For some students, school seems like a place where you are not allowed to have fun but a group of university students intend to change that for good.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports and university students started a volunteer project called the "Goodness Tree of Youth," which aims to entertain children with numerous events.As a part of the program, the group has started visiting schools in rural areas to organize entertaining activities for students. Recently, the volunteer group visited Arıdağ Şehit Sedat Aktaş Elementary School in Bitlis. The students painted the walls of the school building with the children and then built a playground for the children to enjoy during their breaks. The volunteers also painted the children's faces, turning them into their favorite characters.
Mahfuz Soyugüzel, the coordinator of the Bitlis Youth Center spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) and said the "Goodness Tree of Youth" project encourages university students share their extra time with children.
The volunteers find out which schools are in need for repair or painting and then set out for a trip to the schools, which are usually in rural areas.
"We started painting the walls of school buildings three weeks ago and we will continue to paint until the end of the school year. We first get in touch with the school administration and they give us a list of things that we can help them with. If the school needs a new paint, we do that first. Then the volunteers start drawing pictures on the walls," said Soyugüzel.
The program wants to encourage elementary school children to bring out their creativity while helping them dream of a colorful future.
"We aim to make children love school. We paint the walls with the young volunteers and color the school buildings while making necessary repairs as well. Most of the volunteer students come from universities around Turkey," Soyugüzel added.
For Fatma Yerlikaya, one of the volunteers, putting a smile on children's faces is the ultimate goal of the project.
"They are our future," said Yerlikaya while painting the walls of Arıdağ Şehit Sedat Aktaş Elementary School. "I studied at a village school just like these children. I know how much these kinds of events mean for these children. When they are happy, I put my head on my pillow peacefully at night."
Another volunteer, Rojda Coşkun, has been taking part in similar projects. She said with the new project, they are making school buildings more children friendly.
"I believe children who are studying at schools that are not in the city center are in need of activities at their schools. We are drawing entertaining and instructive characters on the walls, as the children can relate to these characters. We will continue to hold these projects all over Turkey," Coşkun concluded.