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YGA Summit

by Kuzey Kaan Koltuk

Science Meets Conscience: My Amazing Experience at YGA Summit 2025!

So, What’s YGA Anyway?

YGA (Young Guru Academy) is an international non-profit that started right here in Turkey back in 2000. Their main goal? Raising what they call “double-winged” leaders. Basically, they believe we need two wings to fly: one for science and technology, and the other for conscience and values. It’s all about using tech to make the world a better place! You’ve probably heard of the WeWALK smart cane or Twin Science kits—those were actually dreamed up by YGA volunteers.

Guess what? Out of thousands of people, I was lucky enough to be picked for this year’s YGA Summit! It’s such a big deal for me. Now, my eyes are on the next prize: finishing the second stage to become one of the 30 official volunteers they pick every year. Wish me luck!

Highlights from the Summit: Big Ideas & Even Bigger Names

1. Dreaming Big with Hakan Aran and Ahmet Eren

The summit kicked off with some of the biggest names in Turkey showing how they support young dreamers.

  • Hakan Aran (CEO of İş Bankası): He made a great point! He said tech isn’t about showing off power—it’s about helping people. Their “Science Movement” with YGA isn’t just about coding; it’s about giving kids a whole new way to see the world.
  • Ahmet Eren (Chairman of Eren Holding): He reminded us that real success isn’t just a bunch of numbers on a page. It’s actually about seeing a spark of hope in a child’s eyes in a small village in Anatolia. How cool is that?

2. Science is for Everyone: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toner

Mehmet Toner is a legend who works at Harvard and MIT. He gave us a real-talk session about life. His advice? Don’t be afraid to fail! He told us to look at failure as just another piece of info and to never stop being curious. He thinks the leaders of tomorrow are the ones who can take smart science and use it to help people on the street.

3. Heart-to-Heart on Leadership: Sinan Yaman

When YGA’s founder Sinan Yaman got on stage, he really made us think. He said something I’ll never forget: “Being a volunteer doesn’t mean working for free; it means putting your whole heart into what you do.” It’s not just about being smart; it’s about being a “school of conscience.”

4. Awesome Success Stories: WeWALK, Twin, and Upschool

We got to see how startups born in YGA have gone global. Social entrepreneurs like Asude Altıntaş and Gökhan Meriçliler shared how their tech is helping millions of people. It’s proof that when you combine a smart brain with a good heart, you can really change things!

5. Energy from the Field: Aleyna, Rukiye, and Rakel

The best part? Hearing from the volunteers themselves! Rukiye, a high school student, talked about her internship at İş Bankası, and Aleyna shared how she found her confidence through field work. Even Rakel came all the way from Italy to show that we’re one big global family.

6. The Big Finish: “Finding Your Own Crescendo”

The musician Beril Sarıtun closed the show in the coolest way. She turned the whole hall into a giant drum circle using Ravel’s Bolero! As the rhythm got louder (that’s the “crescendo” part!), it felt like a symbol of all of us coming together to make a huge noise for good.

What’s Next? Going for the Top 30!

This summit wasn’t just an event for me—it’s my new compass. Being around people who care so much about science and kindness has given me so much hope.

I’m so proud to be a YGA candidate. But the journey’s just getting started! If I make it through the next round, I’ll be one of the 30 volunteers for this year. I’ve taken my first step toward being a leader who cares, and now I’m ready to keep that fire burning!

PS: This post was written with the support of AI

#YGA #YGASummit #ScienceAndConscience #FutureLeaders #DoubleWingedYouth

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ActivitiesNature

Pergamon Field Trip

by Kuzey Kaan Koltuk

Last week, we went to Pergamon for a school trip. Pergamon is an ancient city located in İzmir. The distance from our school is nearly 90 km. We saw the ancient theatre, we learned about the Zeus Temple. We visited the museum. And we learned about the onix stone which is special to Pergamon.

WHERE DOES THE NAME BERGAMA COME FROM?

Long before the Hellenes, the Pelasgians and the Luwians lived in Western Anatolia. At that time, the name of Bergama was Parg-a-uma. Perg means “tower” or “fortress” in Arabic, while uma means “people.” The name Pergamon is a word that evolved with the beginning of Hellenization. Today, the name Bergama actually resembles its earliest form, Pargauma, more closely.

The Kingdom of Pergamon, which invented the practice of writing on leather, discovered a more practical writing material than papyrus and named it parchment, meaning “Bergama Paper.”

HISTORICAL SITES OF BERGAMA

The Acropolis:

Among the most important structures of the reign of Eumenes II are the Altar of Zeus, built in commemoration of the victory over the Galatians; the Propylon of the Temple of Athena and its surrounding stoas; the famous Library that housed 200,000 scrolls; the Great Palace; and the city walls.

During this period of growth, earlier structures such as the Temple of Athena and the steepest theater of the ancient world, with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, were preserved. The city expanded in a fan-shaped plan around this core.

The upper city served as the residence of royal families, nobles, scholars, and commanders — therefore, it had a formal and administrative character.

In the middle part of the city, from north to south, were the sacred areas of Hera and Demeter, the Temple of Asclepius, the gymnasiums, and the city fountain. This area contained public spaces not directly connected with administration — places where people could gather freely.

In the lower city, the Lower Agora was surrounded by many shops along the main road leading up to the middle and upper cities, as well as peristyle houses such as the House of Attalos. While the upper agora was situated in a higher position and served a more official function, the lower agora was the commercial center of the city.

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ActivitiesFLL

UNEARTHED – FLL

by Kuzey Kaan Koltuk

Every year, FIRST® LEGO® League releases a new Challenge based on a real-world, scientific theme.

Starting with Discover, children are introduced to the fundamentals of STEM while working together to solve fun challenges and building models using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks.

As participants progress into Explore, children will take their background knowledge of STEM and put it into practice as they work in teams to design and build robots using the LEGO® Education SPIKE Essential. 

Once they are ready to move into a competitive setting, they join Challenge and apply their STEM skills combined with critical thinking to work with a team, build a robot, and compete in an exciting, mission-based robotics game.

This years theme is Unearthed. As you know I’m in my high school FLL team and we are preaparing for the challenge.

I created this video about the challenges that archaeologists face, which is related to our main theme, using Notebook LM. I hope you like it.

 

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Activities

Homer Adventure Park

by Kuzey Kaan Koltuk

Last weekend, we went to the adventure park in Homeros Valley, Izmir. The park is named after Homer, the famous writer who is believed to have lived in this valley. We had a great time at Homeros Adventure Park, joining many fun activities. The park offers things like paintball, airsoft, ATV and UTV safari, adventure courses, team games, camping, art workshops, climbing walls, free fall towers, zip lines, nature walks, and orienteering. You can also have breakfast or lunch there.

Who is Homer?

Homer was a Greek poet known as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the most important works in ancient Greek literature. He is seen as one of the most famous and influential writers in history.

Homer wiki link

Did Homer really live in Izmir?

Some experts say that Homer was born on the island of Chios, while others think he may have been born in Smyrna, which is today’s Izmir. However, some researchers believe that the Iliad and the Odyssey were not written by only one person. They think this because the two poems use different Greek dialects, showing that they might have been created by more than one poet.

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