ISTANBUL - Three Turkish youngsters and their teacher have embarked on the basketball journey of a lifetime which will culminate in a dream ticket to the NBA All-Star Game at the weekend.

The trio from Darüşşafaka High School in Istanbul have embarked on what promises to be an unforgettable two-week trip to the United States as part of the Sports United project, a collaboration between the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) and the US State Department.

They will be one of six different high-school delegations from around the globe to take in iconic cities such as Washington DC and New Orleans as part of their visit.

Other student-athletes from high schools in Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Argentina and Korea are also engaged with the programme.

The Turkish teenagers Arda, Mert and Merve are utilising using social media to allow people to keep track of their progress and their journey can be followed on Twitter via @TurkishBBall and @sportsdiplomacy, on Facebook via SportsUnited-U.S. Department of State and on Instagram @sportsdiplomacy.

The visit has received high praise, with senior politician and US Secretary of State John Kerry expressing the value of such international exchanges.

"You never forget the friendships that you build, the cultural, political, philosophical, economic, and social grounding that you get from the experience and how it connects people and countries," he said.

The fact that the Turkish children chosen come from Darüşşafaka school is especially poignant, since its history dates back to 1863, when it had the mission of providing support for the education of poor and orphaned children from right across Turkey.

And, 150 years since inception, the establishment is proudly maintaining its commitment to providing educational opportunities for students who have lost a parent early in life and who come from families of limited means.

"This is a different world," confirmed Candan Tekin, the students' teacher and a former player with the Turkish national team.

"These are our kids. They are learning how to live here.

"We are going to introduce our cultures to each other and it's basketball that is going to bring us together. That's a wonderful thing."

TBF President Turgay Demirel explained that the Sports United initiative was being dovetailed with the Federation's own social programme.

"Our mission at TBF is to increase the impact of our sport and empower young people, which makes Darüşşafaka and Sports United ideal partners," he explained.

"It's especially fitting to be working with students from Darüşşafaka as we introduce our new social responsibility programme 'Pass It On'."

The project, which is heavily focused on the empowerment of women and youth, is being launched simultaneously with the promotional campaign for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women - an event which will be held in Turkey during September.

FIBA