The IAU PR Workshop was established in the 2016-2017 academic year under the guidance of Dr. Deniz AKBULUT, Head of the Public Relations and Publicity Department. The aim is to provide Public Relations and Publicity Department students with the opportunity to combine the theoretical knowledge they learn in class with practical application, to increase the preference of Istanbul Aydın University graduates in the industry, to implement strategic public relations practices with department faculty and students, and to contribute to strengthening collaboration between students and individuals and legal entities in the public relations sector.
The IAU PR Workshop consists of five departments: Event Coordination, Social Media Coordination, Copywriting Coordination, Creative Coordination, and the PR Workshop Magazine Team. Each department is headed by a fourth-year student, and the Workshop Coordinator, to whom they report, is responsible for the management of the entire workshop. Workshop members work actively every weekday in the workshop office located on the -4th floor of Block R. Students regularly publish news, articles, and interviews on the workshop's website and blog. Events, announcements, industry news, and more are also updated on social media. First-, second-, third-, and fourth-year students volunteer for these events. The IAU PR workshop organizes a series of events called "Public Relations and Publicity Students Meet with the Industry" to connect department students with industry professionals. Since the 2016-2017 academic year, a total of 50 events have been held, hosting prominent industry figures.
During the fall semester of the 2017-2018 academic year, students gathered under the leadership of Associate Professor Dr. Deniz Akbulut, Head of the Public Relations and Publicity Department, and implemented the "Be Aware of My Profession" project. The project's core problem stems from the lack of awareness of public relations among medium- and small-scale businesses and the public's confusion of the profession with other professions such as marketing, secretarial, and informational services. Those who are aware of the profession misidentify it and assign practitioners to the wrong positions, posing a major problem. For this reason, IAU PR Workshop students initially wrote an open letter to the public relations sector and the public, asking for support. Using amateur sketches accompanied by scripts, the students attempted to explain what the public relations profession is not through videos and visuals. The students addressed the public through their blogs and social media accounts with the slogan "Be Aware of My Profession." As part of the campaign, IAU PR Workshop solicited one-minute videos from communication professionals, academics, and students, sharing memories, experiences, messages, and other insights into the perception of the public relations profession. These videos are being shared on its social media accounts and blog, under the slogan "Be Aware of My Profession." These posts aim to continue the project as long as possible and keep the topic relevant to the sector.
PR Workshop Magazine
PR Atölye magazine, which aims to bridge the gap between Turkey’s public relations industry and academia to overcome limitations in professional collaborations, has launched its first issue. Prepared with the contributions of students, academics, and industry professionals by IAU PR Workshop, the magazine is published by the student application unit operating within Istanbul Aydın University’s Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations and Publicity. As a first in the industry, this public relations magazine is now available to all who are interested in the field.
In future issues, PR Atölye magazine will cover topics that both the industry and academia wish to highlight, such as interviews, campaign examples, and case studies. In the long term, it aims to become a comprehensive publication where students from across Turkey can gain practical experience, and academics and public relations professionals from different universities can contribute.
All issues of PR Atölye magazine can be accessed for free via the link below:
https://www.pratolye.com/dergi/You can follow the current activities of the IAU PR Workshop at the following interactive communication channels:
Website: www.pratolye.com
Blog: www.iaupratolyesi.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iaupratolye
Twitter: www.twitter.com/iaüpratolyesi
Instagram: www.instagram.com/iaupratolye
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqDapYKMXGIqF29z384qdA
