The research team of Comrat State University (CSU), led by Güllü Karanfil, PhD, university lecturer, has completed the first stage of the project “Creation of a Sociocultural Model for the Preservation of the Gagauz Language and Culture: Transforming Functional Bilingualism into an Advantage for the Gagauz People” (MODELGAGAUZ). The project, implemented during 2025–2026, aims to develop and introduce an interdisciplinary model that views new-generation bilingualism not as a problem, but as an educational and social resource. The core idea of the research is to transform passive bilingualism into an active advantage for both individual and community development. Key results achieved by the CSU team in 2025:

• Training and methodology: More than 25 researchers completed a six-week online course on participatory and qualitative research methods. All lectures were recorded and are publicly available on the MODELGAGAUZ YouTube channel;
• Creation of unique content: During research expeditions to Turkey (the village of Kadıdondurma) and Republic of Moldova (the villages of Gaidar and Copceac), more than 20 hours of video material were collected. A 40-minute documentary film was produced, along with thematic video interviews with children and adolescents;
• Large-scale field research: The team conducted 30 in-depth interviews and 21 focus groups involving approximately 170 participants — students, parents, and teachers from Gagauzia, as well as indigenous Gagauz living in the Thrace region of Turkey. All materials were manually transcribed and archived for analysis using NVivo software;
• Academic and publishing activities: The structure of the book “Qualitative Methodology and Participatory Action Research” (print run: 500 copies) was developed, and an informational brochure (print run: 400 copies) with QR codes providing access to multimedia resources was prepared and published

The project implementation was made possible through active international cooperation with Maltepe University and Trakya University (Republic of Turkey). The main outcome of the first project stage is convincing evidence that the Gagauz language can not only be preserved, but also developed through the conscious use of bilingual advantage by its speakers. The developed model demonstrates that bilingualism is not a threat to identity, but a bridge to successful integration into the modern world without losing cultural roots. The project’s unique materials — the documentary film, digital archive, and academic publications — will serve as a foundation for educational programs, cultural initiatives, and a new generation of research. MODELGAGAUZ is already laying today the foundation upon which a new generation of self-confident Gagauz people can grow — a generation for whom their native language will become not merely a childhood memory, but a living instrument for understanding the world and shaping the future.