Dear All,

Last year was a very difficult one. Almost everyone I talked to was very sad painful about it. It also was for me, for I lost my dearest mother. She passed away. That is why I will always remember the year 2011 as one of the most painful ones. We hope this year will be totally different and it will bring all the beauties including happiness, peace, health and wealth. Let's try to remember what we did last year. In addition to them let me share some future plans.

We established the Turkish center for Schools of Quality 11 years ago. I translated and adapted his best seller book “The Schools of Quality” in 2000 and he was invited to Turkey to give ten seminars about TQM by USIS. I know the second edition of that book is sold out. During those years, our friendship has become more powerful and our future plans have become more fruitful and deeper. Within eleven years, we developed new seminars and projects about; “Leadership”, “Project Management”, “Innovative Ideas”, “Ethics and Standards in Project Management”, “Training Dignified Leaders” ve “Nonviolence in education” and so on. I designed the “İmece Circles” Mindset based upon the cultural values of Turkish people and trained 2000 circles. Even I was awarded by the World Bank within the “2005 Creative Development Ideas of Turkey” Competition because of that wonderful project. India and Japan are the pioneers of the “Students' Quality Circles (SQCs)” movement in Asia. However, it is very interesting that European countries like UK or any other are newly starting to use SQC in academics. My projects based upon SQC (İmece Circles) is a very good example of telling our position on the map: Standing just like a bridge between the East and the West. As a result, I was offered to be a visiting fellow of Kingston University, London. I have been honored.

We decided to enlarge the zone of influence of our Turkish Center for Schools of Quality with Prof. John Jay Bonstingl and we co-founded the EURASIA CENTER FOR SCHOOLS OF QUALITY on 16th January 2012. Our Center will serve as an educational Network as usual. We will announce and share all the developments and activities through our web site and Blogs. We will also go on sharing all the projects and the activities with the Association for Continuous Improvement (Sü Ge Der) which was founded by 22 educators in 2005. (www.sugeder.org). We are also on Facebook. If you are one of the followers of social media, please be one of our followers ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eurasia-Center-for-Schools-of-Quality/312397422145455#!/pages/Eurasia-Center-for-Schools-of-Quality/312397422145455?sk=wall ).

We, as a Turkish delegation, participated in the “14 th International Convention on Students' Quality Circles” which was held in City Montessori School, Lucknow, India on 30 th November-4 th December 2011. We also distributed the awards of the 8 th International ICT Seagulls project winners. As the Director General of Turkey, I participated in the Annual Meeting of the World Council for Total Quality & Excellence in education (WCTQEE) and we made some decisions. We prepared a plan for the 2014 Convention which will be held in Kingston University, London, UK. After return, I prepared a page within Facebook named; “WCTQEE, Turkey Chapter”. Please visit and follow us there ( https://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/TURKISHDG.WCTQEE ).

Our collaborative projects with the “Association for Spinal Cord Paralytics” ( www.tofd.org.tr ) have been continuing for 3 years. This year the inhabitants of the Hüsnü Ayık Nursing Home of TOFD in Gürpınar will prepare an ICT Seagulls Project focusing on the “Effective Use of Social Media for the Disabled People”. International ICT Seagulls has already started its 9 th year with 4 main themes. The interest of foreign teams and universities especially make us feel happier. We removed deadline so that the teams might feel themselves free to register for the project. Thus, they will learn how to manage their own time. They will have to deliver their web or Blog addresses until the first week of June. For more information: www.bilisimcimartilar.com . This year WCTQEE and HumanDHS Network are also with us.

Last year, I had designed and opened an elective course at the Educational Faculty of Boğaziçi University, titled: “Nonviolence in Education”. 47 students had prepared 61 İmece Circles. This term I am also going to open it. I have modified the content this year. I will use a different methodology and I am sure very creative projects will appear. Last term the course named; “Teachers of the Future: Innovative Teachers” will be re-opened again within the Summer School Program of Boğaziçi University for the junior and senior students.

I always have had problems with book publishers and also with the bookstores. My recent book and its Diary will be printed in February. They are now being edited. My target includes; parents, teachers and also students.

I hope this year will bring peace, love and quality to the minds, souls and spirits of all humanity. Love,