Act, Rept. BSV Eng.

www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Activity Report
2012
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
Our Art Journey From
2003 to 2013...
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 1
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Introduction
Başak Culture and Art Foundation was established by a group of social worker
including a psychologist, a nurse, trainer and a teacher in the year 2002 with the idea of
providing the youngsters the equal opportunities like their peers which came out from a
field work with the children and youngsters.
We started our activities after a survey with 189 kids whose families are the victims of
forced migration living on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, especially in the poor
neighborhoods of Kadıköy, Maltepe and Üsküdar.
In this field work, we reached the children and youngsters who work under risk, who have
to work in small business under bad circumstances without the social security and who are
deprived of education. Even though they had to start one step behind and in spite of every
other difficulty in their lives, these children had a huge interest in cultural and artistic
activities and great hope of expressing themselves through art.
Just to be one step closer to these children’s dreams, we established the Başak Culture and
Art Foundation just in their neighborhood.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 2
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Educational Activities
English
English Course is given to 23 students whose ages are between
6-10 by our teachers Dilan Yalçın, Dilan Güntaş and our
volunteers Jessica Snider and Aila Spathopoulo. Jessica Snider
(from USA) who works in a private language course, voluntarily
taught English to our children from disadvantageous groups
once a week by making it easier for them through games and
workshops.
Zaza Language
This year 7 people
took the course
from our teacher Çetin Dölek who gave this
course with a language that is almost
disappeared. We will continue giving this
course also in 2013 and we aim to reach the
people who started to forget this language and
the ones who are willing to speak it.
Italian
10 people took part in this course which is
given by our EVS volunteer Guilia Ferri. The participants learnt how to count, the alphabet
and the pronunciation, greetings and introducing themselves in this course.
Maths
Since their income level is low, some students cannot get extra help regarding their courses
at school. These children are supported by our foundation without any payments or fees.
Our teachers Sidre Adıgüzel, Burak Düzgün and Mahmut Tuncer helped 13 students with
these courses. Additionally, some students had the chance to get private face to face
sessions.
Jessica is telling us about her students;
I am truly privileged to have the opportunity to teach English at Basak. The students are
incredibly motivated and excited to learn English. Their enthusiasm and hard work is truly
inspiring (and learning a new language truly requires this kind of hard work). Through my
experiences of teaching English I have witnessed how English can provide a sustainable
avenue for greater success in life. I hope that their acquisition of English will open many
doors for them as well. I am confident of the intelligence and infinite potential of each
student in my class to learn English in a way that will greatly benefit their future. I think
the benefits of learning English can manifest in many different ways: whether it be giving
them job opportunities, going to University or giving them the opportunity to travel and
connect with people in other countries through their ability to speak English.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 3
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Some of Our Children Think
“I was very little when I firs t came here.
My hands and my feet were very little. But
now I am 14 years old. My place of birth
is Istanbul; my place of childho od is
Başak…” Dicle
e project of
tion in 2004. In th
“I met the fo unda
ses of
r attended the clas
‘Labo ur’ my mothe
th her
y. I was co ming wi
textile and literac
o co uld
t have a person wh
because she di d no
lo ok after me.
, the
only informing us
W hile the scho ol is
n and
s us knowle dge, fu
fo undation teache
chitect in
I want to be an ar
world knowle dge.
g as a
ng of photographin
ki
in
th
am
I
.
re
tu
the fu
h will be
to do things whic
e
lik
d
ul
wo
I
y.
hobb
humanity.” Hasret
beneficial for the
“My mother co uldn
’t unders tand anyt
hing in the parent
s meeting. They we
ignoring her. They
re
still do not talk
to her in the street
,
th
ey
th
weird.
ink she is
“I learnt how to m
ake sentences and
how to use them he
re because I was
unable to pronou
nce, to express mys
elf. But here my ta
lents, self-confi de
and co mfort incr
nce
ease d while partic
ipating in these so
cial events. I star
be successful. Now
te d to
I can express mys
elf. Now my parent
s are prou d of m
and they support
e
me because it give
s them hope to se
e my success. It is
problem for me to
not a
be a Kurd ish in th
is association beca
use ever ybody is
borther or sis ter to
like
me, or like a frie
nd.” Elif
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 4
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Project
Meet the Color of Arts!
Project of ‘Meet the Color of Arts’ that we run within the EVS programs aims to gather
youth from different cultures and allow them to know each other closely through art and
learn how to both perceive their similarities and live together with their differences. 3
volunteers from Italy and Austria bring together these children and the youth with art by
organizing various artistic activities on the streets of the different city centers.
Struggle Against Gender Based Inequality and Violence to Women
The subject and the aim in this project is to reduce and eventually abolish the violence to
women, to strengthen the support system for victims, strengthen the victims of gender
based violence and to establish local and regional support mechanisms.
With this project, various activities arranged and managed to create a network between the
actors including NGOs, public organisations and media associations in order to prevent the
violence to women and to raise awareness regarding the issue.
Am I Guilty? Are We Guilty? Are They Guilty?
We made this project in two cities which have lots of immigrants, Diyarbakır and Istanbul
with 108 kids and youngsters in total. We aimed to figure out the reasons leading these
children to crime in these two cities and to find out how to prevent child crime and how to
do it effectively with the related actors. We wanted to raise awareness about this issue in
addition to considering the children’s mental and physical experiences.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 5
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
At first we implemented surveys to compare these two cities in terms of similarities and
differences regarding the expectations and capacities of children and to understand
children’s perception of crime and their thoughts about the reasons of crime. We made a
series of artistic ateliers with these children and exhibited them in both cities.
Panel & Exhibitions
“Children, Migration and Crime” Panel/Forum
With this panel/forum that we gathered with specialists of the “children driven to crime”
subject we finished our project “Am I guilty? Are we guilty? Are they guilty?” In this panel,
children and crime issue is discussed and we have shared the information with the
participants. We have published a book in three languages (Turkish, Kurdish and English)
to reach a wider range of people.
Exhibitions in Istanbul & Diyarbakır
Three exhibitions were opened to visit which consist of stories of children derived from
their own experiences and the photos of characters of those stories. These stories were
created in groups of two children from each
city. People witnessed the difference between
the real story and the story that is been
written by kids.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 6
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Artistic & Cultural Activities
Painting
Music
13 children between the ages of 5-9
attended the painting activities run by
our volunteer Fiona Spathopoulou who
came to our Foundation by EVS.
12 people are informed with the basic
music knowledge in the music classes
which one of our volunteers, Kadriye Kurt
conducted.
Forum Theatre
Jewelry Desing by Recycling
In the Forum Theatre conducted by
American volunteer of our Foundation,
Julia Snider, with the attendance of 18
young people who are different from each
other, an entertaining and informative
forum realized in the workshop.
13 people from the students of BAF
attended the classes of jewelry design by
recycling classes handled by Melanie
Kofler and learned how to utilize the
waste and what they can create with
them.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 7
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Artistic & Cultural Activities
Psycho-Drama
With the psycho-drama classes handled
by our volunteers Mehtap Gündoğdu and
Feyza Karaca, the individuals are
provided with the possibility of preparing
by handling their old and actual problems,
conflicts of the expectations, worries and
hardships regarding the future , and the
possibility of seeing their coping skill, and
practicing them through dramatic
animation.
Photography Workshop
Drama in English
11 people attended the classed conducted
by out Italian volunteer Enrico Cattabriga.
The introduction to camera was provided,
they are told the important points which
should be paid attention in photographing
and they practiced what they learned in
the applied classes.
The workshop of ‘Drama in English’
conducted by out Spanish volunteer Alba
Puig reached 13 people. With various body
exercised and games it is aimed that
children and the youth’s shyness to be
broken so that they can express
themselves better. The activity in which
the team spirit, practice and
concentration is handled, contributed the
improvisation of the participant’s
learning English.
Presentation Techniques
In the presentation techniques classes
which our volunteer Gülşah gave,
presentation techniques and key points
which should be known during the
presentations are taught to the
participants.
Consciousness of Europeanness
Instructive workshops are organized in
the line of sociological thought idea which
helps the perception of life differences
which appears from the economical,
cultural and cognitive differences between
the people in different geographical
regions by Enrico Cattabriga and Guilia
Ferri. At the end of the classes, with the
play named ‘Combined Differences’ the
ideas lies beyond the social differences
are emphasized.
IYRVC Workshop
Within the project of EVS program ‘Meet
the Color of Arts’, workshops of recycling
and creative games are handled in the
children section of Istanbul Youth
Education and Counselling Center with
the cooperation of IYRVC (Istanbul Youth
Rehabilitation and Vocational Course)
afficilated to Istanbul Municipality
Hospice.
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 8
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
Salt Education Workshop
discussions which are moderated by the
volunteers of the foundation, that each
individual can express themselves is
important. Some examples of the topics
are: Family, Children’s Rights, Media,
4+4+4 Education System, Lack of Selfconfidence, Conversation Techniques,
Family and Child, Civil Clothing
Application in Education, Ecology, Animal
Rights, Women Rights, LGBT Rights.
The students of our Foundation attended to
workshop of “Imagine, Design, Discuss”
practiced on 8 December 2012, in Beyoğlu
Salt, intended to high school students. The
workshop in SALT Galata happened
focusing on the issue of design-materialstructure in a platform in which the
students can share their creative and
critical thoughts. 17 BSV (Başak Art
Foundation) students who attended to the
workshop made themed armchairs with
the association of academicians, designers
and professionals from architecture and
design disciplines. The workshop was an
important practice because it helped the
young people to improve different
perspectives, release imagination, realizing
all creative processes, gain vision and form
aesthetical perception.
Platforms
Istanbul Child Abuse Prevention
Platform
The purpose of platform is to do practices
of social defense for formation and
development of a system oriented at
realizing, preventing and intervening risks
against all children.
Child Brides Platform
Discussion Class
Platform, being the first foundation which
is against the child marriage, saying “Do
not participate in this crime”, was founded
with the purpose of supporting the global
cooperation against child marriage on a
national level.
A lot of young people and children
participating in the activities of the
foundation mentioned that they cannot
know each other very well although they
are together in the classes or activities.
Therefore they started a platform in which
they come together and talk about actual
topics and share their feelings and
thoughts.
Platform of ‘We Prevent Violence against
Children’
‘Preventing Violence Against Children
Partnership Network’ founded with the
support of UNICEF was formed with the
aim of easing and supporting the rightbased observing and defense practices
intended to prevent the violence against
children. Partnership Network which
started to work with the protocol approved
by the partners aims to found an active
observation system to prevent the violence
against children. Thus, it is aimed to form
observation indicator, enforce the nongovernmental organizations which will
attend to observation practices and form a
communicative network between them,
form an information bank and a
communication system.
These conversations in which both
newcomers and the volunteer participate
are very efficient. Thus this platform
became an open one which elementary
school, high school or university students,
and also working class youth are
welcomed.
We think that it is a big step for the young
people and the children to have an
opportunity to express themselves and
socialize. It is important that each
individual has the right of speech, express
their thoughts, perceive the importance of
different thoughts and voices. In these
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 9
www.basaksanatvakfi.org.tr
The Meetings We Have Attended In
10-11 September 2012
26 November 2012
10th Meeting of special commission of
Ministry of Development in Ankara
Sheraton Hotel 1st step
Youth Support Line Presentation meeting
of Özge-Der in Istanbul Kervan Otel
(Taksim)
20-22 September 2012
8 December 2012
Anna Lindh Foundation 5th Site meeting in
the exhibition hall of Eskişehir Tepebaşı
Municipality
Conference of Maltepe University on
children in the streets
28 May 2012
4-6 November 2012
Meeting of special commission of
Ministry of Development in Ankara
Sheraton Hotel
Meeting of Sabancı University Faculty of
Communication on the impostance of
social media as a tool in social
communication
27-28 November 2012
22-23 May 2012
Conference of UNICEF on struggle against
violence to children in Ankara
Meeting of partnership network for
preventing the violence to children in
Ankara/Kızılcahamam
10th
10-12 December 2012
2nd meeting for partnership network for
preventing the violence to children in Bolu
Abant
Support Our Activities!
Our activities are held with voluntary work and sharing. For this reason its quality and
quantity will increase depending on your contributions.
•
You can share your professional experience with us as a volunteer
•
You can contribute financially or physically
•
You can help us extend the activities
•
You can let us know about the children, youngsters or families who need support
•
We provide scholarships to 26 children in their education. You can help increasing
this number.
Kayışdağı Mah, Uslu Cad. Nihat Sk. No:55/A Ataşehir - İstanbul
Phone&Fax: 0216 420 49 68 / 0216 540 24 62
Basak Culture and Art Foundation
2012 Activity Report, Page 10
Design&Layout: Özgür Şahin
Translation: Burcu Şener, Mesut Gökdai
For this reason if you say “yes”,