"United Around High Human Values"

Research

The Institute for Social Change is embedded in the Department of Socio-economics, which has a established focus on issues of sustainability in its teaching programmes.

Youth Platform

Indeed, the Department hosts a number of Chairs and Institutes specialising on particular aspects of sustainability. 

Publications

What is being considered as sustainable, where societal perceptions of unsustainability emerge

News & Events

Sustainability is an idea and project that is based on determined and socially negotiated values which keep societal development proceeds.

Gulen Institute

Gulen Institute

Gulen Institute is a non-profit research organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and civic welfare. The Gülen Institute maintains an international focus that is unique in Houston, and our primary goal is to advance original academic work in the areas of Conflict Resolution, Poverty, and Education that articulates the challenges faced by global communities and theorizes possible solutions. We acknowledge the fundamental role that governments play in advancing social harmony, but we believe that lasting solutions to the problems of today have to involve the civic sector.

Activities

Gulen Institute offers research grants and scholarships, organizes lecture series at the University of Houston, and facilitates workshops and panel discussions that attract academics from around the world. Our lecture series and panel discussions provide a platform for diverse analyses of the contemporary world. We also offer cultural exchange trips to graduate students at the University of Houston in the belief that by bringing people of diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds together, we can advance mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation.

Partners

The Gulen Institute is a joint initiative of the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston and the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue. This collaboration has allowed both organizations to deepen their commitments to peace and social justice. The Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), established by Texas State Legislature in 1967, is a nationally recognized graduate social work program. The Institute of Interfaith Dialogue (IID) grew out of the need to address the question, “How can citizens of the world live in peace and harmony?”.

Books

The Gulen Institute publishes books in the areas of poverty, education, conflict resolution, and the Hizmet Movement. Some of the publications are in house publications, while others are co-published

Analyses

The Gulen Institute also publishes analyses in the areas of poverty, education, conflict resolution, and the Hizmet Movement. These analyses are written by leading researchers in their areas. While some of these analyses are unpublished original works, others are detailed summaries of previous published works by leading academics.

Research Papers

Since 2010, the Gülen Institute has offered funds each year to a broad range of research projects dealing with contemporary issues in the fields of Education, Poverty Research, and Conflict Resolution, including but not limited to the role non-governmental institutions play in democratization, the role of education in peace-building, the examination of economic, political, ethnic, and religious dimensions of social conflict, the establishment of social justice in diverse communities, and the fostering of productive intercultural dialogue. Results of these researches are published by the Gulen Institute.

Youth Platform

Gulen Institute Youth Platform is an international essay contest annually organized by the Gulen Institute at the University of Houston and is open for high school students in grades 9th through 12th enrolled in public or private schools all over the world. The contest challenges young minds to identify the obstacles to stable peace and social harmony and to offer possible solutions from their own cultural perspectives. The Youth Platform also offers a unique opportunity for cross-cultural understanding, as contest winners are invited to share their essays and engage in respectful dialogue with their peers from around the world.

Winners

As the Gülen Institute Youth Platform Committee, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Essay Contest 2015. We appreciate all the hard work you have done to write your essays from all around the world. Over 1000 essays from 65 countries and 35 states were submitted for the contest. There are 30 winners from 12 different countries. The winners will be contacted about the details regarding their flight, hotel and other arrangements.

Awards

1st place 2,000 USD + 3-day excursion 2nd place 1,500 USD + 3-day excursion 3rd place 1,000 USD + 3-day excursion 4th – 15th place: 300 USD+ 3-day excursion 16th – 30th place: 100 USD All winners who ranked from 1st place to 15th place will be awarded a sponsored excursion to Washington, D.C. In addition to participating in the award ceremony, students will have the opportunity to meet honorable U.S. Congress members, participate in discussions, visit local university and think-tank organizations, and enjoy tourist attractions in Washington, D.C.

Fethullah Gülen

The Gulen Institute, named after Fethullah Gulen, the renowned Turkish author, educator, and preacher, is dedicated to peace, tolerance, and altruism. Gulen's advocacy for human rights, democracy, interfaith dialogue, and opposition to violence and religious politicization inspires us. Just as Gulen envisions peaceful coexistence among diverse communities, the Gülen Institute aims to foster service, civic responsibility, and harmony.

Gulen’s Works

Fethullah Gulen is a prolific writer and preacher known for his recorded speeches, books, and even a book of poetry. His recorded speeches include audiotapes and visual materials from his sermons and conversations spanning decades. His books encompass edited transcriptions of speeches and compiled lead articles from various periodicals. With over sixty Turkish books, many translated into thirty languages, Gulen was named one of the world's top hundred public intellectuals by Foreign Policy magazine in May 2008.

Gulen Movement

The Gulen Movement, also known as Hizmet Movement, is a worldwide social initiative influenced by Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen. It's prominent in education, interfaith dialogue, and aid efforts, evolving into a global faith-based movement. In regions like the Philippines, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia, Gulen-inspired schools promote inter-religious harmony. Affiliated relief organizations also provide crucial aid to disaster victims worldwide.