Turkish Henkel's "Leave a Mark" Project Reaches 444 Children in İzmir

Türk Henkel's "Leave a Mark" project, implemented in collaboration with Needs Map, brought children together with sustainability and environmental awareness this year in Izmir. Through workshops and field activities organized within the project, which included children from areas affected by wildfires, a total of 444 children were reached.

Türk Henkel continues its social responsibility and sustainability projects in line with its "Leading Good for Future Generations" approach. The company's "Leave a Mark" project, implemented in collaboration with Needs Map, met with children in Izmir this year.

Previously implemented in Hatay for children affected by the earthquake, the project was carried out this year in Izmir following major forest fires affecting approximately 30,000 hectares. The project aimed to help children reconnect with nature and strengthen their environmental awareness and sustainability consciousness.

Leave a Mark Project Reaches 444 Children
Türk Henkel's "Leave a Mark" project was implemented at the Izmir Konak Municipality Toros Social Facility. Within the project scope, which included children from fire-affected areas in Karabağlar, Seferihisar and Menderes, various educational and workshop activities were organized for children in the 8-12 age group.

In addition to workshops conducted by specialist educators, support activities were also carried out for schools. Seed balls prepared as part of the project and marker sets supporting children's creative work were distributed to various schools.

Through workshop activities, practical events and school support, the "Leave a Mark" project reached a total of 444 children. The project aimed to strengthen children's relationship with nature, build awareness on sustainability, and contribute to the reforestation process of the fire-affected area.

Children Meet at Sustainability Workshops
Within the project scope, free workshops were organized to increase children's environmental sensitivity and build awareness about nature protection.

In the "Sustainability Heroes" workshop, recycling and designing new products from waste activities were conducted, while children were supported in developing awareness about reuse and environmental consciousness.

In the "Nature Love Drama" workshop, storytelling and drama activities aimed to help children empathize with nature. In the "Nature Protectors Design" workshop, poster and model-making activities were conducted.

One of the activities where children had direct contact with nature was the "Seed Ball Preparation" workshop. Children prepared their own seed balls using local plant seeds, clay and soil. Thus they had the opportunity to reinforce what they learned about environmental and nature protection through practical experience.

In addition to the workshops, a field event titled "My Sapling, My Future" was organized with all children's participation. During the event, children planted their own saplings while bringing the seed balls they had prepared together with nature.

"Every contribution to children's development is a meaningful step toward bright futures"
Öznur Çatı, Corporate Communications Manager at Türk Henkel, drew attention to the importance of the "Leave a Mark" project in terms of sustainability and social benefit, offering the following assessment:

"At Türk Henkel, we view corporate citizenship as an integral part of the sense of responsibility we hold. We believe that every contribution to children's development is a meaningful step toward bright futures. With the Leave a Mark project we implemented in Izmir this year, just as we did previously in Hatay, we aimed both to build sustainability awareness in our children and to support their personal development and learning processes. Going forward, we will continue our efforts to contribute to raising awareness among children and young people by developing projects that create social benefit in the fields of education, environmental consciousness and sustainability."

Leave a Mark Project Was Previously Implemented in Hatay
Türk Henkel's "Leave a Mark" project was also carried out in 2025 in Hatay for children affected by the earthquake in collaboration with Needs Map.

Within the project scope, approximately 250 children living in Needs Map container living spaces were provided with free educational and instructional workshops. The activities, conducted to develop children's creative thinking skills, build environmental awareness and support their social consciousness, contributed to expanding the social impact scope of the project.