President Erdoğan addresses youth at TÜGVA Summer Schools Final program

Highlights from President Erdoğan's remarks are as follows:

We are together in our beautiful Istanbul, where the seven hills smile at each other like siblings, where blue winds blow in the Bosphorus, and where the spirit of conquest is etched into hearts; in this beautiful atmosphere that resembles a colorful flower garden. I am filled with the joy of being together with you, our youth, who are the symbols of hope, love, enlightenment, and the future.

THE TEKNOFEST GENERATION IS SHAKING THE EARTH AND SKY

The architects of the Century of Türkiye are, mashallah, once again impressive with their enthusiasm, excitement, and passion. The pathfinders of a great and powerful Türkiye, the TEKNOFEST generation, are, mashallah, once again shaking the earth and sky. Seeing you so cheerful, so enthusiastic, makes us very happy. I thank each and every one of you for this magnificent picture, for this tremendous scene.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), which was instrumental in bringing us together with our youth in such a beautiful program, and for the Ali Sami Yen Stadium being packed today.

I also, personally and as President, extend my thanks to the valuable administrators of the Galatasaray Club, who made this possible, for this program prepared by TÜGVA. I congratulate all my brothers and sisters who contributed to this colorful organization that decorated this stadium with you, seventy thousand flowers, each of the same color.

From here, I send my greetings to all the youth who are following us, praying for us, and whose hearts beat with ours even if they are far away, in our heartland and in different regions of the world. I wholeheartedly greet all our children, your Palestinian and Lebanese brothers and sisters, who are struggling to hold onto life under Israel's brutal attacks in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. I say may the Almighty be their helper and supporter, and I express here that the hearts of their brothers and sisters in Türkiye beat with them.

NOT EVEN THE MOST SKILLED PAINTER COULD DEPICT YOUR HEARTS BEATING WITH FAITH

First of all, I want to express a truth here with all my heart. Believe me, words are not enough to describe this enthusiasm, this energy of yours. Neither poetry, nor words, nor verses can describe this beauty, this clarity of yours. Not even the most skilled painter could depict this sincerity of yours, these hearts of yours beating with faith, these hearts beating in unison.

May the Almighty be pleased with you. May the Almighty grant us to see these bright faces, this colorful rose garden, again and again as the guarantee of our independence and future. Dear youth, esteemed guests, our TÜGVA continues to achieve work that makes us proud with its administrators, members, and professional and volunteer instructors.

OUR FOUNDATION HAS BECOME THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST YOUTH MOVEMENT

TÜGVA is working with all its might to raise a conscious, honorable, knowledgeable, and self-confident youth that is aware of the potential it carries. It carries out very important work that adds value to our youth in every field, from traditional sports to team games, from science and education programs to culture and art events, from nature camps to civil society activities, gaining them new horizons and preparing them for a strong future. I would like to express with great pleasure: TÜGVA broke a new record this year by reaching over 700 thousand participants in its summer schools. Our Turkey Youth Foundation has become the largest youth movement in our country by touching the lives of over one and a half million of our youth this year alone.

Approximately 460 thousand of our students completed their Quran education in the six-week TÜGVA Summer Schools. 232 thousand students received tajwid training. Over 387 thousand of our youth participated in Ottoman Turkish courses. Hundreds of thousands of our children had the opportunity to improve themselves in education, sports, culture, and art events with rich content.

New friendships were formed through the events organized in the summer schools. Our children gained knowledge, manners, and experience in different fields. Our children sometimes competed with each other and sometimes worked in harmony. Most importantly, they realized the rich heritage they inherited from the past. I see that you have truly had a full program. It has been a productive, successful, and beneficial summer school in every respect. I say mashallah, barekallah. I pray that the Almighty God protects you from the evil eye.

YOUTH IS THE ARTERY OF THIS NATION

Look, I want to underline this: Youth is the artery of this nation. Just as an artery delivers the blood pumped by the heart to the whole body, youth takes the energy, ideals, and goals of society from the past and carries them to the future. The stronger and healthier this vessel is, the healthier our national body will be. Thanks to this vessel, the past, present, and future meet on the same line.

Our TÜGVA, which works tooth and nail for our youth, is fulfilling such a vital duty properly. Those who are in a rush to find fault with everything that is for the benefit of Türkiye are the ones who want to block TÜGVA's path for this very reason. Those who try to hinder every work that will lead our nation to its centuries-old dreams are the ones who target TÜGVA for this very reason. Those who strive so that our youth do not understand the ancestors who cut and shaped continents like silk fabric, and so that history does not meet with the grandchildren of Mehmet Akif, are the ones who cannot stomach TÜGVA for this very reason.

WE WILL NOT LET TÜRKİYE'S BRIGHT FUTURE BE FED TO OTHERS

These are the reasons why organizations like TÜGVA, which are the apple of our eye, are the target of a group that is small in number but loud in voice. The reason they have temper tantrums instead of feeling proud when they look at you is this magnificent scene before us. It is your upright stance, your self-confidence; it is your commitment to your values. It is your embracing each other like brothers and sisters, just as you are here.

Let them be uncomfortable. With God's permission, they cannot make the river flow backward. No matter what they do, they cannot set a barrier in front of this youth before us. They cannot tear the youth of this country away from their spiritual roots and values of faith. They cannot use the pure children of this nation as tools for their dirty games and dirty calculations, as they have done many times in the past. Those days are now behind us. Those dark days are now in the old Türkiye, never to return. We will never leave our youth, our dear children, alone. We will not let Türkiye's bright future be fed to a few self-ignorant people. We will never allow even a single one of our children to fall into despair.

News Source: 12punto