- Institutions and Burcu. When I was a freshman, I lived in a dorm with a girl from Turkey named Burcu. Burcu remains one of the wisest and most special people I have ever met. We shared many stories and hours of conversation that forever changed me. Unfortunately, she goes months at a time without a telephone or email so I cannot get in touch with her to get/confirm some of the details of this story. When Burcu was 15 or 16 the mayor of Ankara, Turkey, presented her with the key to the city for her work with street children. Burcu had always been troubled by the high number of street children who did not go to school, did not work, and were involved in petty crime/problematic behaviors. She wrote a letter to the Mayor about her view on solving the problem: a free summer camp that would be anchored by a curriculum rich in Turkish history. She reasoned that if they could inspire these young children with pride for their city and their country's past, their attitudes would change. The Mayor loved the idea and came up with the money, campgrounds and teachers for a few hundred kids. He held a big ceremony for the camp's opening. An hour or so later, after the politicians and press had left, young Burcu was suddenly in charge with no curriculum or oversight. She found her footing and worked with the teachers to come up with a successful program, which she repeated the next summer. Afterward, there was a significant decrease in the number of kids who hung out in the streets.