Every year, the Koç Group companies work to improve our society by fostering and implementing many outstanding education projects.

The purpose of the "Standing United for Education” social responsibility program, launched by Arçelik in 2004 in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education is to promote personal development amongst primary school children. In 2008, the program reached 130,000 students in 179 schools in 43 provinces throughout Turkey. The program aids over 200,000 students in 300 regional primary education boarding schools to prepare themselves for life as Turkey’s next generation of leaders.

"The Standing United for Education" program consists of three projects: “Our Room,” “Educational Scholarships,” and the “Volunteer Family Association.” In 2008, the Our Room project furnished 179 rooms with educational books, toys, and other supplementary materials to aid students separated from their families and to provide them with a place to have fun. A total of 530 students received high school scholarships between 2004 and 2008 through the Educational Scholarships project, which is designed to support students who remain at the top of their classes throughout their high school education. "The Volunteer Family" project, consisting of Arçelik employees and distributors, has many activities that help students to mature both socially and culturally, increasing their self-confidence, awareness, and growth as they look to the future as Turkey’s new generation of leaders.

Based thematically on the project, “Let’s Protect our Environment and Preserve our Natural Resources,” an essay, poetry, and drawing contest was organized in 2008 as part of the activities of Arçelik’s "Standing United for Education". The achievements of the participating students were compiled in a book, Standing United for Education with Arçelik, a corporate social responsibility program.

Since 2002, Aygaz has led the “Conscientious Children–Accident Awareness Campaign” together with the Provincial Directorates for National Education to raise safety awareness among children. The content of the campaign was revised in 2008 with an increased level of public awareness towards the environment, energy conservation, and preventive healthcare. Every year, the campaign’s team of experts sets out on a tour of Turkey to visit primary schools to present seminars for students on home accidents, earthquakes, fires, traffic laws, preventive healthcare, first aid, conservation, and the environment. In 2008, 12,695 students at over 40 primary schools in 11 provinces were visited by the Aygaz team. This project has now reached over 350,000 primary school students who have benefited from the Conscientious Children–Accident Awareness Campaign since 2002.

After building and donating four elementary schools in several provinces in Turkey and a high school in Anatolia, the second Anatolian high school built by Opet, opened its doors to students in Marmara Ereğlisi. The Opet Anatolian high school, situated on an 8,600-m2 tract of land, was built with the capacity to educate 480 students, with 16 classrooms including a music room and an art room. In addition to physics, biology, and chemistry laboratories, the school houses a computer lab, a library, cafeteria, and a multipurpose indoor gymnasium where a wide variety of sports activities may be held. In addition to the generous gifts of schools and educational facilities, Opet’s contributions to education include scholarships given to over 3,000 students since 1996.

 Supplementing Opet’s efforts, Aygaz donates extra computers, copiers, furniture, and office supplies to schools in need. A total of 12 computers, 131 pieces of furniture, and a full range of office supplies have been donated to nearly 20 schools in different regions.

On April 23, National Independence and Children’s Day, Otokar showed previews of the animated film, Horton Hears a Who, for their employees’ children as well as for children at Arifiye Nursery of the Turkish Social Services and Child Protection Agency.

In connection with the Vocational Education: A Crucial Matter for the Nation Project, Tofaş started the Fiat Technical Training program in Bursa in 2006 to train employees for the automotive sector. In 2008, a protocol was signed to develop the program, and nine additional Fiat laboratories were established in other districts throughout Turkey. In total, 11,120 people received service-intern training from lab directors and teaching staff at the Fiat Training Centre in Bursa. Due to the efforts of this project, in 3 years, 1300 students will have experienced enhanced learning opportunities. A course to provide the expertise needed at automotive service stations has also been established within this vocational program. In addition, efforts are underway to integrate the Fiat lab students into the program so they can fully enjoy the benefits and personal development opportunities provided in this scholarship program.

With the project, Umbrella Act – 100 Smiling Faces in Batman, Tüpraş reaches out to students in Batman who have poor social skills, as well as a deficient education coupled with insufficient parental care, thus making it difficult for them to find their way in this province with a large immigrant population. This project also reaches out to parents unable to provide adequate psychological and emotional support to their children. These inadequacies may be caused by an array of problems including lack of awareness, poor intra-familial communication, and an increasing incidence of domestic violence. Teachers of these at-risk children previously had limited access to resources to learn more about adolescent psychology and personal and professional development. The project to help this immigrant population adapt to urban life was brought to life in collaboration with the Governorship of Batman, the Provincial Directorate for National Education, and the Provincial Directorate for Health, as well as school principals, teachers, and local community leaders. Some 100 students, including 20 students receiving scholarships from the Vocational Education: A Crucial Matter for the Nation project, their families, 65 project teachers, two villages, three central neighbourhood community leaders, and Tüpraş volunteers all participated in a wide range of activities. These included: education seminars, discussion panels, film presentations and stage performances, musical performances, sports competitions, April 23 Children’s Day activities, and picnics. Highly emotional letters from participating children clearly indicated that most of these activities were a first for many of them, and that the events provided them with unforgettable memories.

Tüpraş has committed to a two-year sponsorship to operate six Firefly Mobile Learning Units of the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV).

Yapı Kredi supports the creative project, I Read and Play, in partnership with TEGV (educational volunteers). The project intends to help primary school students with limited financial resources to receive a contemporary education that encourages curiosity and creativity, as well as providing educationally-oriented extracurricular activities. The project’s four activity periods were put into practice nationwide at TEGV’s 11 education parks and 55 learning centres from February 2008 to January 2009, a period that witnessed 18,718 children partake in I Read and Play.

Two other significant events were also held during 2008: the Local Reading Days, where children met with the authors of stories the children had read; and Street Theatre, with over 500 children attending.

  
Yapı Kredi implemented the project, Unlimited Blue in collaboration with the Deniz Temiz (Clean Sea) Foundation/Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA) and the Ministry of National Education to raise the awareness of primary and high school students in safeguarding our natural resources. The Unlimited Blue project trains two teachers from every school in the coastal areas and sub-provinces so that these teachers can give Unlimited Blue seminars to students at their respective schools. By the end of 2008, a total of 2,973,284 students and 8,586 teachers at 5,023 schools in 11 provinces received training as part of this project.

Yapı Kredi also participates in a project initiated by the Boğaziçi University Foundation to put Boğaziçi University’s legendary boys dormitory, Hamlin Hall back into service as a comfortably renovated, modern dormitory.