Highlights from the Grant Projects Completed in 2024

I’m in the Life

Contemporary Drama Association

The project aimed to support individuals with developmental disabilities aged 14 and over in areas such as social integration, protection from abuse, privacy, and the development of independent living skills through drama-based workshops.

• 30 drama-based workshops were organized with 60 young individuals with intellectual disabilities at the Şehit Fehmi Special Education Vocational School.
• The workshop subjects included communication skills; adaptation and confidence-building; coping with stress and anger; self-care skills; adolescence and sexual health; protection from abuse; life skills both inside and outside the home; conscious use of technology; goal setting; and future planning.
• Young people with developmental disabilities were visited to support them in applying the skills and knowledge gained from the workshops to their daily lives. In addition, 3 workshops were held to strengthen communication between parents.
• 2 teachers were trained as drama instructors to support the sustainable in- school implementation of the modules.
• An introductory meeting was held to announce the project to 11 special education vocational schools in Ankara, the Mamak Guidance and Research Center, and the Ministry of National Education.

Change Starts in Our Neighborhood – 2

Housewives Solidarity and Development Association (EVKAD)

The goal was to contribute to the gradual increase of women’s participation in democratic decision-making mechanisms and develop a sustainable model through local governments, starting at the neighborhood level.

• 20 volunteer ‘leader women’ elected from four neighborhoods in Adana’s Seyhan district completed training on gender equality, the right to education, women’s health, legal rights, employment, media literacy, and democratic decision-making processes.
• Women who completed the trainings shared the knowledge they gained through neighborhood-wide courses and had the opportunity to put it into practice through institutional visits.
• The workshop held at the end of the project brought the women together to discuss the problems in their neighborhoods and develop solutions.
• Throughout the project, women experienced transformations such as returning to education, joining cooperatives, becoming active members of NGOs, starting businesses, becoming neighborhood representatives and candidates, and taking on roles as delegates in city councils.
• The training program was incorporated into the Local Equality Action Plan of Seyhan Municipality and shared with other municipalities.

Women Leaders in Rural Areas with Sustainable Agriculture: The Flax Cycle

Döngü Cooperative

The project aimed to train women community leaders in Kahrat Village, located in the Tire district of İzmir, with the skills to implement sustainable agricultural practices focused on flax, a crop suitable for dry farming, and to develop climate- resilient agricultural income models. This would empower women to participate in the development of mechanisms to tackle the impacts of the climate crisis, starting from their own communities.

• 24 women participated in trainings organized around 4 different themes, where they learned about their rights, gender equality, entrepreneurship, flax farming, and the climate crisis.
• During their visits to agricultural lands and factories, the women observed the stages of the flax plant, from planting to flowering, harvesting, stemming, and processing. They also gained ideas for starting their own flax businesses.
• Participants put one of the entrepreneurship ideas they learned into practice by creating a brand called Kahrat’tan Şeyler (Produce from Kahrat).

My Dream School

Günbağı Village Culture and Solidarity Association

The “My Dream School” project aimed to prevent dropouts by enabling children and youth in Istanbul and Erzincan to express themselves through workshops focusing on art, sports, physical education, and children’s rights.

• Workshops on rights were held with children in schools and association premises in Istanbul and Erzincan. A total of 153 children and young people participated in workshops on children’s rights and art. 42 adults participated in workshops on children’s rights, safety, and rhythm.
• 12 adults, mostly teachers, attended the training for public employees and NGOs on children’s rights, learning through play, and child safety.
• 2 short films with stories written by children were created as part of the stop- motion workshops held with them.
• As part of the project, a monitoring and evaluation report was produced to compare the impact of the activities in both cities, highlighting their differences and similarities.