Presidency of Religious Affairs and non-governmental organizations' informal religious education activities for higher education students (Ankara example)

The Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB), with a legal duty to enlighten society about religion, is a public institution that provides non-formal religious education services to all age groups. Among these groups, non-formal religious education activities targeting university students have gained a systematic and planned structure and have been developing in recent years. Other institutions conducting non-formal religious education activities include non-governmental organizations. Among these institutions, the Turkish Religious Foundation (TDV) and the Society for the Dissemination of Knowledge (İYC) stand out in Ankara for their non-formal religious education activities, particularly those providing accommodation services for university students. The purpose of our study is to mutually evaluate the programs, methods, and areas of activity of the youth work conducted by the DİB, TDV, and İYC in Ankara for higher education students in terms of non-formal religious education and to demonstrate the feasibility of collaboration opportunities. A multiple-case study design, a qualitative research method, was employed in the study; document review and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. Most of the research questions were answered by all participants with one or more answers, while some questions remained unanswered. This was due to the participant's lack of opinion on the topic. According to the research findings, the DIB, as a public institution, has been striving to develop youth activities with a systematic approach over the past 10 years. The institution's scope of youth services differs from the TDV and IYC in terms of the diversity of views and the sheer number of young people it serves. It was observed that all three institutions, with a similar goal of raising generations committed to national and spiritual values, have established goals aligned with the general goals of national education and based on a legal basis. In terms of non-formal religious education, it has been determined that public institutions and NGOs predominantly prefer classical methods (oral lectures, conferences, question-and-answer) and utilize traditional materials (books, blackboards, presentations). It has been determined that in non-formal religious education activities, theoretical instruction is generally more prevalent than practical instruction, and educators generally do not follow a planned curriculum. Findings indicate that young people generally find the educators successful. The findings, evaluated using descriptive analysis, revealed that while the fundamental differences between public and NGOs in terms of non-formal religious education activities stem from structural differences, no significant differences were identified in Ankara province in terms of the method, program, implementation, impact, and contribution of non-formal religious education activities; more similarities were observed. It was concluded that the structural differences between public and NGOs do not completely eliminate opportunities for collaboration; on the contrary, joint activities can be undertaken in certain areas. Based on the findings, various recommendations for improving non-formal religious education activities are presented. Key Words: Non-formal Religious Education, Presidency of Religious Affairs, Türkiye Religious Foundation, Society for the Dissemination of Knowledge, Non-Governmental Organization, Youth, University, Spiritual Counseling