By Leon Kurdoglu, Year 13
Six teenagers from Geneva, Deniz Altaş, Ela Avcıoğlu, Anna Theilgaard-Badger, George Konialidis, Kaan Karaca, and Leon Kurdoglu, have come together to create an ambitious education project addressing students affected by the 2023 earthquakes in Malatya, Türkiye. All six students are part of our school community here at LGB, and together they formed Future for Türkiye, an initiative working to create a sustainable learning center in Arguvan, a district of Malatya still facing severe educational challenges after the disaster.
The project began when the students learned about the extensive damage to Malatya’s school system. Of the 62 schools operating in the province before the earthquake, only 16 remained usable afterwards. Thousands of students were sent to distant provinces or placed in overcrowded temporary classrooms. Arguvan, which received many displaced families from surrounding regions, faced additional strain on its already limited resources and teacher capacity. The group decided to take meaningful action upon seeing such conditions.
Future for Türkiye has designed a plan to build the region’s first LEED and Net-Zero certified learning center. The center is planned on a plot of 500 m² with an interior of 200 m², including five classrooms, an IT room, a library, an art and music studio, a study and meeting area, a canteen, and green outdoor spaces. Sustainability is proposed through the use of local materials, renewable energy systems, the reuse of rubble, and the hiring of workers from the local community. When construction is finished, the center will host over 700 students every week to provide academic support for primary, middle, and high school students in preparation for major national exams such as LGS and YKS.
To fund the construction, the group conducted substantial outreach in the Geneva community. From volleyball tournaments, film showings, presentations, to a serious donation campaign, more than $120,000 was raised, well over their initial goal. Swiss and Turkish communities supported them very well. Their website and social media continue to spread the project’s visibility.
But the endeavour goes far beyond academics, with a heavy focus on mental-health support. In partnership with both the Maya Foundation and Reeder, the center will provide group therapy, individual check-ins, and creative workshops to help kids process trauma and regain emotional resilience.
In summer 2025, the group’s members went to Arguvan to complete the project’s protocol work. During this visit, they also presented the project at a major public ceremony attended by thousands of local residents, officials, and supporters. In front of this large audience, the students introduced the vision behind the learning center, explained its sustainable design, and shared how their fundraising and international collaborations made the project possible. Following the presentations, an official agreement was signed. This moment not only marked the formal beginning of the construction phase but also celebrated the combined efforts of the students, local authorities, and the wider community. Construction began shortly after the ceremony, transforming the project from a plan into a tangible reality.
Future for Türkiye shows how youth-led action within our own school can create real, lasting change. Through determination, teamwork, and a commitment to sustainability, these six LGB students are building a center that will support education, healing, and hope for the young people of Malatya.
