The Art of Happiness: The project of positive thinking and subjective well-being has been successfully completed

The Art of Happiness: Positive Thinking and Subjective Well-Being Teacher and Mother Education Project, carried out in cooperation with the TRNC Prime Ministry Anti-Drug Commission, TRNC Ministry of National Education and Culture Joint Services Department and the Cyprus International University (CIU), has been completed.

In the project where CIU Faculty of Education Academic Staff Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çağla Gür and Assist. Prof. Dr. Şerife Özbiler were project managers, Specialist Başak Eser, Specialist Hüseyin Göksu and Specialist Şahin Karasalih oversaw the duties of project assistants.

Stating that within the scope of the project, teacher and mother training was carried out during the fall and spring semester, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gür went on to advise, “392 teachers and 76 mothers received training”.

Advising that within the context of the teacher training, during the first stage of the project theoretical training was provided, Gür stated that during the second stage of the project, groups such as pre-school, guidance and psychological counselling, classroom teaching, and school administration and branch teaching were set up.

As a result of the commission work carried out, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gür advised that the Positive Thinking in Pre-School Education and Activity Examples book has been developed and is at the publishing stage, and went on to state, “The book will present to pre-school teacher’s practical examples in positive thinking education. As well as this, there is also theoretical information in relation to positive thinking education located within the book”.

Stating that the book of the PCG commission, which includes activities for subjective well-being, is also in the process of being completed, Gür continued, “Within the scope of the branch teachers' commission, 28 teachers designed 17 different projects and implemented them at their schools. The pre-school education studies of the project were presented as a paper and the project was introduced at the 7th International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Congress that was held from the 15-17th July, as a paper”.

Drawing attention to the fact that throughout the process of the project, there were contributions and efforts of many individuals and institutions, Assist. Prof. Dr. Özbiler stated, “I would like to thank the Prime Ministry Anti-Drug Commission and the TRNC Ministry of National Education and Culture Joint Services Department, who supported us from the heart, I would like to thank the Cyprus International University, and from the first stage of the project, contributing in assisting in the promotion of the project; I would like to thank the Kyrenia Municipality, Nicosia Turkish Municipality, Değirmenlik Municipality and Gönyeli Municipality, and I would like to thank UKAMER, who we always feel close to us”.

Adding to her speech that by sponsoring the project, North Cyprus Turkcell and Elite Hospital have also contributed to the project, Özbiler concluded, “I would like to sincerely thank the field experts, teachers, mothers, and project assistants, who contributed by providing constructive guidance during the expert opinion-evaluation phase of the activities.”