Initiated as a TUBITAK project by one of the most active psychologists in the world, late Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Kağıtçıbaşı, shortly before her passing and, successfully continued to be carried out by her team members, the Positive Youth Development (PERGEL) program has been launched forth for the first-time outside of Turkey, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
As a result of the PERGEL trainings conducted in last January with the coordination of Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Chair of Psychology Department Prof. Dr. Fatih Bayraktar, academic personnel members Assist. Prof. Dr. Dilek Çelik and Assist. Prof. Dr. Şerif Türkkal Yenigüç, total of 17 Specialist Psychologists and Specialist Counselling Psychologists qualified to receive the title of PERSEL Trainer. In this context, in April, PERGEL program has been started to be implemented in schools especially located in Famagusta which is the district most affected by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake disaster. Applications began in Famagusta Turkish Maarif College, Çanakkale Secondary School and Canbulat Secondary School as well as SOS Children’s Village. The weekly supervision meetings funded by Cyprus Turkish Education Foundation (KTEV) continues to be held every Friday at 01:00 p.m.
In this context, especially in Gazimağusa, which is the district most affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, applications began in April at Gazimağusa Turkish Maarif College, Çanakkale Middle School, and Canbulat Middle School, as well as at the SOS Children's Village. Weekly supervision meetings, supported by the Cyprus Turkish Education Foundation, are systematically held every Friday at 13:00.
Making a statement on the topic, Chair of EMU Department of Psychology Prof. Dr. Fatih Bayraktar said: “We are happy and proud to have brought the PERGEL program to the TRNC through the collaboration of academia, non-governmental organizations, and municipalities in Turkey, which has been successfully implemented for years. Currently, the applications being conducted in four separate centers will continue until mid-July. These applications mark a beginning, and in the coming years, we will continue to implement PERGEL for both adolescents and parents”.