![[The University of Leicester]](../images/unilogo.gif)
The School of Education is welcoming 15 Turkish students and 6 of their lecturers as part of a project on 'Understanding Europeaness and Promoting European Citizenship'.
Our Turkish colleagues will be in Leicester from March 2nd to March 6th and their stay will include a visit to the national Citizenship Foundation in London. A full programme of educational and cultural events has been arranged.
'14 teacher trainees and two members of staff reciprocated with a visit to the University of Usak and Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey at the beginning of April. A full programme of events was undertaken including workshops on Citizenship Education and a visit to a Primary school.
In addition, the group visited the ruins of Ephesus and participated in a Turkish night of singing and dancing. The exchange of ideas and experiences was beneficial to the visitors and to our hosts, who were very welcoming.'
As the part of the final stages of the ‘Understanding Europeanness and Promoting European Citizenship in Turkey’ project, carried out by the Universities of Leicester, Usak, Dokuz Eylül and METU, Ankara, an international Symposium was held at Usak University, Turkey on 28th and 29th May 2009. This was a high profile event that attracted delegates from around Turkey and the European Union. The Symposium began with an address by the Turkish Minister of State for European Accession, Professor Dr. Mehmet Aydin and keynote speeches by Dr. Chris Wilkins of the University of Leicester and Professor Dr. Adnan Sisnan, Rector of the University of Usak.
Dr Wilkins highlighted the challenges for Citizenship Education in Turkey in the run up to joining the European Union. The appearance of the Turkish Minister of State ensured that the Symposium attracted widespread television and newspaper coverage, with the Usak newspaper devoting its front page headlines to the event.
