TUI Junior Academy brings environmental education to the heart of Türkiye’s coastal communities

(NEWS) BERLIN, 2026-Jan-15 — /Travel PR News/ — TUI Care Foundation is expanding its footprint along Türkiye’s coastline through the latest phase of the TUI Junior Academy Türkiye, an education-led programme designed to turn environmental awareness into real-world action in some of the country’s most visited coastal regions. Drawing on details shared through official project updates, the initiative has now reached an additional 5,500 students and equipped 350 teachers with the tools to embed environmental stewardship into everyday learning.

Set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, the programme responds to mounting pressures on marine ecosystems, from waste accumulation and pollution to the strains created by intensive tourism. Rather than focusing solely on clean-up efforts, the TUI Junior Academy Türkiye places education at the centre of long-term change, encouraging children and young people to become advocates for the environments that underpin both local livelihoods and the visitor economy.

Delivered in partnership with marine conservation organisation TURMEPA, the expanded phase builds on an earlier stage that engaged more than 5,000 students. Schools across Muğla, Antalya, İzmir and Aydın are now taking part in workshops, eco-camps and excursions that explore marine biodiversity, pollution and sustainability through hands-on experiences. Vocational high school students are stepping into leadership roles as Senior Eco Champions, mentoring younger participants and spearheading local sustainability projects.

Learning extends beyond the classroom walls. Based on information released by the programme partners, students visit recycling centres, waste management facilities and water treatment plants to better understand the journey of waste and its impact on coastal ecosystems. Coastal clean-ups, educational games and practical exercises reinforce lessons around recycling and waste reduction, while teacher training ensures that environmental education continues long after individual activities conclude.

Community engagement is a defining feature of the initiative. Local residents, NGOs, businesses and public authorities are brought into the conversation through awareness campaigns and stakeholder meetings, while collaboration with fishermen, maritime professionals and tourism operators encourages shared responsibility for protecting coastal environments. The approach reflects a broader belief that safeguarding Türkiye’s shores requires cooperation across sectors closely linked to the sea.

The Türkiye programme sits within the wider international TUI Junior Academy, which operates in destinations such as Greece, Germany, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe, often focusing on young people from disadvantaged communities. More broadly, it forms part of the TUI Care Foundation’s global portfolio, which uses tourism as a platform for positive impact — from creative livelihoods programmes under its Colourful Cultures initiative to social entrepreneurship support through TUI Futureshapers, and long-running marine conservation efforts like the TUI Turtle Aid programme in the Mediterranean.

Taken together, these projects illustrate how the foundation is weaving environmental protection, education and community resilience into destinations shaped by travel. Along Türkiye’s coastline, the Junior Academy is positioning the next generation not just as future visitors or workers in tourism, but as active guardians of the natural assets that make these places worth visiting in the first place.