Programs

Programs

Teacher Academy Foundation (ÖRAV)

Teacher Academy Foundation (ÖRAV) was founded in 2008 by Garanti BBVA with the aim of supporting teachers' professional and personal development, and children's right to reach quality education.

Since it started to operate, ÖRAV has contributed to the professional development of teachers and educational administrators in the related field through its educational programs and projects. It works to ensure that teachers become educators adept in universal teaching methods, thereby helping students to develop the mental, social, emotional, and digital skills required in the 21st century.

• In 2024, the number of teachers reached by ÖRAV was 46.326; while since 2008, more than 405 thousand teachers have benefited from its programs.

ÖRAV's online education platform -titled “eCampus”- is for all teachers, and opens up a space for knowledge and experience sharing. eCampus currently has 88 thousand active users.

In 2024, 100 corporate volunteers ran for ÖRAV during the 46th Istanbul Marathon and supported ÖRAV's activities through donation campaigns.

• According to the social impact analysis conducted in 2024, every 1 TL invested in ÖRAV resulted in 1.9 TL of impact.

For further information regarding ÖRAV, you may visit its web site.

 

Salt

Salt -founded in 2011 by Garanti BBVA to support the production of knowledge, culture, and arts- is a cultural institution providing its visitors and users an open space for encounter, research, and expression through its innovative programs.

Salt carries out exhibitions, publications, talks, conferences, film screenings, performances, and workshops on areas such as art, architecture, design, social and economical history. Through its extensive work related to archive and research under Salt Research, the institution contributes to the collective memory of Türkiye and its surrounding geography.

Salt’s archival collections, comprising over 2 million documents and references, are accessible online. The specialized library in its Galata building hosts a collection of more than 100,000 publications.

To access Salt's activities in its Galata and Beyoğlu buildings, and all of its digital programs and contents on saltonline.org is free of charge.

• Salt has welcomed over 4 million visitors up to date, including 446.161 visitors in 2024 alone.
• According to the 2024 social impact analysis, every 1 TL invested in Salt generated 1.5 TL of value.

Within the scope of Salt Research Funds which promotes original document acquisiton and research in the fields of art, architecture, and design since 2013; a total of eight projects will be supported next year with the addition of two new funds provided by Garanti BBVA. The aim of the funds named “Garanti BBVA Economical History Fund” is to make a sustainable contribution to research in the field.

For further information regarding Salt, you may visit its web site.

Unbanked Women Program Trainings

Throughout 2024, financial literacy trainings were conducted as a part of the Unbanked Women Program which has begun to support women’s active participation in economic life.

In collaboration with Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association (FODER), an online and freely accessiblefinancial literacy training was launched in order to help women better manage their personal finances.

Face-to-face trainings aiming to enhance financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills were conducted in partnership with Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (KEDV) in the cities of Istanbul, Izmir, Muğla, Manisa, Gaziantep, and Şanlıurfa.

In partnership with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, entry level financial literacy seminars were conducted in both cities.

• In 2024, 4.911 individuals participated in the financial literacy trainings, bringing the total number of participants in the program to 6.671 up until now.

5 Pebbles: Social and Financial Leadership Program

Implemented in collaboration with ÖRAV in 2016, the program aims to enhance primary and secondary school students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding social and financial leadership. The program targets at raising awareness of social and financial issues, ultimately fostering a sense of good citizenship among students.

 

• In 2024, the program reached 22.088 students and 1.004 teachers; while since 2016, it has reached over 4.200 teachers and 64 thousand students.

As part of the program, students visit Garanti BBVA branches with their teachers in order to observe a bank’s roles, responsibilities, and operations. These visits allow students to better develop concepts like saving, spending awareness, and budget planning in a real banking environment.

• In 2024, the branch visits were conducted in different cities of Türkiye with the participation of more than 1.000 students and teachers. Garanti BBVA branches hosted 63 different visits.
• According to the 2024 social impact analysis, every 1 TL invested in the 5 Pebbles generated 2 TL of value.

EqualUs

EqualUs project has begun in 2022 in collaboration with ÖRAV, to enhance gender equality.

The project provides trainings and mentoring for preschool and primary school teachers, with the focus ofsupporting social development in different childhood stages. These activities support participants’ awareness of the equality of social roles both in the classroom environment and in their daily lives, and encouragement to implement practices in this direction.

• In 2024, the project reached 1.074 teachers and 19.491 students; and since 2022, it has reached a total of 2.741 teachers and 44.496 students.

In 2024, a conference titled “EqualUs: Inspiring Meeting” was held with the participation of 160 people. The conference featured experts and teachers from various cities in Türkiye who participated in EqualUs as speakers.

 

There’s a Game at School

Implemented in collaboration with ÖRAV in 2024, the project aims to increase students’ sense of belonging to school and developing positive attitudes towards school through play activities at preschool and primary school levels.

Playing which is a tool that strengthens mental and emotional development is also expected to enhance students' skills in problem-solving, decision-making, creative and critical thinking, teamwork, cooperation, and patience.

In the project, children are socially and emotionally supported while feeling secure through the active participation of teachers and parents.

• In 2024, the project reached 771 teachers, 21.480 students, and 5.370 parents.

Blue Breath

Since 2021, Blue Breath project has been carried out in partnership with Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association/TURMEPA to prevent surface pollution and mucilage in the Marmara Sea and raise awareness about marine cleanliness.

In addition to the Marmara Region, the project expanded to Adrasan and Van Lake due to environmental needs in the regions. In 2024, long-term scientific conservation and monitoring activities were launched in Saros Bay and Göcek to make Türkiye’s waters more resilient to the temperature increases threatening marine life and biodiversity and to rehabilitate marine ecosystems. The project also includes efforts to protect and monitor seagrass meadows.

• In 2024, two solid waste collector sea sweepers served in the Marmara Sea, one liquid waste collector in Göcek, and one solid and liquid waste collector in Van Lake.
• Since 2021, sea sweepers in all regions have collected 257.698 kilograms of solid waste, which has been recycled. The waste collected by the sweepers is equivalent to the daily waste generated by approximately 221.051 people.

To increase awareness of marine cleanliness, online training sessions on the importance of seas, protecting marine ecosystems, and individual responsibilities for sustainable water resources are held with middle school students and teachers.

The Blue Breath Bus provides students with training on robotics coding and production skills, prepared with a zero-waste philosophy, along with workshops. In the “Blue Detectives” segment, high school students receive zero-waste training and are encouraged to develop projects addressing marine pollution.

• Since 2021, Blue Breath awareness training has reached more than 88 thousand students and more than 4.800 teachers in cities including Kocaeli, Bursa, Istanbul, Tekirdağ, Çanakkale, Yalova, Balıkesir, and Tatvan.
• In 2024, 52 corporate volunteers participated in the educational sessions provided in the Blue Breath Bus, and during waste segregation activities at the coastal clean-up events in locations like Göcek.
• According to the 2024 social impact analysis, every 1 TL invested in Blue Breath project generated 2.2 TL of value.

 

Türkiye's Life: Fire Management Grant Program

Launched in 2022 in collaboration with WWF-Türkiye (World Wide Fund for Nature), the program provides support to the civil society organizations working on local projects to reduce the risk of forest fires- which cause significant harm to nature and humanity- and to be better prepared for potential fires.

 

By the end of 2024 eight projects were supported by the program, including:

• “Forest Fire-Resilient Settlements” – Turkish Foresters Association
• “Fire-Resistant Production Models” – The Prosumer Economy Association
• “Don’t Let Caracals Get Hurt by Forest Fires !” – NATURA The Society for the Conservation of Nature and Culture
• “A Forest Fire Prevention Eco-Kit: Local Knowledge and Practices of Protecting Wildwoods and Fighting Wildfires along Köyceğiz - Gökova Route ” – The Association for Equal Opportunity and Sustainable Future
• “Be a Drop of Water” – Hatay Nature Conservation Association
• “Raising Increased Awareness of Wildfires in Tourism ” – The Foresters’ Association of Türkiye West Mediterranean Branch
• “Preparedness for Fires and Nature Literacy” – Green Zara Volunteers Association
• “Neighborhood Disaster Risk and Resource Studies” – Civil Space Movement Network Association

Social Impact Analysis

Garanti BBVA measures the benefit created by its community investment programs and the programs’ impact on the beneficiaries through social impact analysis. By conducting a social impact analysis, the bank gains a more concrete understanding of the outcomes it generates in society and environment, identifying points for improvement with regard to its long-term programs and takes action accordingly. It uses the “Social Return on Investment” (SROI) method that is preferred increasingly in the fields of civil society and impact investing , in respect to analyses.