Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry launched a project on Tuesday that aims to involve children in preserving the country's cultural heritage and transferring it to future generations.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy launched the "Cultural Heritage Protectors Project" in Antalya on a pilot basis.
Ersoy, who met with the students within the scope of the project at the Banu-Ufuk Cömertoğlu Primary School in the Aksu district of Antalya, chatted with the youngsters, talked about the importance of cultural heritage and watched the presentations of the expert team.
The minister presented identity cards and badges to the students who received the cultural heritage protection training with Gov. Ersin Yazıcı. He told reporters that they were in Antalya for the pilot implementation of the "Cultural Heritage Protectors Project."
Explaining that the country is home to valuable treasures with the cultural assets from all over Anatolia, Ersoy pointed out that the protection of this treasure is possible with the education given to the students at a young age.
Stating that the treasures found so far are not even 10% of the total waiting to be discovered, Ersoy said: "Since it is presented in the form of a game, we ensure that the information is memorable. We give an identity card and badge to our students who participate in the program. We also provide the relevant notebooks and books."
Underlining that the information is presented through videos and animation, Ersoy said that the expert team created the training program with the narration of the animated characters "Defne" and "Çınar."
If the pilot program proves effective, there are plans to expand the project countrywide.
Explaining the importance of cultural heritage, Ersoy said: "Our goal is to spread this project throughout Turkey with our Ministry of National Education after this year. The important thing is to protect our cultural assets from the moment they are discovered and found, to ensure that the preserved works are exhibited if possible, and to preserve them for future generations."
Ersoy also stated that the students who receive the education will visit museums and see what cultural assets are, adding that they will go on to increase the number of professionals protecting cultural heritage with exemplary work.
