Our ‘Local Impact’ workshops continued in collaboration with Beykoz Municipality.
Since March, we have conducted social inclusion workshops in collaboration with Eyüpsultan, Sultanbeyli, Fatih, Sultangazi, Ataşehir, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, and Beykoz Municipalities, focusing on the following three main topics:
1- Identifying different needs groups in the districts and determining the basic needs of these groups.
2- Determining the most effective or innovative supports that the municipality can provide for these groups and making improvements to existing programs.
3- Enhancing the impact of existing social assistance and support programs for these groups and further developing cooperation with civil society organizations.
Dısadvantaged Groups In Beykoz
➤ Seniors aged 65+, especially those over 80 living alone and their family members who care for them.
➤ Mothers with children aged 0-4 due to the shortage of nurseries.
➤ Residents of Beykoz villages facing challenges in accessing education, digital resources, and employment.
➤ Women at home (NEET Women – Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
➤ Individuals with disabilities.
➤ Substance abusers and their families.
➤ Similar intersecting groups, as in every district, are generally the most disadvantaged groups in Beykoz.
+ Stray animals.
Maın Focus Areas In Beykoz
- Increasing municipal support for the financing and governance of associations for people with disabilities, expanding the services provided to these associations, and meeting property needs.
- Developing socialization areas for mothers with children due to the shortage of nurseries, increasing the number of nurseries within the municipality’s borders, and thereby ensuring equal access to the workforce for women and men.
- Providing therapy support to families with disabled members and offering disaster awareness training.
- Utilizing vacant village schools in Beykoz, purchasing these properties from the special administration and treasury, and converting them into living centers and schools that offer more affordable education.
- Conducting workshops focused on independent living skills for those who are no longer in education and are part of the labor force.
- Organizing a more inclusive and international stem cell seminar in 2023 for the early detection of disabilities.
- Designating neighborhood representatives from animal lovers and increasing communication with the municipality specifically regarding the situation of stray animals.
- Localizing data through neighborhood-based mapping and institutionalizing the municipality’s memory through data collection.
- Adopting a rights-based approach that extends beyond aid-based services to universal services that include everyone (e.g., sidewalks, guide paths, ramps for transportation).
- Localizing employment offices that actively operate in metropolitan and provincial municipalities within district municipalities and developing innovative and feasible solutions to unemployment within their borders.
Our workshops will continue with other district municipalities in Istanbul in the coming weeks.
