PEKSİMET SUMMER CAMP PROJECT
The program in Peksimet Village, Bodrum (Muğla)—which began with the National Anthem—continued with "Drama & Ice-Breaker Games" led by Rotarian Yelda.
Afterward, we took a break for healthy snacks.
We wrapped up the day with Yelda’s "Mind Games Workshop" and, finally, "Fun English Games" led by Rotarian Isabella.
It was a highly entertaining, educational, and productive day with 12 students participating.
My heartfelt LOVE and thanks go to:
President Vedat for organizing the transport of tomorrow's refreshments,
Mr. Engin for delivering them to the Peksimet Children's Library,
Şenay for sourcing the books we will gift to the children,
And to my dear Presidents Nesrin and Afet, as well as dear Yasemin, for attending our opening ceremony.
We have successfully completed another highly productive and enjoyable day of our PEKSİMET VILLAGE SUMMER CAMP PROJECT.
In the morning, our member Derya Güncan—a dentist—shared valuable information about dental health and hygiene. She demonstrated proper teeth cleaning through games and guided the children in brushing their teeth correctly.

Afterward, it was time for delicious snacks.
In the afternoon, President Tülay and I conducted a button-sewing workshop for the children. Although the children—who were trying this for the first time—initially voiced doubts like "I can't do it" or "I'm not skilled enough," they ultimately succeeded. We achieved wonderful results; in fact, they wanted to keep going even after our allotted time was up.
Finally, they continued their English lessons with Isabella, having a great time.
The children are so happy, and the mothers are incredibly grateful.
I am indescribably proud.
Our member Yelda Şişman, an expert on gifted and talented children, led an "Origami Bookmark" activity to enhance visual-spatial perception and a "Flying Egg" activity to develop problem-solving skills. We, in turn, provided coaching to the students.
Through this event, the children developed not only cognitively but also in many other areas—such as self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, presentation skills, recognizing their own talents, and utilizing available materials.
It was an event truly worthy of "World Brain Day" on July 22nd.

Fun English lessons with Isabella continue through conversations all around the Summer Camp.
Dear friends, wonderful things happened again today at the PEKSIMET VILLAGE Summer Camp.
In the morning, our member and psychologist, İlknur Özer, gave a presentation to the parents titled "My Body, My Personal Boundaries."
She conducted an age-appropriate training session for a group of 12 parents—one father and eleven mothers—focusing on our children's bodily safety, personal boundaries, and ability to express themselves. The session covered topics such as privacy, recognizing boundaries, protecting personal space, respecting the boundaries of others, and learning how to stay safe. The training took the form of a discussion based on examples designed to raise awareness rather than instill fear.
In a parallel session, Azade and I explored the topics of the environment and water with the children. We used posters I had prepared to illustrate how long it takes for various types of packaging waste to decompose in nature.
We discussed the subject of water in depth, providing information through brochures we had prepared on water conservation. We also asked the children to propose solutions for protecting water resources.
We noticed water dripping from the air conditioner's drainpipe and immediately placed a plastic bottle underneath to catch it. Later, seeing that the bottle was full, we took it to the restroom for cleaning purposes and set up a fresh bottle in its place. The children promised to keep this practice going.

The library has a flat roof, and rainwater drains onto the road via PVC pipes. We discussed collecting the water flowing from these pipes in a tank to use for cleaning purposes. The families will discuss this matter at home this evening.
I am not a teacher; I had simply told the children that we would have a conversation about the environment and water, and asked that we listen to one another with respect and engage in a dialogue. Without any noise or chaos, a truly high-quality hour flew by.
We wrapped up the day with Isabella's fun English lessons.
The children are very happy, and the feedback from the families is wonderful.
Apparently, our camp is the talk of the households in Peksimet Village every evening.
Hearing and seeing this is truly priceless, my friends.
The children's certificates are ready.
As gifts, we will be handing out:
•⁠  ⁠Children's books brought by Şenay,
•⁠  ⁠English books brought by Yelda,
•⁠  ⁠"Merhaba" (Hello) event cards (featuring lovely messages on the back),
•⁠  ⁠Toothbrushes brought by Derya, and
•⁠  ⁠Atatürk badges that I procured.

Today at the PEKSIMET VILLAGE Summer Camp, Clinical Psychologist Özge Çivci conducted an "Emotion Workshop" with the students.
During this session, they explored topics such as: How well do we recognize and express our emotions? How can we put difficult emotions into words or express them through art and play?
Afterwards, they worked on problem-solving skills with Yelda Şişman.
They also held a "Healthy Meal Preparation" workshop with our member, Nutritionist Sibel İnan.
Together, they prepared—and enjoyed eating—smoothies, yogurt cups with oats, lavash wraps, and seasonal fruit skewers.
They wrapped up the day with fun English lessons led by Isabella.
Between July 20th and 26th, we set out to a place entirely new to us to connect for the first time with children we had never met before; our association members, volunteers from the host organization, and members of the Karia Rotary Club joined forces to work hand-in-hand. Twenty-one of our 36 members personally participated in this project, with five members sharing their professional expertise directly with the children and their parents. Yesterday, we left Peksimet Village after a beautiful closing and certificate ceremony, our happiness multiplied by sharing it together. I felt proud of my Karia Rotary family once again; with this first project of the first month, we have launched a service term that is already creating a lasting impact. I haven't listed individual names here for fear of accidentally omitting someone, but I saw that even friends who couldn't attend or contribute directly were with us in spirit, sending messages and making calls—we are truly one big family. We are people in motion, striving to do good; thank you all. Under the leadership of President Saide, we will spend the next 12 months creating, sharing, and making a lasting impact. Saturday, July 25, 2026, marked the final day of our PEKSIMET VILLAGE SUMMER CAMP project.
I hereby present the program, which was attended by Bodrum Deputy Mayor Idil Ekmekçi, members of the Karia Rotary Club, the President and members of the Peksimet Education and Culture Association, parents, and our 21 students:
•⁠ ⁠Moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem,
•⁠ ⁠Speech by Güler Sümer, President of the Peksimet Education and Culture Association,
•⁠ ⁠Speech by Saide Kurt, President of the Karia Rotary Club,