Osman Neyire Akgöz İmam Hatip Secondary School

Kayseri, Türkiye

4th FUNDING CALL

At Osman Neyire Akgöz İmam Hatip Secondary School, students are becoming active guardians of water through Aqua Detectives, a European Union–supported project designed to strengthen water literacy and promote sustainable habits. By combining science, culture, family engagement, and community collaboration, the project turns everyday water use into a powerful learning opportunity.

Objectives

The Aqua Detectives project aims to:

• Raise awareness about the value of water as the foundation of civilizations and daily life
• Encourage responsible water use at school and at home
• Develop students’ scientific thinking through hands-on monitoring and experimentation
• Foster a culture of sustainability involving families and the wider community

Activities

A wide range of educational and interactive activities were implemented, including:

• A visit to the Kayseri Water Civilizations Museum, exploring ancient water systems, hydraulic heritage, and cultural connections to water
• Guest talks by environmental experts supported by the municipality
• Water footprint monitoring at home and at school, including regular water meter readings
• Cross-curricular workshops integrating science, technology, social sciences, arts, and languages
• Interactive experiments, traditional water-based art (Ebru), and creative design challenges
• Water literacy events organized in neighboring schools to extend the project’s reach

Collaborations

The project was built on strong collaboration with:

• Families, through a Family Water Savings Agreement encouraging sustainable practices at home
• Talas Municipality, providing expert support and engagement opportunities
• Local youth centers and neighboring schools, helping disseminate activities and results
• The wider ProBleu community, through coordinated communication and shared visibility

Outputs

Key tangible outcomes of the project include:

• A student-developed prototype for tracking water meter readings, shared openly under Creative Commons licensing
• Educational materials and multilingual digital content on water literacy
• Documentation of activities published on the school website, social media, and local media
• Inclusive accessibility actions, such as large-print water-saving signage

Impact

Aqua Detectives has empowered students to see water not only as a resource, but as a shared responsibility. The project strengthened scientific awareness, encouraged behavioral change in families, and inspired collaboration beyond the school itself. Most importantly, it helped students develop a long-term commitment to protecting every drop of water locally and globally.