“Don’t be Bored, I am Here”
Students of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) did not forget about the old people who have not been able to go out because of coronavirus threat. 44 volunteer students initiated a “Sıkılma Ben Varım (Don’t be Bored, I am Here)” project for people 65 and over in order for them not to feel alone at home and help them have a pleasant time. Students, who are studying at IUE Faculty of Fine Arts and Design designed games and activities online for the elderly. Students, who chat with them, share memories, and help them with their needs, have been a source of morale and energy for the elderly. Carrying out their project non-stop, students reach the elderly by their own means, and meet them on the internet regularly every week.
OUR STUDENTS DID NOT SIT IDLE BY
Asst. Prof. Didem Kan Kılıç, Lecturer, IUE Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, stated that the project was carried out as part of the “Collective Act” course. Asst. Prof. Didem Kan Kılıç gave detailed information about the project and she said, “The purpose of our course is to prepare a social responsibility project that can meet the needs of the society by concentrating our students' knowledge, experience and abilities on the social and collective aspects of design. In addition to this, we aimed to develop critical perspectives of design students, who take the course, on how to prepare social responsibility projects, and allow them to learn how their attitudes turn into behavior and action as they question what justice and injustice are in their local environment. Our students did not sit idle by this difficult period, and they prepared the ‘Don’t be Bored, I am Here’ project for the elderly.”
THEY RAISED AWARNESS
Asst. Prof. Didem Kan Kılıç stated the following: “We know that people over 65, who have chronic illnesses and have low immune system, are affected more during this period. Therefore, Members of the Collective Act, share the videos created with the target audience on social media in order to prevent the old people from getting bored at home. This way, they raise awareness for the elderly. In addition, they design digital games and activities for people over the age of 65 to ensure the continuity of the campaign. They share their application videos on social media. All posts related to the campaign can be seen from the Instagram account named ‘ieuact4’."