THE NAME OF OUR PROJECT IS "MY HOMELAND"

Selin… She was an architect who had fulfilled her childhood dream and had the chance to do the profession she loved. She was no longer an apprentice; she was now living her journeyman years in her field…

She would advise the students and interns who came to her by saying, “If you do the job you love, you will act in a way that benefits society the most.”

For her, architecture was not a profession focused solely on aesthetics, as everyone claimed…

In her view, architecture was a profession that first met human needs, then provided benefits, and only after that incorporated aesthetics. She always began her projects in that order.

She knew that every person had their own scent and touch—just like every type of rose has its own fragrance…

Of course, the aesthetics and originality of the work she created were important both for Selin and for her clients. In fact, her unique designs were slowly beginning to attract attention in the industry…

As word of this characteristic spread, her workload increased. But she wanted to be involved in every project that brought value. For this reason, she also joined the project for the café that would be built in the city center. After all, many nice and beneficial things could be done there for young people.

When she wanted to put the project on hold for a few weeks due to her heavy workload, her client—oddly enough—became a bit too impatient…

This impatient client managed to obtain all the permits from the municipality within two weeks. Meanwhile, Selin had completed the drawings for the project.

When they met to go over the project one last time, her client could barely sit still from excitement. Selin, too, was explaining her plans with both the relief of completing the project and the excitement of the young people who would come there.

Selin was excited… Because imagining young people not in pointless places, but in a space like the one in her project—both beneficial and enjoyable—truly thrilled her.

But that excitement vanished in an instant when she asked the project owner what he wanted to do with the café. In fact, her excitement was replaced by a mix of anger and sadness.

— “Ms. Selin, I want there to be a game room where they can play rummikub or backgammon on one side, hookah and such on another, and a fast-food corner on the other. Can’t we do that?”

It was as if boiling water had been poured over Selin’s head…

— “Mr. Erdem, what are you saying? Weren’t we preparing this place to offer something different for students than those typical cafés?”

Yes… Since it’s close to the university, our profile is students… But we should do something different from other cafés so they prefer this one. There are already plenty of places where they can play games or eat and drink harmful things. Besides, the common feature of these cafés is that they encourage young people to be lazy.

Exactly, Ms. Selin… That is precisely what we want—

To make money off their laziness…

My God… With so many things already harming young people, was I now going to contribute to it unintentionally as well? In an instant, Selin pictured students—unable to find answers to what they were searching for—walking unhappily into a game room. A deep ache filled her chest. With a sibling who was also a university student, Selin lamented like an old aunt, “Ah… Ah… What will become of these young people…”

She knew that the common trait among many young people was this: they did not make an effort to enjoy or benefit from anything for a long time. Everything was momentary. Let me satisfy my hunger instantly. Let me get pleasure instantly. Let me instantly avoid what’s difficult.

That is why a university generation had emerged—unable to cook for themselves at home, unable to build a joyful life for themselves at home. And now, by unknowingly presenting a project to a client who catered to that mindset—bringing games and ready-made food right to their feet—she had participated in it.

Right then, Selin made her decision… If she didn’t want more of these kinds of people to multiply, she needed to work on more projects with people who thought like she did. Complaining alone wouldn’t fix anything. While there were so many harmful people lining up, ready to corrupt people’s morals, health, and humanity… while the wicked performed their wickedness so easily, why were the good ones so lazy when it came to doing good? Yet the transformation of one person was the transformation of a whole city. Why couldn’t we, like the ant, carry a drop of water and show where we stood? Why couldn’t we take action? Why did we pretend not to see? What made us think a problem disappeared simply because we closed our eyes to it?

Yes… It was never too late…

Yes… Nothing happened all at once…

Not the recovery of a person, nor the recovery of a society…

Selin had decided to become the ant… In a place where pushing young people toward inertia and laziness was considered normal, she was willing to be the abnormal one. There were many things to be done. She prepared a presentation file. She designed activities that would be offered for the youth, as well as meeting and study rooms. She made various adjustments—based on the city’s user profile, the activities to be included, even the menu. She imagined students sitting in the café in winter without having to walk all the way to the university, sipping the chef’s special tarhana soup. She even scheduled discounted soup days.

There was no giving up. She knew that in life, there was no such thing as a void. If she didn’t step in, someone else certainly would… If just one person from every profession desired the transformation of the people in their hometown, the number would reach the hundreds — and Selin realized something: 

What mattered in the goodness or the wickedness in the world was this: What was my share in it?

Which direction were people moving toward, and in that movement, was I supporting them? In what context did my name appear?

What was I running for in this world?

What benefit had I offered to a person, to a society, to my surroundings, and to my homeland?

She understood that now was not the time to quit. There were many young people whose eyes sparkled with the desire to transform. There were many more people to reach.
And that was enough reason for Selin to take action…

“Maybe I should start the project in my own hometown,” she said, and began asking for support from every professional field.

She named the project and added:
“My Homeland…”

There is a long road ahead, many people to meet…
This is your story…
Come on! Begin your transformation in your own homeland…

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Experiential Design Teaching is a knowledge community that produces strategies for designing our future based on past experiences.

The "Who is Who", "Mastery in Relationships" and "Success Psychology" Seminar Programs offer the needed methods for those who want to be happy and successful in life by solving their problems and achieving their goals.

"There is only one thing in life that can never be discovered; The better one..."

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Yahya Hamurcu s Psychology" Seminar Programs offer the needed methods for those who want to be happy and successful in life by solving their problems and achieving their goals.

"There is only one thing in life that can never be discovered; The better one..."

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Yahya Hamurcu