SLOVENIA TOUR AND FRIENDSHIP LINK VISIT
As the result of Club member Nükhet İzmiroğlu”s husband’s contacts with the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, a tour to Slovenia is organized with the participation of club members, between September 13-17, 2019.
While determining the route of the tour, taking into consideration of Slovenia and Austria being neighbors, we wanted to visit our friendship link Klagenfurt Soroptimist Club in Austria to meet our Austrian sisters.
Our trip started from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. From the early hours of the morning, we enjoyed all the beauty of the city, accompanied by a sunny day. In the evening we left Ljubljana and came to the city of Ptuj to meet the members of the Ptuj Soroptimist Club for dinner. At the meeting held in a special part of the city”s most popular restaurant, the club members, including the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, the Mayor of Ptuj, the director of the Ptuj library and the head of local administrations, welcomed us with great enthusiasm. Following the presidents” conversation before the dinner, mutual presentations about the activities of both clubs were made.
The next day, we visited the permanent exhibition “Turqueries”, which includes paintings of portraits of peoples in various regions of the Ottoman Empire reflecting the ethnic structure, in the Ptuj Castle built in medieval period. After a short city tour, we set off for Klagenfurt to meet our Austrian sisters. After settling in our hotel, we went to the restaurant where we would have dinner with friendship link members. Few members of the host Club were able to attend this dinner, but we were mutually happy to finally get the chance to meet our Klagenfurt sisters, even though it was our friendship link for many years.
We had the pleasure of being with Soroptimist club members in two different countries abroad in two days. Stopping at Wörthersee which looks like a paradise near Klagenfurt and then the Slovenian city of Bled with its legendary lake, the tour ended after the visit of the museum of the town of Skofia Loca, famous for its medieval architecture.
Club members President Buket Karadeveci, Ayşe Baykan, Emine Nalbantgil, Biltan Ersöz, Aysu Benlioğlu, Demet Kumova, Nükhet Izmiroğlu and İlknur Mateescu from İzmir Soroptimist Club participated the tour. We met with the members of our former friendship link abroad as well as members of a new club in a different country.
We hope that our visit to both the Austrian and Slovenian Soroptimist Clubs reinforces the existing fraternal and friendly relations between our countries and clubs, and creates new friendships.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
International Day of Persons with Disabilities was celebrated on December 3, 2019 at Hamdi Dalan Special Education and Application Center, which was selected as a pilot school to implement club activities.
In addition to the preparation of refreshments by the parents, the Club served cake. The event which strengthened the acquaintance with students and parents was attended by members Aysu Benlioğlu, Buket Karadeveci and Demet Kumova.
NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
The club members organized a New Year party in Hamdi Dalan Special Education and Application Center in December 19, 2019. In order to make a happy start for the New Year, it was aimed to have fun with the autistics. Cakes and cookies were served.
Shawls and berets were given as a present to each person. The members of the club, Ayşe Baykan, Buket Karadeveci, Nihal Akgün, Seher Sever, Biltan Ersöz, Demet Kumova, Aysu Benlioğlu, Nazlı Yolaç, Münire Kiremitçioğlu, Emine Nalbantgil and Ülken İnan participated the event.
REPORT CARD CELEBRATION
A city tour was organized as a report card gift to the students in the houses in Eşrefpaşa, Gediz, Bayraklı and Karabağlar with the total of 55 persons including their mothers. It was thought to be an event that will enable students and their mothers to get acquainted with Izmir and enrich their culture.
On January 29, 2020, Izmir city tour started at the historical clock tower in Konak Square. The history of Izmir was explained, Ancient Agora ruins and Museum of Atatürk in Kordon was visited. The event ended after seeing the Paper Museum after lunch. Club members Ayşe Baykan, Buket Karadeveci and Demet Kumova accompanied the students and their mothers.
A DAY with SCHOLARS (Within the scope of “Scholarship” programme)
A daily trip was organized with scholars to provide an opportunity for them to participate an artistic event and to consist warm relations, in January 31, 2020. Hasan Rastgeldi exhibition at Adnan Saygun Art Center was visited. After lunch at North Pier, the movie “Bal Ülkesi”, which received the Sundance Best Foreign Cinema Award was watched in Karaca cinema. Club members Buket Karadeveci, Ayşe Baykan, Duygu Yurtseven and Merve Çelebi accompanied the scholars for this event.
