18 November 2009

2010 Gallipoli Youth Award

With Armistice Day ceremonies scheduled for November 11, AFS New Zealand makes its own attempt to promote peace between nations with the Gallipoli Youth Award.

Tens of thousands of lives were sacrificed on the beaches and trenches of the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915 and 1916 and while the terrible loss of life resulting from this ill-fated campaign will never be forgotten, neither will the bond of brotherhood and mutual respect that the brave and stoic soldiers developed for each other during the fighting.

Almost one century later, AFS New Zealand continues to reference this strong war-time connection through the Gallipoli Youth Award, which offers one lucky young New Zealander the opportunity to spend six weeks in Turkey as an ambassador for their country and, in the process, further the organisation’s main goal of creating a more just and peaceful world.

The reciprocal exchange, which is worth around US$10,000 and run in conjunction with the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association, is open to year 12 and 13 New Zealand students who are descended from servicemen who fought or perished in the World War I Gallipoli campaign.

Applications for the 2010 award close on November 30 and the applicant’s family must be willing to host the Turkish recipient of the equivalent award.

ANZAC Day may still be a few months away, but Armistice Day ceremonies to mark the cessation of hostilities in the Great War will take place on November 11th. And, just as these celebrations are intended to honour the resumption of peace – and, of course, all those who died – AFS hopes the Gallipoli Youth Award will continue to foster harmonious relations between Turkey and New Zealand.

Last year’s inaugural recipient of the Gallipoli Youth Award, Mt Albert Grammar school student Spencer McGarry, whose great grandfather Lieutenant William Titley Palmer fought in the Gallipoli campaign, was hosted in Canakkale by the Gencel family. He attended the Turkish Gallipoli ceremony in March this year and read The Ode at the New Zealand service at the Gallipoli Peninsula on Anzac Day.

“ANZAC Day was scary but so moving,” McGarry says. “The service was so awesome. There were so many Kiwis and Aussies there. It was relayed onto four large screens and, despite having to speak from a different spot than rehearsed, I didn’t fluff The Ode”.

Gizem Gencel, whose great grandfather Ali Sabir was killed during the Gallipoli campaign, was last year’s Turkish recipient and played a part in this year’s Anzac Day activities in Wellington. She had a fantastic six weeks in New Zealand and hopes to return someday.

AFS, or American Field Service, started out as a volunteer ambulance corps in World War I and was founded on the belief that “personal interaction and friendships between people built international peace and understanding”. This cross-cultural ethos was also the catalyst for AFS Student Exchanges, which commenced in 1947. The organization now provides unique intercultural experiences for New Zealand students and volunteers in over 35 countries.

Details: The award is a six-week exchange to Turkey, including return airfares, home-stay with a Turkish family, attendance at a local school and participation in ANZAC and Turkish commemorative services. The exchange will take place between March and May in 2010.

Any New Zealand citizen or permanent resident who will be in year 12 or 13 in 2010, has a blood relative who was involved in the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War, and whose family is willing to host the Turkish recipient of the equivalent award.

How to Apply: Download the application form from afs.org.nz or call us on 0800 600 300 for a copy.

Applications close November 30th, 2009.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Tony Calvert tony.calvert@afs.org or Jessica Hattersley jessica.hattersley@afs.org or call 0800 600 300 ext 242