The Turkish-German Communication Club has been active at the Campus since December, 2010. The main goals of the Club are:
- to familiarize METU Northern Cyprus Campus students with German culture and encourage them to pursue their graduate studies in Germany,
- to foster cultural exchange through activities and events, using the advantages of the diverse and multicultural Campus environment.
An Interview with Abdülkadir Hekimoğlu, President of the Turkish-German Communication Club - Mechanical Engineering Program:
1-Could you tell us about the activities and events organized by the Turkish-German Communication Club?
To attain our goals, we have organized a range of events. For example, we invited Andrea Schuster, representative of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), to give a seminar at the Campus, with a focus on higher education and scholarship opportunities in Germany. The seminar attracted a high number of participants and provided an opportunity for Campus students to find the answers they are looking for. I think this seminar was the most beneficial event the Club has organized so far because the feedback we received was really positive.
In addition, the Club organized semester-long activities such as film screenings and online book reading days that will help students who attend the Basic German 1-2 and Intermediate German 1 classes improve their language proficiency, taking into account the potential benefits of extracurricular activities for a foreign language learner. Within the scope of these film screenings, we spent a lot of time watching German movies, as well as watching movies with the English or German subtitles. During the reading days, we read a set of agreed-upon German books, designed for beginners, and discussed and evaluated each of those books in our group. These extracurricular activities provided us with the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with German culture, to expand our vocabulary and become more fluent at reading. In other words, we improved our language skills by immersing ourselves in the culture and language, while socializing together and having fun.
The new year party, organized in line with the goals of the Club, is also worth mentioning. It attracted students with diverse backgrounds and thus offered the participants the opportunity to engage in cultural exchange with people from around the world. The new year party also raised money for the Campus Scholarship Fund. This was another event which fully met our expectation.
2-What are the future plans of the Club?
We want the Turkish-German Communication Club to gain recognition as a student society not just among students attending German classes, but also with the entire student body. We would like it to become an inclusive society that welcomes students from all backgrounds, including those with an interest in German culture and those who plan to pursue their graduate studies in Germany. Besides, we want to organize more cultural exchange activities in cooperation with other student groups, particularly with the language societies.
Chair: Abdülkadir Hekimoğlu
E-mail: abdulkadir.hekimoglu
metu.edu.tr