23/03/2026
The Purple Certificate Program, run by Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) with the support of the Sabancı Foundation, is launching its new term. Aimed at promoting gender equality in educational settings, the program will bring together teachers and teacher candidates for the 19th time this year.
The 2026-2027 term of the Purple Certificate Program, supported by the Sabancı Foundation and conducted within the Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender), is beginning. Implemented to promote gender equality in classroom settings through in-class and out-of-class practices and educational materials, the Purple Certificate Program has been running for 19 years. Within the scope of the program, various activities are organized to promote gender equality in educational settings. This term, the Purple Certificate Program will bring together teachers and teacher candidates for a summer school, an asynchronous training program, and the Gender Equality in Education Awards.
Purple Summer School to be Held in August on Sabancı University Tuzla Campus
The Purple Summer School, the core event of the Purple Certificate Program, will be held on Sabancı University Tuzla Campus from August 17-20, 2026. Beginning as a two-day training program in 2007 and now continuing as a four-day program, the Purple Summer School brings together faculty members who conduct research and teach courses on gender and intersecting fields with teachers and teacher candidates from various branches and levels across different provinces of Türkiye. The summer schools offer sessions on fundamental concepts of gender, literature, philosophy, law, and other areas. Workshops are also held to share teachers' daily life experiences in the context of gender and to contribute to their creative and critical thinking skills. Teachers and teacher candidates from all provinces, levels, and branches can apply to the Purple Summer School.
The first module of the Asynchronous Training Program will provide fundamental knowledge.
The Purple Certificate Program aims to reach a higher number teachers and teacher candidates each year by expanding its capacity to contribute to the creation of gender-sensitive, egalitarian, and inclusive educational environments. In its 19th term, the Purple Certificate Asynchronous Training Program is being implemented for the first time. The first module of this training, which participants can attend remotely via an online platform and manage their own time, aims to provide fundamental knowledge and skills related to gender equality. In the 50-minute training, which includes interactive content and real-life examples, teachers and teacher candidates will focus on questions such as: “What is gender equality?”, “How does discrimination manifest in classrooms?”, “What should we do to create an egalitarian and inclusive classroom environment?”, “What are some examples of best practices we can follow?”
Teachers Promoting Equality to be Awarded for the Fourth Time
The Gender Equality in Education Awards aim to make accessible and disseminate the best practices and initiatives of Purple Certified teachers and teacher candidates who promote and work towards gender equality in their classrooms and schools. Applications for the award program, which will be held for the fourth time in the 2026-2027 period, will open in the coming months, and the award ceremony will take place in January 2027. Certified teachers and teacher candidates who have participated in the Purple Certificate Program and who have undertaken or plan to undertake projects, activities, lesson applications, or material designs related to gender equality, as well as teachers and teacher candidates who have been part of the Purple File production teams, can apply for the awards.
Detailed information and event announcements regarding developments and events within the Purple Certificate Program can be found on the Purple Certificate Instagram account and website.
