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"International Summer School for Intercultural Leadership" Program Held at BAU
A panel on "Migration Dynamics and Issues in a Globalizing World" was held at Bahçeşehir University South Campus with Aladdin Project General Director Abe Radkin, Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Cihad Erginay, and highly distinguished experts in the field.
Bahçeşehir University (BAU) is hosting the 'International Summer School for Intercultural Leadership' program supported by UNESCO and the European Commission. The two-week International Summer School opened with the participation of historian Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı. Referring to the importance of the topics in his speech, Ortaylı said: "Türkiye today hosts 3.5 million Syrians. This can sometimes cause reactions, but we are more or less in a migration process and this is a temporary situation. Syrians have brought new production techniques to some provinces."
At the 'International Summer School for Intercultural Leadership' of the Aladdin Project, held in a different country every summer, issues such as migration and xenophobia were discussed this year.
In addition to historian İlber Ortaylı, the program hosted by BAU was attended by Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cihat Erginay, BAU President Prof. Dr. Şenay Yalçın, President of the Aladdin Project Dr. Leah Pisar, Sylvie Rocard, wife of former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, and French Consul General Bertrand Buch Walter.
"MIGRATION CREATES MODERN BEAUTY AND MODERN INTELLIGENCE"
Historian and writer Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı said he was very happy to be invited to the program. Stating that migration is a reality that created human history and modern civilization, Ortaylı said: "Migration creates modern beauty and modern intelligence. All scientific observations and studies prove this very well. Only a very small population of the modern world has not been affected by migration. All the rest of humanity has experienced the effects of migration and refugee influxes."
Ortaylı continued:
"THE MIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES ARE PRODUCTS OF MIGRATION"
"Real progress is possible through the mixing of races and nations. All Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries are products of migration. Today, Mediterranean countries, especially the southern Mediterranean regions, are perhaps economically somewhat behind other regions. But modern migration proves that these people and this migration have the capacity to develop and make progress. They have the capacity to integrate into the New World.
"SYRIANS HAVE BROUGHT NEW PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES TO SOME PROVINCES"
Türkiye today hosts 3.5 million Syrians. This can sometimes cause reactions, but we are more or less in a migration process and this is a temporary situation. Syrians have brought new production techniques to some provinces. For example, 35 percent of Türkiye's leather shoe production takes place in Hatay. More than 2,000 companies are financed by Syrians. This creates jobs for Syrians and they employ their own workers. Syrian students attending schools in Türkiye have made progress and can communicate in another language, because Syria largely preserved this culture of development in its culture. The biggest problem in Syria has always been the unawareness of the state and the military. Iraq and Syria are examples of what can happen without a properly functioning state and army.
"WE MUST NOW THINK ABOUT A NEW WORLD ORDER"
The 20th century does not take children into account. People may migrate; migration is an inevitable reality. People can go from one point of the world to another. Sometimes this happens in a huge wave of migration, sometimes in groups. The world will definitely turn into an airport, and we all belong to this airport. There is no exception. We must now think about a new world order. First of all, people must forget about building military walls against each other. We must establish an international police force. I think this is truly the only solution that can prevent the abuse of children's rights and illegal child trafficking. I am very happy that such institutions exist today. Instead of blaming each other, we now talk about how to understand each other and discuss problems. Perhaps we will reach a solution this way."
"STUDENTS IN THE PROJECT MAY BECOME WORLD LEADERS IN THE FUTURE"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ulaş Sunata, Founding Director of the Bahçeşehir University Center for Migration and Urban Studies (BAUMUS), gave information about the project. Stating that the students at the summer school, attended by more than 60 students, will become world leaders in the future, Sunata said: "The students we have accepted are students who will become the world's leaders in the future, and we want them to discuss various values together and produce new projects. During this process, the students, who take classes from many professors, will develop projects in the afternoons. What we expect from this is future collaborations, understanding how each other view migration and refugees, and for intercultural communication to actually begin here."
