OIKOS Mediterraneo Summer Camp for university students from Türkiye

The summer camp, titled ‘Care for the Common Good: From Vulnerability to Planning’, concluded in Istanbul. This educational and workshop-based experience took place from 2nd to 6th September in the splendid setting of Büyükada, one of the Princes’ Islands. 

The initiative, organised by OIKOS Mediterraneo at the invitation of Fr. Luca Refatti, OP (Director of Turkish University Pastoral Care), brought together young university students studying in Türkiye but hailing from as many as 16 different countries (Türkiye, Lebanon, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Gabon, Togo, Benin, Iran, Guinea-Conakry, Ivory Coast, Rwanda and Nigeria). The participants stayed at the house of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and were welcomed at the San Pacifico house of the Friars Minor. 

The first few days focused on training and ecological and social reflection. The proceedings opened with a presentation and workshop by Br. Antonino Clemenza, OFM, on the theme ‘A journey towards cosmic fraternity through the Canticle of the Creatures’. Subsequently, Br. Francesco Zecca, OFM, and Prof. Paolo Cancelli led a workshop on how to engage with today’s vulnerabilities to transform them into opportunities for redemption, introducing participants to the courses of action undertaken by OIKOS Mediterraneo and presenting the Mediterranean basin as a fundamental symbolic and paradigmatic space. 

The operational heart of the Summer Camp was a hackathon, an intensive workshop. Divided into working groups, the young people developed six concrete projects designed to enrich the Oikos hub for integral ecology in Turkey. The proposals presented have a strong social and community impact:

1. Kardesol (We Are Brothers): An integrated support programme for homeless people, combining food aid with psychological support and assistance in finding accommodation.
2. Birlikte (Together): A mobile app designed to combat loneliness amongst international students, facilitating the creation of social networks, the exchange of second-hand items and the sharing of local events.
3. Talent Bridge: A digital platform created to connect the talents of university students with the world of work, facilitating the matching of young people’s skills with businesses.
4. Seed (Seeds): A project offering emotional support and solidarity to those experiencing bereavement or periods of severe hardship, based on active listening and a spirit of fellowship.
5. Oikos Karabük: A practical response to the student housing crisis, aimed at supporting and accommodating university students who have been left without accommodation.
6. Mosaic: An intercultural festival of art and music designed as a space for dialogue, sharing and encounter between different cultures through creativity.

Thanks to the tremendous commitment of the participants, the Istanbul Summer Camp has once again proved itself to be a workshop of hope and a concrete model of global citizenship and transnational fraternity.