The first screening of the "Children of the White Mountain" Documentary, prepared with the contributions of CYDD, took place within the framework of Teachers' Day celebrations.

CYDD President Prof.Dr. Ayşe Yüksel: To pay our debt to the republic we will continue working
Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi celebrated Teachers' Day with a meaningful event.
The event to emphasize the importance of teachers on social development and to focus on this issue
to raise awareness was hosted by Maltepe Türkan Saylan Cultural Center. ÇYDD President, who made
the opening speech of the event said, “I wish I could say you a happy Teacher's Day from the bottom
of my heart but unfortunately the conditions for us to say that have not been met yet. We still have
students studying under difficult conditions in village schools. For this reason I can say that we have
not yet been able to pay our debt to the republic."
Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi organized a special event on November 24, Teachers' Day. ÇYDD
President Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel, ÇYDD board members, many teachers and students attended, along
with branch representatives.
The event held at the Maltepe Turkan Saylan Cultural Center started by ÇYDD President Prof. Dr.
Ayşe Yüksel’s speech. In her speech, President Yüksel talked about the problems in village schools.
She said, “Today, we gathered here to celebrate Teachers’ Day. I wish I could wholeheartedly say
happy teachers' day, but unfortunately, happy teachers' day conditions have not yet been fullfilled.
Despite everything, we are, happy to be able to witness the 100th anniversary of our republic. As
Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi we planned to hold some events on the 100th anniversary of our
republic and to present it to our republic. While thinking like this, our path crossed with Yalçın Çiftçi
who is our teacher, our former student and graduate. We wanted to present his documentary
project to our republic on its 100th anniversary with the same intention and desire.Even though
technology is advanced today,the images in the documentary are from today. We have students still
studying under difficult conditions in village schools. For this reason, I can say that we have not yet
paid our debt to the republic.
In her speech she said that CYDD will continue to work in accordance with the values of the republic.
Our unforgettable President Türkan Saylan used to say :“We studied at state universities and
acquired a profession and became self-sufficient for our families. Since the republic educated us, we
owe it to the republic. We must pay our debt,”. She concluded saying “Türkan Hoca paid her debt to
the republic throughout her life and set an example for us. With 118 branches of CYDD, its
presidents, volunteers, students and scholars, we all work for the same purpose and we will continue
to work in her footsteps.”
The event was important as it also was the first screening in Turkey of the award-winning
documentary titled Children of the White Mountain by Yalçın Çiftçi, who was a previous ÇYDD
scholar. After the documentary screening, Yalçın Çiftçi who directed the documentary, and the
students in the documentary answered the questions of the participants. In the final part of the
event a panel moderated by Ayşe Yüksel and with speakers Halil İbrahim Algan and Saadet Çiftçi
Yolun “Being a teacher and a Sstudent in the village” discussed what needs to be done for a secular,
contemporary and scientific education system and the problems faced by teachers.