Turkey's leading cultural diplomacy institution Yunus Emre Institute is sharing its academic knowledge and hands-on experience in the field of cultural diplomacy with those who want to work at international organizations as well as civil society organizations through its comprehensive training program organized by its Cultural Diplomacy Academy.

Cultural diplomats of the future will learn the intricacies of cultural diplomacy and proper interaction and effective communication with diverse cultures through a five training modules in this special program. The program is open to participants from all academic disciplines and is specifically geared toward university students who dream of a career at the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the African Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and many other international organizations and civil society organizations as well as toward graduate and doctoral students, young professionals, academics, diplomats, military officers, bureaucrats, artists, journalists and civil society organization staff.

Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Alev Alatlı, retired ambassador Prof. Dr. Kenan Gürsoy, retired ambassador Uluç Özülker, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Prof. Dr. Ali Saydam, Görgün Taner, Dr. Paulino Toledo, Dr. Taehwan Kim, Leyla İpekçi, Ömer Tuğrul İnançer, Ayşe Böhürler and other cultural diplomacy experts from Turkey and around the world will be lecturing at the program through the following five modules: Diplomacy, International Relations, Cultural Diplomacy, Project Management and Business Skills, and Anatolian Civilizations, Identity, Style and Culture.

The Applied Cultural Diplomacy Training Program stands out as the most comprehensive training program so far organized in this field in Turkey.

Interest in cultural diplomacy on the rise

Many international organizations and civil society organizations are showing active interest in the concept of cultural diplomacy. The Applied Cultural Diplomacy Training Program, which will commence on March 2 and last for three months, offers a great opportunity for those who intend to work at national and international organizations and civil society organizations.

Implementation and project opportunities for participants

During the program, participants will study Turkey's cultural diplomacy practices as well as the effects of its intellectual background on cultural diplomacy. They will learn basic concepts such as hard power, soft power, smart power, sharp power, strategic communication, intercultural interaction, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and nation branding. They will understand what is being done in the field of cultural diplomacy on a national and international scale and how different actors make use of cultural diplomacy. They will examine Turkey's current status in cultural diplomacy, its great potential in this area and its perspective that differs from other global actors through a comparison of successful examples. The participants will be able to discover how Turkey's deep-rooted culture can be linked to its cultural diplomacy practices. They will have an opportunity to contribute to Turkey's cultural diplomacy practices by developing new ideas and implementing them. They will have a chance to know different international organizations closely and meet their senior representatives. In short, they will be able to make a high-level entry into the world of culture and diplomacy.

In addition, they will learn basic concepts and contemporary practices under the mentoring of the most competent scholars in the fields of public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and international relations, and examine the processes of national and international project development and implementation. During the workshops to be held as part of the training program, the participants will have an opportunity to turn what they learn into practical projects.

Training to start on March 2 in Istanbul

The three-month training program, enriched with seminars, talks, panel discussions, workshops, laboratories, views and contributions from foreign experts, sample application analysis around the world, interactive evaluations, film screenings, cultural and artistic events, scenario-based simulations, presentations, readings and project work, will commence on March 2 in Istanbul.

Detailed information on this original and comprehensive program can be obtained at kda.yee.org.tr.