The FUTURE Program, carried out in collaboration with Shell’s Science Virus, has graduated its second cohort. The program, which brought together 100 young people studying at 55 different universities across Turkey, has strengthened participants’ 21st-century skills. With this program, Shell reaffirmed its commitment to supporting young talents through social investment.

In its second year, the Shell Youth Social Investment Program FUTURE successfully completed the program with 100 young participants. The Graduation Day of the program, carried out in collaboration with Shell Turkey’s new-generation learning initiative Science Virus, was held in Istanbul on July 13.

The program, which began accepting applications in January, lasted for 6 months and involved 100 students from 40 different departments across 55 universities. On Graduation Day, participants received their diplomas, and the jury selected three projects—BioCollect, ReneWater, and RegNFit—to receive seed funding from Shell Turkey.

Strong Investment in Youth Development

Meltem Okyar Perdeci, Shell Turkey’s Corporate Communications Director and Shell & Turcas Executive Board Member, emphasized the importance of gaining experience in various fields for young people in our rapidly changing world. She stated, “The innovation, digitalization, and sustainability-focused skills that young people acquire are crucial for both their future and the future of our country and planet. With this awareness, Shell’s FUTURE Program supports university students with new-generation learning and experience opportunities. We stand by our young people as they turn their ideas into reality. Our students, who tackle real-world problems and acquire new skills, demonstrate their high potential through the projects they develop at the end of the program. This year, we enhanced our program with the contributions of our Young Advisory Board, consisting of past participants, and mentorship support during the project development process.”

Şule Yücebıyık, Founder of Science Virus, also stated, “With FUTURE, we provide young people with the opportunity to dream and take action. This year, we completed a unique process together. During the program, participants engaged in training and business simulations, then developed and presented their own projects to the jury. Throughout this exciting process, we focused on learning together and discovering new things.”

Imagine, Create, Advance

With FUTURE, young people participate in an innovative development process consisting of three main modules: learning, business simulation, and project phase. The program, open to second- and third-year university students, offers opportunities to enhance skills in sustainability, career management, social skills, digital competencies, and creativity through the training they receive.

In the learning module, participants attend trainings titled Learning to Learn, Design Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Sustainability Competencies, Creativity and Innovation, Digital Skills, Communication and Teamwork, Presentation, and Storytelling.

In the business simulation, participants develop solutions for real-world cases encountered in the business world. In the final stage, they form teams to develop their own projects. The projects are expected to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequality, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 – Climate Action. At the end of the program, participants receive seed funding from Shell Turkey to bring their projects to life and have the opportunity to benefit from internship placements.

Advisory Board Supporting Youth

The FUTURE Program’s Advisory Board is composed of inspiring figures who motivate young people through their achievements. The board, which also serves as the program’s jury, includes Ahmet Akın, Consultant and Facilitator for Sustainable Brands; Prof. Itır Erhart, Social Entrepreneur and Academic; Ferhat Demir, Founder of the Turkey Innovation Movement and Lecturer; Hasibe Akın, Founder of Çatı Farm; Konca Çalkıvik, Secretary General of SKD; Mehru Aygül, Co-founder of The Good Factor and General Manager of the Turkey Entrepreneurship Foundation; Meltem Okyar Perdeci, Corporate Communications Director of Shell Turkey and Executive Board Member of Shell & Turcas; and Şule Yücebıyık, Founder of Science Virus.

Projects to Receive Seed Funding from Shell Turkey:

BioCollect Project: Research shows that Turkey has not fully utilized its potential for collecting and recycling waste oils. The BioCollect Project aims to enhance the collection of vegetable waste oils, reduce damage to nature and the environment, and develop an innovation in environmental sustainability that benefits all stakeholders.

ReneWater Project: Pollution of water resources, particularly from excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus and the presence of organic pollutants, negatively impacts water quality. These pollutants can lead to serious environmental issues such as eutrophication and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. The use of Water Lentil (Lemna minor) offers a natural and sustainable solution to remove these pollutants. Additionally, harvesting and drying the lentils for use as animal feed supports a circular economy and sustainability. The ReneWater Project focuses on using Water Lentil in purification processes, harvesting it afterward, cleaning and treating water systems, reducing the cost of water purification systems, increasing their effectiveness, and creating a closed-loop system by utilizing the plant’s natural role.

RegNFit Project: The increase in the number of drivers and long hours of inactivity can negatively affect both the health of drivers and traffic safety. Addressing issues related to physical inactivity, stress, and safe driving, the RegNFit Project targets electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It aims to incorporate innovations at these stations to mitigate the problem. By adding exercise equipment around EV charging stations, the project intends to encourage drivers to engage in physical activity while charging their vehicles. The energy generated from these activities will be converted into electrical energy, providing regenerative power for the charging stations.