Turkey summer youth programs expand

In late July 2026 local authorities in Kars and Çaldıran combined short‑term Qur’an lessons with traffic‑safety talks and a football tournament, while the Turkish Red Crescent’s Alaplı branch served refreshments to about 200 children. The Ministry of Youth and Sports soon extended the scheme to the border district of Ceylanpınar, Şanlıurfa, where a Youth Center ran daily programmes for roughly 350 youngsters, mixing Qur’an study with football, volleyball, gymnastics, archery and swimming. On 7 August District Mufti Hamza Köse visited seven courses in Bor, emphasizing moral and religious development; the Red Crescent again provided cake and drinks. In Gaziantep, the volunteer group Peygamber Sevdalıları held a closing ceremony, and a kort‑tennis school opened in Muş under the Ministry’s Summer Sports Schools programme, with provincial director Yusuf Kılıç noting strong enrolment and the aim to keep youth active. Parallel community events were reported nationwide. Kindergarteners in Edirne’s Keşan district staged a cultural showcase on Elazığ; Taşkent district organised a mufti‑led picnic for Qur’an‑course participants; Efeler municipality opened an autism‑life centre workshop for special‑needs youths; and Çameli celebrated its 10th Culture, Tourism, Agriculture and Nature Sports Festival. Additional activities included the fifth NebiyanFest in Samsun with a mehter band, archery and mountain‑bike competitions; a traditional family picnic in İspir, Erzurum; the “Yeşeren Eller” project in Ardahan’s Çıldır teaching agriculture and environmental skills; a ceremony in Merkezefendi, Denizli honouring a hafız student; and a ceremony in Gaziantep awarding 77 hafız certificates. Recent developments include continued festivities in Çameli, Denizli, where the 10th annual festival featured a concert by Songül Karlı. Educational and religious activities remained active, with summer Quran courses in Malatya concluding with student performances, a picnic for students in Konya's Taşkent district, and the laying of a new Quran course foundation in Bozkır's Hamzalar neighborhood.