You can Light a Candle too-University Scholarships

Dear donor,

We have recently published our activity report for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 periods. We would like to share some scholarship figures for these periods.

Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi (ÇYDD) launched the “You can light a candle too” (BISY) Project as part of its University Scholarship Program to support university students across Turkey. Since its inception in 1995, the BISY Project has enabled 65,567 university students to graduate, including 46,044 female and 19,523 male . In the 2023–2024 academic year, 8,941 university students received scholarships through the project and in the 2024–2025 academic year, 9,347 students received scholarships.

Total Number of Scholarship Recipients since the Foundation of the Project

• Total Number of Supported Female University Students: 46,044
• Total Number of Supported Male University Students: 19,523
• Total: 65,567

In the past two years, 1,843 CYDD female high school scholarship students were admitted to various universities. The number of high school students who graduated in June 2025 and who will move on to universities will be known by the end of September.We will be giving them university scholarships along with new scholarship applicants.As usual we need your ongoing support and look forward to it

For 2025-2026, the scholarship amount for one university student per school year is determined as 600$ and it will be paid in 10 monthly installments. 

Kind regards,

Dear donor,

ÇYDD not only provides scholarships to university students but also implements a variety of programs aimed at their personal and professional development. Today, we would like to introduce the Starfish Project, first launched in 2002.This year 320 university students took part in the program.

The main objective of the Starfish Project is to cultivate young volunteers who possess strong scientific thinking and inquiry skills, a high sense of social responsibility, competencies in teamwork and leadership, effective time management abilities, strong public speaking and communication skills, and active participation in planning and reporting processes.

The program offers participants a broad, multidisciplinary curriculum aimed at developing knowledge, skills, and awareness in areas such as:

• Civil Society and Çagdas Yasam Destekleme Dernegi (ÇYDD)
• Effective Communication and Creative Drama
• Presentation Skills
• Project Management and Scientific Research Methods
• Rule of Law, Human Rights, and Women’s Rights
• The Founding Philosophy of the Republic
• Language Awareness and the Theory of Evolution
• History of Revolutions and Urban Citizenship
• Philosophy, Media Literacy, and Social Media Use
• Economics and Globalization
• Arts and Culture (Theatre, Music, Literature, Art History, Archaeology)
• Environmental Policies and Public Health
• Strategic Planning, Artificial Intelligence, and Industry 4.0
• Psychology, Sociology, History of Civilization
• Photography, Branding, NFT Education, and Content Creation

By supporting our scholarship program, you also contribute meaningfully to the personal and professional growth of our students. We sincerely thank you for your valuable support.

Kind regards,