On 23rd April, Amazon Türkiye celebrated National Sovereignty and Children's Day with a project at the Smiling Dreams Community House, which Amazon helped established last year in Serinyol, Hatay. With the "Dreams That Make the Future Smile" project, carried out in cooperation with charity Be A Partner to My Dream Community and Istanbul Technical University’s (ITU) faculty of architecture, inventions created by 23 children came to life with 3D printing technology from ITU’s Digital Fabrication course, led by Dr. Asena Kumsal Şen Bayram and Associate Architect Berfin Körükcü. The 3D prototypes of the inventions were gifted to the children to celebrate National Sovereignty and Children's Day.
The Smiling Dreams Community House has so far provided STEM and robotics training to 191 children in Hatay since opening in October 2023. It will continue to support the education of young people in its second year, in partnership with Amazon Türkiye, Be a Partner to My Dream Community, and local stakeholders.
"The students that had the chance to dream together in Hatay created inspiring designs that far exceeded our expectations,” said Dr. Asena Kumsal Şen Bayram of ITU. “Regardless of the age range, all their knowledge, questioning, and solution-oriented approaches were significantly above their age. We encountered a wide range of creative proposals, ranging from flying houses that provide quick solutions to housing problems, robots that can invent anything, balloons that improve your health, instruments that can play notes with artificial intelligence, machines that turn into a GPS signal antenna when necessary, transportable seas so you can swim anywhere, candy trees, and playground robots that distribute toys.”
Amazon Türkiye supports Smiling Dreams Community House for a second year
Immediately after the earthquakes that hit the country in February last year, Amazon Türkiye mobilised its local and global resources to help the region. In cooperation with Be a Partner to My Dream Community and Serinyol El Ele Assistance and Solidarity Association (SEDYAD), Amazon Türkiye launched the Smiling Dreams Community House in order to make a long-term contribution to the wellbeing of earthquake-affected communities. The centre, which hosts many activities - from robotics workshops and painting classes for children, to wicker basket weaving classes and one-to-one psychological counseling sessions - has reached more than 1,260 people since its opening.
Amazon Türkiye Country Manager, Richard Marriott, announced that as a result of the positive impact of the centre in its first year, its activities are being extended for a second year in cooperation with Amazon and Be A Partner to My Dream Community, before being transferred to local stakeholders. He said: "We opened the Smiling Dreams Community House last year to support the education and well-being of children affected by the earthquakes. Today, we are very happy to have made this a place where we can touch the lives of more than 1,260 people. We will continue our work to make a difference in the lives of more children and to support them by extending our project to the second year. On this day, we wanted to gift our children from Hatay the opportunity to live their dreams and encourage them to dream big. Happy April 23rd, National Sovereignty and Children's Day to all our children.”
Atakan Atalar, Founder of Be a Partner to My Dream Community, said: "We firmly believe that every opportunity we provide for our children, together with our belief in them, will enlighten our future. The Smiling Dreams Community House, which we run in cooperation with Amazon Türkiye, has so far touched the lives of more than 1,260 children, young people, and adults after the earthquake disaster, offering them a living space full of hope and solidarity beyond transferring knowledge and skills. This project is a source of great pride for us, and we are happy to carry it into its second year with Amazon Türkiye and thus continue the positive impact it has brought. On this meaningful day, which Atatürk gifted to children, we sincerely congratulate all our children and wish them a bright future where their dreams come true."
