On Wednesday the 23rd of March, Affinity vice president Ahmet Keskin and members visited the Kinross Wolaroi School
in Orange accompanied by Ruveyda Ozturk and Ahmet Ozturk together with Auburn Sule College principal Ahmet Yamakoglu and Prestons Sule College teacher Gokhan Kot . The visit was arranged in line with the school's Harmony Day celebrations and also was a reunion for the January 2011 Tour of Turkey group.
The team from Sydney were met with a very warm welcome by the school staff, including the teachers who went to the Tour of Turkey in January, the principal and members of staff. After a short introductory session, the guests were given the opportunity to address the school assembly comprising all the students and teachers of the school. Mr Yamakoglu presented about the importance of value added education in social harmony and the achievements of his school in this respect. Following, Ruveyda Ozturk spoke shortly about Islam and her experiences of being a Muslim in Australia. Ahmet Keskin reflected on the significance of Harmony day in carrying Australia forward and thanked the school and staff on behalf of Affinity Intercultural Foundation.
The visitors were taken on an extensive tour of the school and were asked to talk to small groups of students. Short presentations were made on the significance of Hajj in Islam as well as on the spiritual leader Fethullah Gulen and his influence on the dialogue oriented peace movement around the world. Students showed great interest in all topics, asking many questions and making positive comments.The visit concluded with a nice afternoon tea and heartfelt conversations. The hosts and visitors exchanged gifts as a reflection of their appreciation and the group left Orange with promises of future get-togethers.
