Civic Involvement Projects (CIP101) was introduced in 1999 as a compulsory course for all students in all Sabancı University programs. The purpose of the projects are to help individuals perform their responsibilities towards their community both through teamwork and personal initiative. The projects make a difference in the society and ensure continued involvement.

Industrial Engineering program student Akgül Cana Alpaslan speaks about Civic Involvement Project experiences

“Discover Yourself projects really helped me to discover myself and become who I am today”

“I owe some of my greatest memories at Sabancı University to CIP. I am currently an advisor supervisor, and the Discover Yourself projects that I took part in really helped me to discover myself and become who I am today. I saw and experienced the realities of others, and I saw my reflection in black, beady eyes. They taught me about what really mattered and what didn't, more than I taught them. One of my best memories is from the Discover Yourself project in Erzurum, where kids who knew nothing about musicals or classic music until then became able to differentiate between a cello and a double bass by the end of the week. And they were so clever and curious that they started looking for more. In Hatay, there was one kid who said he now understood why it was absurd for him to be embarrassed to wear purple; there were dozens of eyes looking at me inquisitively as we did some experiments, wondering if they could try this at home too.  I took the advice of an elderly resident in a care home that I visited for my first project, so I still keep fresh flowers at home and avoid using my credit card whenever possible. In addition to these life experiences, CIP gave me a number of good friends and put me in an environment where I could freely express myself and thoroughly enjoy the time I spent with them, understanding the beauty of being "me". I learned about how to organize events and lead a team of peers. I am proud to be a member of this community.”