Living in Türkiye amid economic crisis and unemployment is difficult for young people. Many feel unhappy and are very worried about the future: how to get a place at university, find a job, and earn a living. So young people need the right influences to help them make good decisions and to shape their thoughts, relationships, aspirations, and dreams.
To help provide this support, SAT-7 TÜRK participated in September in a Christian youth festival, which is organized by churches in the country every three years.
The Yüz Yüze (Face to Face) festival was attended by more than three hundred young people from all over the country. They worshipped and prayed together, attended seminars, and workshops, and discussed current issues related to youth. The young people were also able to learn about SAT-7 TÜRK and its programs, interact with presenters and the production crew, and encourage them in their work.
“I was really happy to see young people in Türkiye praying with such heartfelt devotion. They supported each other, cried together, laughed together… They had fun; they shared their thoughts and perspectives, their stories… they truly participated in the spirit of the event. The worship groups and the music were incredible. These were young people who sought hope in the Lord amid the economic crisis and unemployment. And seeing their bonding and seeking hope in the Lord encouraged us to do more projects for them in the future,” said Gülsüm I., Deputy Executive Director of SAT-7 TÜRK, who attended the festival as part of the SAT-7 TÜRK team.
The team filmed the whole festival and conducted interviews with many participants. Some were already watching SAT-7 TÜRK. One young man told the team that his mother watches the channel and that she would be proud of her son when she learned that they had interviewed him. He was so happy and excited that he wanted to take a picture with the team and kept asking when his interview would be broadcast! Of course, some were afraid to appear on television because they feared the reactions of their families, schools, and teachers, but others gave great interviews.
The festival was an excellent opportunity for SAT-7 TÜRK. Apart from being able to spend precious time with the Christian youth of Türkiye, the team now have the footage they need to create a documentary about them and to tell their individual stories to the rest of the world. The channel is also making plans to organize its own Christian youth festival in the country.
Prayer Points
Would you please pause and pray for the following right now?
- For the channel to be able to positively influence the country’s young people
- For the impact of the planned documentary
- That the dream of a SAT-7 TÜRK youth festival will become a reality
