The youth of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace conserve their culture and tradition
Young members of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace conserve their culture and tradition through the social activities they organise in their own territories.
The activities organised under the leadership of students who study both in Greece and abroad embellishes the social life of the minority.
The most important of these events is held in the village of Ketenlik (Kentavros) in Xanthi (İskeçe) under the name of "Ketenlik (Kentavros) Youth Festival". The festival, held by the Ketenlik (Kentavros)Youth Association, takes two days. This year the 14th of the festival was held on 10-11 August. Thousands of people attend the festival each year. The festival, where many shows, games, exhibitions and concerts are held for two days, is highly appreciated and is one of the admired events in the region.
Another festival organized by young people in Western Thrace is carried out by the "Young Academicians Community/Genç Akademisyenler Topluluğu" (GAT), a university student group operating under the framework of the Western Thrace Minority Higher Education Association. This year 8th GAT Youth Festival took place in Gümülcine (Komotini) city square on Monday, August 13th.
One of the similar activities is carried out by the young people of Kalfa village of Rhodope province in recent years. The festival, held under the name of Kalfa (Kalcha) Youth Festival in recent years, is getting more and more appreciation every year. This year the 6th of the festival was held on Friday, August 3rd.
In the village of Gökçepınar (Glafki) in İskeçe (Xanthi), The Summer Quran Class event with a religious theme was held for the second time, which was organized by five ladies who are theology students. The event was appreciated by the residents of the region. The activities in which there were performing primary and secondary school students are considered as important educational activities.
In the village of Şahin (Echinos), one of the greatest villages of İskeçe (Xanthi), an important educational activity has been taking place during the summer holiday for two years. This year, the program contributed by the Youth Branch of Şahin (Echinos) Education and Culture Association has received great acclaim. During the summer, seven lady university students organized a book reading program for primary and secondary school students in the village. Various educational activities were arranged for young students in the context of a book reading program organized under the supervision of seven female university students. There was also held a final program for the summer activities. This program, which the villagers are watching with great appreciation, is also considered as an important summer activity by the experts.
Besides these kinds of activities, the young people of Turkish Minority in Western Thrace provide substantial contributions by participating in youth organizations of NGO in order to conserve their culture and traditions.
