Dear Readers ,
We have now reached the age of ten . Ten years amounts to a strong accumulation of memories . Especially when we are talking about the memories stored up in the pages of a magazine . In celebrating this milestone , I would like to express my gratitude towards the editorial board along with all of those who contributed to the production of this very special edition of the CommitTED .
In my view , dreams are the only things which can never be taken away from a person and the individual choices we determine for ourselves are the royal road to realising our most heartfelt dreams .
As a civil society organisation dedicated to the provision of quality educational opportunities , our dreams have always been invested in the youth of Turkey . In order to turn these dreams into reality , we continue to forge ahead relentlessly . It is at this point that I would like to appeal to the families of our students and all of the educationalists in our network , DREAM AND TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO DREAM !
I find the following quote from Malcom Gladwell ’ s ‘ Outliers ’ particularly instructive :
‘’… The tallest oak in the forest is the tallest not just because it grew from the hardiest acorn ; it is the tallest also because no other trees blocked its sunlight , the soil around it was deep and rich , no rabbit chewed through its bark as a sapling and no lumberjack cut it down before it grew large .”
It falls upon us to give free reign to our own oak trees , when necessary to protect them against the harshest of winds , to teach them the way to grow and to flourish to their maximum potential .
So , my greatest wish for the cherished youth of our country is simply this … dream ! Dream for your own future , dream to become the person you want to be , dream for a better world for all . Dream for all of these things but never , ever give up on your dreams . To realise all of your dreams just close your eyes and really think , ‘ What do I need to do ? How can my dreams come true ?’ Once you have asked yourself this question , we will do our very best to help you achieve your dreams .
It is fitting to conclude with some lines from John Lennon ’ s ‘ Imagine ’:
Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today ... No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world ... You may say I ’ m a dreamer but I ’ m not the only one I hope some day you ’ ll join us And the world will live as one
With my sincere best wishes .
Selçuk PEHLİVANOĞLU Turkish Education Association President