The Young Starfish Project

According to the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning drawn up by the leading institutions and organizations of the world, training and workshops are organized in 4 different thematic areas within the scope of the project. These 4 thematic areas can be briefly expressed:

1. 21st Century Themes with topics such as global consciousness, environmental literacy, social entrepreneurship, and active citizenship.

2. Learning and Renewal Skills, including topics such as creativity, critical thinking, analytical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.

3. Information, Media, and Technology Skills including topics such as social media use, cyberbullying, media literacy, digital literacy, and coding.

4. Life and Vocational Skills, which cover topics such as flexibility and adaptability, leadership and responsibility, productivity and transparency, initiative, and social competencies.

Within the scope of the Young Starfish Project, which takes place in the digital environment, students meet in a session where participation is aimed at expert trainers on the topics appropriate to the specified themes. The methodology of the training organized within the scope of the project is designed around experiential learning. In other words, training exists with the active participation of students.

A significant part of the project work is carried out by the Young Starfish Project Volunteer Trainer Pool, which was created by organizing comprehensive trainer training for the first time in the 2021-2022 period. Among our other stakeholders are the ÇYDD Coding Project, Bilim Virüsü (the Science Virus), and Makers Türkiye. All of our stakeholders have been working for years to provide children and young people with global competencies with a passion for science. Also, they've been organizing workshops and events in the fields of technology and innovation for Türkiye's leading institutions.

The Young Starfish Project, which was implemented as a pilot project for the first time in the 2020-21 school year, reached 499 students from 42 ÇYDD branches. Approximately 90 percent of these students are girls. Reaching 909 students with 53 ÇYDD branches in the 2021-22 school year, the project is 6-8 weeks for 12th grades, and it's applied for 12 - 14 weeks for 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. In addition, within the scope of the project, Circle Meetings are organized that bring young people together with people who can be role models and give them morale and motivation.