Our University extended its educational and scientific expertise beyond the boundaries of the campus throughout 2025 by carrying out numerous educational, informational, awareness-raising, and practical demonstration activities in local schools, special education institutions, villages, shopping centres, and other public spaces where different sections of society could be reached. These activities were conducted with the active and voluntary participation of both academic staff and students, and tailored content was provided to different target groups, including children, young people, families, individuals with special needs, and the general public.
An important indication that off-campus educational outreach activities are institutionalised at our University is the cooperation established with the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of National Education. The University’s list of national protocols for 2025 includes agreements directly related to education in schools and the wider community, such as the Department/Programme and Career Promotion, Academic Counselling, Career Development and Social Cooperation Protocol and the Disaster Awareness Training Cooperation Protocol. In addition, a separate protocol was signed between the Faculty of Dentistry and the Trabzon City Council for preventive oral and dental health education and screenings in special education institutions. These arrangements demonstrate that off-campus educational outreach activities are not isolated initiatives, but are implemented within the framework of institutional cooperation with external stakeholders.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/ulusalprotokoller
Career and Educational Activities in Local Schools
One of the strongest examples in this area is the “Career Journey from Our Academic Staff to High Schools” programme conducted by the KTÜ Career Development Application and Research Centre. Within the programme, KTÜ academics visited local schools and met directly with students, delivering tailored presentations on university education, programme selection, career planning, personal development, and future professions.
For example, during the programme held at Trabzon Social Sciences High School on 20 May 2025, KTÜ academics met with high-school students, introduced the University’s educational opportunities, academic projects, and career prospects associated with different departments, shared their own academic and professional experiences, and concluded the programme with an interactive question-and-answer session.
Similarly, during a visit to Yomra Science High School on 16 May 2025, academics from the Department of Software Development delivered informative presentations on university education, current developments in software development, and career planning, and created an interactive question-and-answer environment with students. This activity represents a clear example of the University transferring its academic expertise directly to secondary-school students outside the campus.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/yzgb/haber/bolumumuzden-yomra-fen-lisesine-ziyaret
The programme was not limited to a single school in 2025. The KTÜ Career Centre’s activity calendar includes career journey events at Gazi Anatolian High School, Affan KitapçıoÄŸlu Anatolian High School, Borsa Ä°stanbul Anatolian High School, Trabzon Social Sciences High School, Yomra Science High School, as well as activities at primary and middle schools. For example, similar activities were also planned at Hasan Tahsin Kırali Primary School, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Middle School, and Cudibey Middle School on 8 April 2025.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/kariyer/etkinlikler
In addition, during a programme held at Trabzon UÄŸur Schools on 5 March 2025, high-school students received education on 21st-century skills, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the professions of the future. This demonstrates that the University’s off-campus educational activities went beyond institutional promotion and also aimed to increase young people’s awareness of current technologies and future-oriented competencies.
Disaster Awareness Training in Schools
Another strong example of off-campus community education is the Disaster Awareness Training Programme conducted by the KTÜ Landslide Application and Research Centre (Landslide UYGAR) in cooperation with the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of National Education. The cooperation protocol signed on 11 February 2025 aims to provide train-the-trainer education for teachers and to conduct information and awareness activities, particularly for primary and secondary school students, on natural disasters. The protocol establishes a systematic educational model through which the University transfers its scientific expertise in disaster risk directly to local schools.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/ulusalprotokoller
These activities were implemented in the field during 2025. For example, Disaster Awareness Training was delivered at Trabzon Kutlugün Primary School on 14 May 2025. Similarly, a disaster awareness training programme was held at TED Trabzon College on 17 October 2025.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/huam/haber/afet-farkindalik-egitimleri-kapsaminda-kutlugun-ilkokulundaydik
https://bilgiislem.ktu.edu.tr/huam/haber/ktu-heyelan-uygar-afet-farkindalik-egitimleri
The University’s institutional evaluation data indicate that the programme continued without interruption throughout 2024 and 2025 and reached approximately 1,000 students in more than 20 schools. This scale demonstrates that the outreach programme was implemented as an ongoing and widespread initiative rather than as a series of one-off school visits.
Community Health Education – Forum Shopping Centre
Our University’s outreach activities are not limited to schools. Between 17 and 19 March 2025, the Department of Nursing at the KTÜ Faculty of Health Sciences organised a three-day community awareness education programme directly for the public at Trabzon Forum Shopping Centre. Under the coordination of academic staff and within the scope of the Internal Medicine Nursing Practice course, fourth-year Nursing students provided public education on “Protecting Lung Health,” “Hypertension and Heart Attack,” and “Early Diagnosis and Screening Methods in Cancer.”
The activity went beyond theoretical information. Citizens also had their blood pressure measured and were provided with feedback and information based on the results. During the event, the blood pressure of approximately 700 people was measured, and strong participation from the people of Trabzon was reported. This activity represents a particularly strong example of education outreach beyond campus, as it brought academic knowledge and student-led health education directly into the community and combined practical demonstrations with public health education.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sbf/haber/ktu-hemsirelik-bolumunden-toplum-sagligina-katki
Off-Campus Education for Individuals with Special Needs
The Faculty of Dentistry also implemented a comprehensive outreach programme in 2025 that directly reached special education institutions and individuals with special needs. The Protocol for Supporting Social Projects and Organising Educational Seminars, signed with the Trabzon City Council on 15 May 2025, provides for preventive dentistry services, screening, and educational activities in special education schools, the Accessible Life Academy, and the Special Hearts Education Building. The protocol explicitly states that KTÜ will provide academic staff, students, and healthcare personnel for these activities.
During 2025, this protocol was implemented in the field through oral and dental health education and awareness activities at several institutions, including Trabzon Karadeniz Special Education Vocational School, ErdoÄŸan Vocational Education and Practice School, Çamlık Primary and Middle School for the Hearing Impaired and Special Education Vocational High School, GazipaÅŸa Special Education Practice School, and Ömer Burak Terzi Special Education Kindergarten. The Faculty of Dentistry’s 2025 bulletin clearly documents that these activities were extended across multiple special education institutions.
In addition, oral and dental health screening was carried out for individuals with special needs at the Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Accessible Life Academy, representing a direct field implementation of the education and social responsibility protocol signed with the Trabzon City Council.
Off-campus activities for students with special needs also involved direct student participation. For example, at Sarıtaş Special Education Practice School, first-year students from the Faculty of Dentistry, within the scope of the Social Awareness Projects course, provided school students with basic information on the protection of oral and dental health in a clear and age-appropriate manner. In this way, University students were not only recipients of education, but also became active contributors to community education under academic supervision.
Education for Children and Families in Villages
Another important example of off-campus education is the “Smiling Saplings” project. Within the scope of the Faculty of Dentistry’s Social Awareness course and in cooperation with Ortahisar Municipality, the project team visited Kutlugün Village and provided children and their parents with education on oral and dental health, dental caries, treatment methods, and preventive practices. Children whose families wished to participate also received oral examinations and feedback. Following the educational presentation, tree planting was carried out together with the children.
This activity combined tailored health education, practical health services, and environmental awareness, making it a strong example of community-based educational outreach beyond campus.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/dents/haber/gulumseyen-fidanlar
Voluntary Student-Run Off-Campus Projects
The indicator specifically includes voluntary student-run schemes, and our University has concrete examples of such activities. One example is the “Small Steps, Big Gains – Village School Project” carried out by the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics together with the KTÜ-GEN student community.
Within the scope of the project, educational materials were collected by students, staff, and volunteers for children studying in village schools. Subsequently, on 15 October 2025, BaÅŸar Primary School in Maçka was visited with the participation of KTÜ-GEN students, and the collected materials were delivered to the pupils. The project team also discussed future joint activities with the school administration. This initiative demonstrates the direct involvement of students in voluntary off-campus social responsibility activities aimed at supporting equal educational opportunities.
Community Health Awareness Beyond Campus
Our University’s off-campus educational outreach activities also extend to other public venues. For example, in 2025, the “Once Upon a Kidney / My Kidney Speaks” Kidney Health Protection and Awareness Exhibition was held at the Hamamizade Ä°hsan Bey Culture and Art Centre in Trabzon city centre. The event aimed to raise public awareness about kidney health and organ donation and represents another example of the University bringing its knowledge directly to the urban community.
The related protocol between the University and the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of National Education also explicitly provides for educational activities in schools for students and parents on the protection of kidney health and organ donation.
Evidence:
https://bilgiislem.ktu.edu.tr/kik/etkinlikler
In conclusion, throughout 2025 our University systematically extended its educational and community engagement activities beyond the boundaries of the campus. Career and vocational guidance delivered in local primary, middle and high schools, disaster awareness programmes conducted in different schools, oral and dental health education and practical demonstrations in special education institutions, community health education at Forum Shopping Centre reaching approximately 700 citizens, health education for children and families in villages, and voluntary village-school projects led by student communities all demonstrate that our University transfers its educational expertise directly to different sections of society.
