A Donor's Passion for Mindfulness and Care for a Community of Women
In today’s world, youth face many stressful moments, but how they react to them can make all the difference.
A new study done by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, MIT, and Transforming Education suggests that mindfulness education — lessons on techniques to calm the mind and body — can reduce the negative effects of stress and increase students’ ability to stay engaged, helping them stay on track academically and avoid behavior problems. TPF donor, Seray İncoğlu, first-handedly experienced the difference mindfulness practice can make in one’s life. Seray, a mother of two and a very successful professional in finance, was introduced to mindfulness later in life. “As soon as I started to practice it, my life completely changed – it was as if a light switch had turned on in my head. I wish I had learned about mindfulness at a younger age. Practicing mindfulness has countless benefits, including decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress and improving overall well-being, happiness, and self-love,” she stated. “Mindfulness practice teaches us to focus on the present without judgment. It teaches us to weather the daily pressures of life by focusing on and controlling our own thoughts and actions today. It also reminds us that we all have limitless potential. I knew having this knowledge could change many people’s lives, especially those who are already facing disadvantages in their life,” added Seray.
Seray’s personal philanthropic journey with TPF started when she reached out to get advice on supporting education in Türkiye. “I was brought up in a household where education was extremely important. My father and mother were great mentors in this regard. Education is one of the strongest instruments for many different facets of life – education promotes self-love, respect, and awareness; it reduces poverty improves gender equality, and endorses world peace.” Seray knew she wanted to support causes working in this area in Türkiye but was unsure where to start. Conversations with TPF evolved into a place where she dived deeper into what her real passion was. She wanted to make quality education available to all, but “was that all?” she found herself questioning. The outcome of her pursuit through conversations with TPF was the establishment of a pilot mindfulness program with Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (ÇYDD) Şile branch.
As Seray searched for ways to have the most impact on a young person’s life through education, she found herself looking for a solution involving introducing mindfulness. Seray believes that the traditional education system lacks the resources to provide adequate psychological and mental support or teach the proper coping mechanisms. “Life is truly beautiful, but it can certainly be a very busy, chaotic at times, and sometimes cruel. It can be even harder for kids to understand and cope with all of these issues that we face in everyday life. Financial distress, family trauma, and societal pressures can lead to depression in many kids and teens. Depression numbers in teens are rising at a staggering rate. Roughly 20 percent of all teens experience depression before adulthood. And, unfortunately, severe depression can lead to suicide. Every 100 minutes, a teen takes his/her life.” “That is just not acceptable,” Seray believed, so she decided to make a difference in that area.
ÇYDD’s pilot project supports young women aged 13-17 who are already ÇYDD scholarship recipients by training them on mindfulness practices. The “Stay in the Moment” program launched in January 2022 in Şile, İstanbul, as a 10-week, 20-hour program. Young women practiced mindfulness to help them manage their emotions in their daily lives. They learned the tools needed to stay calm, trust themselves, respond without reacting, and stop living in constant worry. Practicing mindfulness helped those young women notice their emotions and shift to more neutral thinking, like how their breath feels as they inhale and exhale. One program attendee said, “Learning to be mindful helped me manage my emotions and helped me tackle challenges. I know I can slow down my thoughts and focus on the present now. I am still working on responding without reacting, but I also understand that even being aware of that is a big step.”
What started as a hope for ‘young women in Türkiye to unlock their own power within and see that they truly are limitless’ transformed into a project with the guidance of TPF for Seray. Seray says, “TPF is a great platform where like-minded individuals can unite to share resources and ideas on giving back.” As TPF worked with Seray to find a project that is both meaningful to her and could have a long-term impact, no one thought of an outcome such as the mindfulness program. Yet, once again, we have seen that our donors’ passion for giving and care for the community, combined with our philanthropic expertise, make us an incredible team. And, our greatest impact is made possible through our generous donors’ contributions. Thank you, Seray, for being an inspiration not only to us but to many young women in Türkiye.