ISTANBUL MARMARA EDUCATION FOUNDATION (IMEV)
A better future is only possible with a well-educated society. With this mission, the Istanbul Marmara Education Foundation (IMEV) has been truly honoring the concept of “foundation” twenty nine years, serving our society through Marmara College and Maltepe University, both located within the Marmara Education Village.
The foundation of a society is education, and the foundation of education is values. Our foundation is determined to carry into the future the values rooted in the centuries-old traditions of our society, which has lived in unity based on principles of tolerance, solidarity, and sharing. Committed to continuing the tradition of foundations while adapting to the needs of today’s society, IMEV offers fertile ground where these principles and values can flourish.
These spaces are open to all and meant to be shared with everyone. IMEV places particular focus on opportunities for collaboration with young people, who represent the future of our country. It organizes numerous events to highlight the importance of learning how to learn and actively participates as a stakeholder in various other activities.
Founded by Hüseyin Şimşek in 1996, IMEV has made a name for itself across many fields through its more than twenty years of dedicated work. A key feature of these efforts is their consistency and deeply rooted structure.
Our Foundation President, Hüseyin Şimşek, launched our foundation’s mission-driven activities on November 1, 1996. Shortly afterward, in 1997, one of his greatest goals was realized with the establishment of Maltepe University.
Among IMEV’s educational projects is the Adult Literacy Campaign, launched in 2001 and still continuing today with the same initial enthusiasm. Through the courses opened to date, 17131 participants have earned literacy certificates, and 2615 have received primary school diplomas. The majority of participants are women between the ages of 16 and 75. Some of the younger participants who learned to read and write in these courses have gone on to complete open primary and high school education through public education centers—and even entered university. To support employment opportunities, IMEV also offers courses in ceramics, tile-making, sculpture, and handicrafts, enabling participants to benefit from vocational skills and training programs.
To share a few memories from our participants:
Hatice Gülsu, 47 years old, is the mother of a fallen soldier. She lost her son in southeastern Turkey. When she came to the literacy courses, she told us:
"I couldn’t read my son’s ID card, I couldn’t read his letters. I couldn’t even read the inscription on the tombstone I visit every day. That’s why I joined this course."
Another participant, Sahure Barutçu, 53 years old, expressed her anger by saying:
"I’m furious at the ignorance that kept us uneducated."
In collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, IMEV initiated the Philosophy Talks, which have been held since 2001. These talks sparked a tradition of bringing philosophy to the public in Istanbul.
Another meaningful tradition born out of the foundation-university collaboration is the Family School, which started in 2002 and still continues today. IMEV also supported "Philosophy and Psychology for Philosophy Teachers" training programs in 2001 and 2002.
In short, the Foundation and the University have truly united in their passion for education.
IMEV also supports the activities of SOYAÇ (Application and Research Center for Children Living and Working on the Streets), a center operating within our university, continuing to provide literacy education to children living and working on the streets who are unable to read and write.
n partnership with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, IMEV organizes Urban Adaptation Panels to support citizens who have migrated to large cities, helping them adapt through education and culture. These efforts also aim to raise the education level of local communities and improve their quality of life.
As part of the Community Service Practices course, students from the Faculty of Education provide free preparatory courses in Turkish, Mathematics, Geometry, English, Science, and Social Studies to students in nearby primary, middle, and high schools who are unable to attend paid courses due to financial constraints.
Under its Social Sensitivity Project, IMEV collaborates with students from the Department of Psychology at Maltepe University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences to deliver social skills training for 4-year-old children and their mothers, specifically for children who have not had access to preschool education.
IMEV provides scholarships for education, accommodation, meals, and essential needs to successful students who are unable to continue their education due to socioeconomic hardship or who have lost their families in natural disasters. It also organizes various events to implement and sustain the “Be a Hope for a Student’s Future” project.
In the field of health, IMEV carries out projects in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Maltepe University. It conducts health screenings in areas with a high concentration of low-income citizens and organizes informative sessions on general health topics, aiming to find solutions to common health problems. Under the slogan “Saving Lives Is in Your Blood”, IMEV organizes blood donation campaigns twice a year, as well as tree planting, book, stationery, toy, and clothing drives to meet community needs.
With students from Marmara College, IMEV continues the “Life Cannot Be Hindered” project, organizes wheelchair donation campaigns, offers first aid courses for volunteers annually, and provides search and rescue training. It also organizes science fairs, author meet-and-greets, educational symposiums, sports events, exhibitions, theater performances, and book fairs, offering support to teachers, students, and families in every possible way.
Foundation founder Hüseyin Şimşek describes the foundation’s mission as follows:
“Sharing what we have with those in need without expecting anything in return, and making this tradition a continuous one, is a human duty. I see it as a privilege to have turned this duty into my profession.
Since the dawn of humanity, people have sought immortality. You only need to look at works of art to see this search. Foundations offer another form of immortality—one without names, people, or signatures… What truly remains is the immortal joy of sharing and the mutual happiness it brings.
I am fully committed to using this chance I’ve been given to its fullest, to reach more people and share even more, working tirelessly with my team.”
IMEV carries out many projects simultaneously, but they all unite under one common goal: Raising healthy generations. This emphasis on health goes beyond physical well-being—it means nurturing individuals who look to the future with hope, who are beneficial to themselves and their social environment, who nourish that environment, and who crown it with success.
Here’s to many more years ahead…