Dilek Demir - Neighborhood Head of Muradiye In Bağlar, Diyarbakır

Dilek Demir, who was a also victim of forced early marriage and domestic violence, has been serving as the neighborhood of Muradiye in Bağlar, Diyarbakır for two terms. Dilek is the only female neighborhood head in central Diyarbakır, and she does her best to help everyone in her community beset with economic and social challenges. When she first started her position, Dilek Demir placed a letter box in front of her office for anyone who might be struggling as she once did with no one to talk to. The letters put in this box lead her to financial difficulties, child marriage struggles, and youth struggling with substance abuse in her neighborhood. To date, she has worked against the forced early marriages of 40 girls, preventing these marriages from happening by persuading their families.

Erdinç Erdem Bakkal - A Spark of Science in Şırnak

Erdinç Erdem Bakkal, who was appointed as a science teacher in the Uludere district of Şırnak in 2019, started a movement to spark children's curiosity and interest in science education and astronomy. He organizes various activities for kindergarten, primary school, and middle school students. Bakkal not only gives fundamental theoretical education but also teaches how to observe the sun and the moon. Bakkal advocates that children should learn not only by listening to teachers but also by exploring and experimenting. He established a space class at Şenoba Üçtepe Secondary School, which was his first place of duty, with the support of individual donors. Bakkal believes that it is essential to provide children with such opportunities to lead them toward research. Since his assignment, Bakkal has reached nearly 3,000 children in 15 schools. Erdem continues to work to include other teachers in the district to further expand his reach.

Ferda Salık - Diyarbakır’s Cultural Ambassadors

Ferda Salık was appointed as a history teacher at Kayapınar Girls’ Anatolian Imam Hatip High School in Kayapınar, Diyarbakır 10 years ago. She soon realized that the female students were unaware of their city’s historical or cultural places and elements. She then asked her students to look into the historical places of Diyarbakır as homework, enabling them to take the initiative as cultural ambassadors, conduct research, and present their observations to their peers. Her work developed over the years with the participation of voluntary students and has turned into a project that has been implemented since 2016. As part of Diyarbakır’s Cultural Ambassadors project, female students explore Diyarbakır with a theme each month. They share the video content they prepare with their peers in different schools over the internet. So far, the project has enabled tens of thousands of people to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of Diyarbakır through the efforts of over 850 cultural ambassadors. The project's success has exceeded the borders of Diyarbakır; it continues to be implemented in nine cities of Turkey with a similar structure.

Seda Fırın - Kekele TV

Having dealt with a stutter since childhood, communication specialist Seda Fırın realized that her stutter would present a substantial obstacle in her life early in school through peer bullying. Seda received training to achieve her childhood dream and to become a news presenter. Yet she continued to suffer from bullying through university. She thought, “I need to raise my voice from now on,” and founded Kekele TV in order to make stutterers visible. Kekele TV started broadcasting on YouTube on October 22, 2019, International Stuttering Awareness Day. It aims to accurately describe stuttering and improve people’s understanding of this condition, help individuals who stutter and have experienced self-imposed social isolation to participate in community activities, motivate them by getting rid of their pessimism, and direct them to speech therapists. Kekele TV broadcasts for people who stutter and promotes a sense of solidarity.