Students in the Fashion Design Department of Vestel Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Van’s Ipekyolu district, eastern Türkiye, are sewing clothes for those in need. While receiving education and learning a trade, these students use their skills to support people in need. Using fabrics they source themselves, the students transform them into clothing, which is then distributed to individuals living in care homes and nursing homes, or students in need at various schools.
Hacer Gündağ, a teacher in the Fashion Design Department, explained that the program includes around 100 students from grades 9 through 12. “We primarily offer education focused on textiles; under the umbrella of fashion design, we prepare students for professions ranging from design to textile engineering,” she said.
Highlighting the school’s social responsibility project, Gündağ added, “The students themselves procure the fabrics, we also support students who are financially disadvantaged, the clothes produced here are typically sent to care homes, nursing homes, or schools with students in need.”
Gündağ noted that the project helps instill a sense of generosity in the students. “Both the recipients and our students feel happy, and the students express interest in participating in future projects,” she shared.
Students involved in the project expressed their satisfaction with being able to produce something meaningful for those in need, saying it brings them happiness.