Theme: The Compass

The compass helps us to find things in the world that are missing in ourselves. The earth is a compass, we should follow whichever direction it shows us. The tip of the compass points to the North direction, and this direction is also represented by a star. We should also listen to the star within us, entrust ourselves to the star of nature. By its structure, it does not show the right direction unless we completely turn ourselves to it. Today, people are perverting the path followed by the ecosystem. With the decaying of the balance of nature as a result of excessive consumption and production, the path shown by the compass began to be ignored. Again, awareness of people in order to follow the direction indicated by the compass is the most correct way to prevent this course of the world. With this conference, we aim to show the right way to young people, to make them realize that not only the universe but also a person has a compass and to teach them that they should turn themselves towards the direction of the compass. We want to show the Northern aspects of universal issues to our participants with our speakers, whose orations and information we trust, and explain how to proceed on that right path.

Gungoren ITO Anatolian ImamHatip High School
Gençosman Mah. Mektep Sok. No3 GÜNGÖREN / İSTANBUL
İstanbul, İstanbul, 38000
Turkey

Ayçin Kantoğlu

Translator

Fluent in English, Italian, Latin, and Ancient Greek, Kantoğlu's passion for literature led her into the world of translation. After finishing high school, she graduated from Marmara University with a degree in Business Administration and continued her academic career at Istanbul University, where she earned a master's degree in Latin Language and Literature in the Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures. In 2014, Kantoğlu moved to the Aegean region, and at the request of her professor from Istanbul University, she translated Dante's "Divine Comedy" into Turkish in poetic form. This translation of "Divine Comedy," one of the most translated works in the world and often referred to as hyper-classical, garnered acclaim and recognition in the literary community.

Recai Çakır

Motivational Speaker

Recai Çakır, originally from Kilis, is primarily engaged in the jewelry business. After moving from Gaziantep to Istanbul, Çakır has been involved in tourism and construction for the past 30 years. He began his career in tourism in 1986 with the establishment of Bodrum Kadıkale Resort. Subsequently, he expanded his business into boutique hotels and luxury residential constructions. In 2009, he launched Gardens of Babylon. Later, he transitioned to a focus on health and wellness by creating the Sianji brand. Recai Çakır currently serves as the Chairman of Sianji Group, which includes a luxury facility located in Bodrum Gümüşlük.

Reyhan Çınar

Turcologist

Çınar graduated from the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Istanbul University in 2000 and completed her master's degree in Classical Turkish Literature at Marmara University’s Turkic Studies Institute in 2007.During his university years, she attended courses in music, solfège, music theory, and ney at the Kubbealtı Academy of Culture and Arts. She began his diction training with Galip Çakır and later reinforced it with esteemed instructors such as Semih Sergen, Nermin Tuğuşlu, Cihan Ünal, Emin Baykırkık, and Murat Atıl. During this time, she had the opportunity to learn from many distinguished figures in our cultural and artistic community, including İlhan Ayverdi, who devoted her life to the Turkish language and the Kubbealtı Dictionary, as well as Mustafa Tahralı, Orhan Okay, Nermin Suner, Nazik Erik, Yusuf Ömürlü, Cinuçen Tanrıkorur, and Kâzım Yetiş. In 2023, she launched her social media accounts under the name Istanbul Türkçesi.

Said Ercan

Author

He is a Corporate Communication Specialist, political scientist, and author. He completed his undergraduate studies in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University. He began his bureaucratic career as an expert at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, working in various provinces across Turkey, particularly in Muğla. In 2005, he launched the literary and thought magazine "Otuzuncu Harf," and in 2007, he published the e-journal "Zemheri Edebiyat." In 2008, he resigned from public service and founded Turkey's first religious-themed interactive dictionary, İHL Sözlük, in 2009. In 2010, he prepared and hosted "Radyo Sözlüğü," Turkey's first social media radio program on Marmara FM. He established Turkey's first social media news blog, sosyalmedyahaber.com, in 2011. In 2012, he became the founding chairman of the board of the International Social Media Association (USMED), the world's first social media NGO.

Teymullah Özbek

Vocal Artist

A. Kadir Teymullah Özbek was born into a family of considerable means in Erzurum. In his later years, he moved to Istanbul. Following the death of his father, he faced a challenging childhood. During this difficult period, he experienced profound lows that led him to embrace Islam. Subsequently, he dedicated himself to helping other young individuals who were going through similar hardships. He has interpreted many melodies, including "Kardan Aydınlık." Currently, he is creating content on social media to reach larger audiences.

Zeynep Betül Akyıldız

Musician

Zeynep Betül Akyıldız studied Psychology at Istanbul City University on a full scholarship. During her studies, she prepared for talent exams and gained admission to the State Conservatory of Istanbul University, where she pursued a part-time degree in Voice/Opera. In 2016, she initiated a music movement for women and co-founded the "aKşam" group, serving as a soloist for seven years. Akyıldız has a special interest in oral culture and began working on storytelling in 2015, aspiring to combine three disciplines. She creates storytelling content for both children and adults, and currently serves as the content editor, host, and narrator for the TRT2 program "Misal." Additionally, she continues to organize concerts aimed at women, working professionally with a 14-member ensemble as part of the women's music movement.