Kabatas East Asia & World Project aims to contribute to strengthening the relations not only between Turkey and East Asian countries but also between Turkey and the rest of the world. More than 130 million people around the world need humanitarian assistance in order to survive. This is why, for the first time in the 70-year history of the United Nations, the 8th Secretary-General of UN Ban Ki-moon (Korean) convened the World Humanitarian Summit on May 23 - 24, 2016 in Istanbul to generate commitments to reduce suffering and deliver better for people around the globe. The Project aims to contribute to the realization of the commitments by taking part in the social responsibility projects of UN, member states of UN and non govermental organisations as well.
As Teachers' Day in Turkey is celebrated every year on November 24, the Project was launched on November 24, 2016. The unsurpassed contributions of former teachers and graduates to Kabatas High School since 1908 will be remembered with gratitude on every anniversary of Kabatas East Asia & World Project. It is a custom for the students, parents and graduates to support the projects of Kabatas High School. All the students, parents, graduates and teachers have the right to be involved in this Project. The purposes of Kabatas East Asia & World Project, initiated by Kabatas East Asia & World Club, with the full support of Kabatas High School Community are mentioned as follows (2016 - 2020);
1. Koreans came into contact with Turks during the Korean War when Turkey became the second country to answer the call of the United Nations to defend the South from a Northern invasion.
Turkey dispatched over 15,000 soldiers to join the U.N. Command in Korea. The reinforced infantry brigade deployed to Korea became a good example to many nations' armed forces due to its military courage, discipline and spirit it displayed in the wars it participated in. 721 Turkish soldiers became martyrs in Korea and over 2000 soldiers wounded. 227,800 Korean soldiers died and 717,100 of them wounded.
We aim to transmit the memories of the Korean and Turkish martyrs and veterans to our students. To fulfil the objective, seminars, conferences and programs will be organised. Each year a special ceremony to commemorate Korean and Turkish soldiers who fought in the Korean war will take place in Kabatas High School.
2. Relations between the two countries started in the 19th century. While returning from a goodwill voyage from Japan in 1890, Ertugrul frigate encountered a typhoon off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture, subsequently drifted into a reef and sank. The maritime accident resulted in the loss of 533 sailors, including Rear Admiral Ali Osman Pasha. Only sixty-nine sailors and officers survived. The surviving sailors were taken back to Istanbul by two Japanese frigates.
So in 1985, the almost century old gesture of kindness was reciprocated during the Iran-Iraq war. As hostilities escalated to an extent that all aircraft were threatened with being shot-down, Turkey sent an aircraft in to rescue 215 Japanese nationals who were living in Tehran at the time.
The Turkish government issued a statement: "We have not forgotten the rescue of the sailors of the Ertuğrul. Thus, once we heard there were Japanese citizens in need of help, we went to their rescue."
We aim to transmit the memories of Ertugrul frigate martyrs and veterans to our students. To fulfil the objective, seminars, conferences and programs will be organised. Each year a special ceremony to commemorate Turkish sailors who lost their lives in Japan will take place in Kabatas High School.
3. During the Balkan Wars (1912 - 1913), Battle of Çanakkale (1915 - 1916), Battle of Galicia (1916 - 1917), World War I (1914 - 1918) and Turkish War of Independence (1919 - 1923), Kabataş High School sent plenty of students and teachers to the battlefront. As all the senior class students attended these wars, none of them were able to graduate from the school between 1912 - 1913 and 1915 - 1916.
We aim to remember all our veterans and martyrs in our history with respect and gratitute while commemorating Turkish martyrs and veterans in Korea and Japan.
4. The relations between the peoples of the two countries go back to China’s Han Dynasty (209 B.C.-
Chinese historical records show that the nomadic peoples of the north, including the Turks, played a significant role in Chinese history. Today, seven Turkic language-speaking ethnic minorities still live in China.
We aim to strengthen the relations by highlighting historical links that existed between China and Turkey from ancient times. Each year seminars, conferences and programmes will be organised to fulfil the objective in Kabatas High School.
5. As Korea, Japan and China are very beautiful countries with a rich culture and intriguing history, cultural programs will be presented to Kabatas Erkek Lisesi community to promote mutual understanding and respect for other cultures and traditions.
6. Kabatas High School gives great importance to social cooperation and ensures social, economic and environmental development through voluntary activities. Accordingly, it carries out various projects led both by the school administration and through the initiatives of its school and students.
We aim to seek the support of Korean, Japanese and Chinese embassies, consulates and companies for our social responsibility projects.
7. United Nations World Humanitarian Summit took place on 23 - 24 May
The 8th Secretary-General of UN Ban Ki-moon told the participants of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul,: “We are all here because global humanitarian action is unprecedentedly strained. We are here to shape a different future. Today we declare: We are one humanity, with a shared responsibility.”
We aim to invite the 8th Secretary-General of UN Ban Ki-moon to Kabatas High School to share his experience and wisdom with our students and enlighten his remarks at UN World Humanitarian Summit. Some prominent people from Korea, Japan and China will also be invited to our school to share their experience and wisdom with our students.
8. Kabatas Erkek Lisesi, one of the oldest and internationally renowned high schools of Turkey, has committed itself to excellence in education.The students of our school are extremely hardworking, motivated, talented and intelligent.
According to the university exam results, Kabatas High School has been one of the most successful high schools around Turkey.
Science and technology are the main drivers of industrial, economic and social development, and high school-industry linkages are vital to this process. The graduates of our school enrol prominent universities of Turkey.
Interaction is crucial for strengtening the ties between Turkey and East Asia countries. We aim to establish high school - industry collaboration with Korean, Japanese and Chinese companies operating in Turkey. We hope that the companies may offer internships to our graduates after the first year of their university. Our motto is "Successful and gifted students are a matter of the country".
9. KMUN is a Model United Nations conference that is held annually in Kabatas High School, Istanbul since 2013. Model United Nations, is an educational simulation and academic competition in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. MUN involves and teaches research, public speaking, debating, and writing skills, in addition to critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership abilities.
East Asia Summit was held at Kabatas High School in 2016 to discuss these issues;
I. Fighting against the threats posed by Non-State actors in East Asia
II. Promoting regional political and economic cooperation
III. The South China Sea dispute
Please click for details about Kabatas Model United Nations and East Asia Summit held in 2016;
http://kabataseastasia.org/East-Asia-Summit--Kabatas-Model-United-Nations-in-2016-y1509.html
Mutual understanding produced from exchanges between people and cultures possessing different backgrounds from one another is an indispensable element in nurturing trusting relations and developing friendly relations among countries and people.
We aim to hold Turkey, Korea, Japan and China Summit with the participation of high school students and teachers from Turkey, Korea, Japan and China. The first summit will take place in Turkey the other ones will take place in the other countries. The agenda will be announced later.
10. Kabataş Erkek Lisesi’s facilities and the view of Bosphorus make it an ideal venue for conferences, seminars, meetings or training days in a historical complex. Korean, Japanese, Chinese embassies, consulates and companies may hold their events at our complex.
The participants of the events will kindly be invited to our school for meeting with our students so that our students will have the chance to contact with the people from these countries. This will enrich the ties between Turkey and East Asia countries.
11. Family, friendship and brotherhood bonds hold a special place in most cultures throughout the world. These bonds help shape the culture of a nation. In Turkey, Korea, Japan and China, the role of family, friendship and brotherhood still play an important part of daily life.
We aim to give Moral Value Education to our students to fortify the family, friendship and brotherhood ties and make them good citizens who contribute to the world peace.
12. As almost all of our students do not know Korean, Chinese and Japanese languages, English is the communication language among the students. Millions of people who have East Asian descents reside in native English speaking countries Australia, Britain, Canada New Zealand, Ireland and the USA.
We aim to cooperate with the East Asian descendants living in native English speaking countries to realize the purposes of the project.
We also aim to contribute to strengthening the relations between Turkey and Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and the USA with the support of the embassies and consulate-generals of these countries.
Some prominent people from the aforementioned countries will be invited to our school to share their experience and wisdom with our students.
13. Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Australian, British, Canadian, New Zealander, Irish and U.S embassies and consulate-generals hold events for promoting their countries. We aim to attend the events organised by the embassies and consulate-generals to enhance the knowledge of our students about these countries and broaden their visions about the world.
14. Sister school partnerships broaden students awareness of the world around them and foster life-changing educational opportunities.
International partnerships develop cultural comprehension, sensitivity and an appreciation of a different way of life.Intercultural exchanges encourage greater competency and confidence in language learning and communication skills.
We aim to sign sister school agreements with high schools worldwide to develop friendship, promote mutual understanding and cultural awareness.
By virtue of the fact that Kabatas High School is situated in Istanbul and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the other municipalities in Istanbul have several sister cities worldwide, we aim to sign sister school agreements with the schools located in the cities that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the other municipalities in Istanbul signed agreements as well.
