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Yenilikçi Girişim Derneği - B Arts

Yenilikçi Girişim Derneği (Innovative Initiative Organization)
Mersin, Turkey
www.yegid33.org

Social media accounts: @yegid33
https://www.facebook.com/yegid33/
https://twitter.com/yegid33

Mersin is a city with one of the highest immigrant populations from Eastern Turkey and Syria. The employment opportunities and the industrialization rate in the city are restricted. Within the perspective of social, economic and environmental policy development, Yenilikçi Girişim Derneği seeks for methods of empowering people in their own neighbourhood. They work with people who have socio-economic disadvantages, cultural differences and difficulties to access education.

The association makes connections between different educational methods, trainings and workshops with different target groups.

 B Arts
Staffordshire, UK
www.b-arts.org.uk

Social media accounts: @bartsstoke
https://www.facebook.com/BArtsStoke
https://twitter.com/bartsstoke

B Arts has been working with communities to develop projects that improve life opportunities for all since 1985. The charity takes a holistic approach developing projects that aim to have a positive impact on many different aspects of people’s lives: mental well-being, education and skills development, employability, advocacy and giving people a voice, and raising aspirations.

The charity engages with the communities through starting conversations and informal meetings. They move on to practical accessible arts workshops in spaces that are familiar to the participants.

In Mersin, we met the mayor. We also proposed a 3-day workshop for potential women entrepreneurs in Down Café, a venue conceived for and operated by employees with down syndrome, many of whom joined in with the workshops.

We also organized lantern making workshops with the women from villages, Syrian migrants and Romani people who make arts and crafts to sell them. This was a skill based cultural learning; yet they also exchanged practises and learned from their peers.

We travelled outside Mersin into the mountains to visit smaller towns, which we studied for future projects.

 


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