wait to discover these new stories waiting to be read. The results of our project we carried out in Ankara last year made both us and the young people very happy. "Their smiles, their eagerness to explain what they wanted to emphasize in their photographs, and the unique beauty of the photographs they took made us feel once again that we were on the right track," he shared his feelings about the project.
TOÇEV (Tüvana Education Foundation for Children Willing to Study), which has been supporting the education of young people who have difficulty accessing education or who have to work in different regions of Turkey for 30 years and cares about their gaining a place in society, growing and getting stronger every day and constantly renewing its excitement with its new projects for the future, has been a partner in the adventure of the project in Turkey from the very beginning.
TOÇEV Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors Betül Mermertaş; ‘Photography allows young people to freely showcase the world from their own perspective. As TOÇEV, we, too, want young people to
We value and support these initiatives for people to develop life skills, expand their imagination and discover new hobbies. It was priceless to see the excitement of young people in our exhibition that we held after training with young people in Ankara last year. This year, we will be together with young talents in Mardin. He expressed his support for the program by saying, "We are very happy to be a stakeholder of the Canon Youth Program this year as well."
Within the scope of the project, after 1 week of theory and practical training, online training will continue for 1.5 months and as a result, students will receive a certificate of participation for completing their training. When the Young People Program is completed, students will not only receive a certificate but will also share the reflection of their stories in real life in an exhibition.
sports photographer Mesut Şen stated that he was very happy to come together with young people within the framework of the program; 'The sparkle we saw in the eyes of 15 young people between the ages of 13-18 in Mardin is the most concrete proof for all of us that this project is not just an educational program, but also an important turning point in the lives of young people. Every photo they take, every story they tell, is a reflection of how these young people see the world; and we are proud to support these reflections,” he said.
With the trainings carried out in cooperation with TOÇEV, Canon aims to provide a voice to high school students between the ages of 13-18, with the power of creative visual storytelling and critical thinking, on issues that are important to them and on which they want to make their voices heard, in order to create a better future together.
