Dear ATA-NC Members and Friends,

Please see the following announcement from our Youth Group and encourage your 13-18 year old children (9th-12th grades, including rising 9th graders) to become a member of the ATA-NC Youth Group.  Please note that all current Youth Group members need to apply to renew their membership for the 2025-26 year.
Members of the ATA-NC Youth Group have the privilege to the following:  

• Opportunities to volunteer and initiate projects of interest.

• A network of prominent Turkish-American professionals.

• A supportive group of friends and future colleagues!

• Collaboration opportunity with the ATAA Youth Committee and UN Relations.

Warm wishes,

ATA-NC BoD

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Dear ATA-NC Friends, 

We are excited to kick off a new year for the ATA-NC Youth! Our mission is to empower high school students, to grow as leaders, build strong friendships, and give back through volunteering. 

This past year has been full of impact. From volunteering at  community events to hosting our first major fundraising initiative to support girl’s and women's health in Türkiye (Read more on BTF’s Blog highlighting our fundraising effort: Link to BTF's blog on our organization). Overall, as a group we volunteered about 300 hours!  Check some of the activities we have participated in: https://www.ata-nc.org/youth-group.

Now, we’re looking for new and returning members to join us for the 2025–2026 year!

If you are currently in or entering High School and want to be part of this amazing group, fill in the Membership Application form (Google Form) by Monday, May 5th, 2025.  

Membership Application form HERE: https://forms.gle/hUjjFTsX9kFPKmFn9 

What’s next? 

• We’ll be collecting self-nominations for board positions; opens on April 24th, 2025 closes on May 8th, 2025 (keep an eye for further information on leadership opportunities).

• In-person elections target date is May 10 .

• We also hope to see many of you at the May 19 Youth Celebration (happening on May 18 at Bond Park—more details coming soon!).

Sinemis Kobaner and Derin Sen
Co-Presidents, ATA-NC Youth Group

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Message from Sinemis:

Hi there! For those who don’t know me, I’m Sinemis, and I joined ATA-NC after moving to the U.S. last year.  This past year, I had the incredible opportunity to help lead a fundraising event. What made it so special was that nothing was just handed to us—we, as a group, chose the cause, established the partnerships, decided how we wanted to run the event, and organized everything ourselves. We were trusted with the process, and encouraged to take initiative. That kind of hands-on leadership experience is rare, and it gave me so much confidence and perspective. 

Beyond that thanks to the support of ATA-NC and my Youth Group family, I also had the chance to be a panelist at multiple United Nations sponsored events, interview the Turkish Commercial Attaché, and share my experiences on multicultural platforms.

I’m heading off to college soon, but if I could go back in time and be part of ATA-NC Youth again—I wouldn’t change a thing.

Hope to see you join the group this year!

 — Sinemis
Co-President, ATA-NC Youth Group

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Message from Derin:

Hi everyone! I’m Derin, a current high school junior and co-president of ATA-NC Youth. This was our first year and it’s already made such a big impact on me. I’ve had the chance to work with an incredible group of youth who are passionate, creative, and committed to giving back, both here in our local community and in Türkiye.

One of the highlights this year was organizing our first major fundraiser to support menstrual health in Türkiye. We also volunteered at events across the Triangle and helped strengthen ATA-NC’s cultural programs. It’s been an amazing experience full of growth, leadership, and community.

If you’re looking for a place to make a difference, meet new friends, and be part of something meaningful, I can’t recommend this group enough.

 — Derin
Co-President, ATA-NC Youth Group