Turkish Cultural Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Wagner
Phone: 202-596-6102
Email: brianw@brownlloydjames.com
Local Teachers Embark on Learning Tour of Turkey
June 16, 2011 – On June 19, three teachers from the St. Louis area will depart for Turkey as part of the Teacher Study Tours program organized and sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF), in cooperation with the World Affairs Council of America.
The local teachers, selected by the World Affairs Council of St. Louis, are part of a group of 57 middle school and high school teachers who will visit Turkey this summer. They come from Webster Groves High School, Rosati-Kain High School, and Brunswick R-II. All the trip participants attended multiple educational sessions before being selected to participate in the trip.
Upon their return from the 14-day tour, the teachers will work with the World Affairs Council of St. Louis to develop cultural and educational programs that introduce Turkey to the local community and in their classrooms.
Beginning their travels in Istanbul, the teachers will visit such famous landmarks as the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. The tour will take the teachers through Western Turkey, visiting Ephesus, the Basilica of St. John, the site of ancient Troy and Gallipoli, where one of the most famous World War I battles was fought. On the tour, teachers will meet with representatives of civil society organizations, participate in workshops by Turkish artists, and get the chance to meet fellow Turkish teachers and students at schools visits. The tour will end in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, where teachers will visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, as well as the National War of Liberation Museum and the Museum on Anatolian Civilizations.
Since the program’s inception, TCF has introduced 291 American educators to the history, culture and landmarks of Turkey. As part of the same collaborative program, nearly 2,500 teachers across the United States have attended educational workshops on Turkey held by local World Affairs Councils.
The teachers and the trip organizers are available for comment upon request.
For more information about the Turkish Cultural Foundation, with offices in Boston, Detroit, Istanbul, Sonoma, and Washington, DC, visit www.turkishculturalfoundation.org.
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