Dervish Consulting founder, Yeşim Dervişoğlu was invited to do volunteer work by the prestigious Young Guru Academy to assist in the development of young leaders on several occasions: the first occasion was to deliver a seminar to the leaders who work in leading and coaching the Young Guru’s (students from all over Turkey who are handpicked by YGA among thousands), the second one was a seminar on leadership for a similarly handpicked group of the physically challenged and the most recent one was hosting a Leadership Development Program in their family village which consists of only 40 houses (since the past 500 years) Akçapınar, Gönen in Balıkesir.  In autumn 2015, the Dervişoğlu family and the accompanying village residents will host more young guru’s in Akçapınar village for YGA’s Rural Leadership Program.

Young Guru Academy was established to help young people in Turkey expand their leadership skills and deepen their sense of community and social responsibility. There are more than 20,000 applicants each year, with 2,000 selected to participate in its robust programs. Local and Global leaders such as Yonca Dervişoğlu Brunini (VP Marketing at Google) Ali Sabanci, Ali Koç and Hüsnü Özyeğin have lent their support for YGA, providing insight, facilities and resources, and even attending events.

Among YGA’s programs are those that seek to support the community of disabled people in Turkey by building their leadership skills and forging relationships with other future leaders.