“Our ‘Local Impact’ workshops continued in collaboration with the Zeytinburnu Municipality.
As part of the ‘Local Impact’ project, which we have implemented with the support of the Netherlands Embassy MATRA Fund, we have conducted nine social inclusion workshops since March in the municipalities of Eyüpsultan, Sultanbeyli, Fatih, Sultangazi, Ataşehir, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Beykoz, and Zeytinburnu. These workshops focused on three main topics:
- Identifying different needs groups in the districts and determining their basic needs.
- Providing the most effective or innovative support that the municipality can offer to these groups and making improvements to existing programs.
- Enhancing the impact of current social assistance and support programs for these groups and further developing cooperation with non-governmental organizations.
DISADVANTAGED GROUPS IN ZEYTINBURNU MUNICIPALITY:
- Individuals aged 65+ who cannot access health services, living alone or as couples.
- Women and mothers with children who face discrimination in the workforce and education (including cases where women solely take on parenting responsibilities).
- Children from low-income families who experience peer bullying and lack access to education.
- Young people and their families affected by technology and substance addiction.
- Immigrants and refugees facing language barriers.
- Individuals facing food and housing insecurity.
- Disabled individuals who cannot access health, education, and employment.
- Former convicts who want to adapt to social life.
MAIN FOCUS POINTS IN ZEYTINBURNU
- An inventory of individuals aged 65+ should be created, and community centers and day care homes for this age group should be established.
- Women’s shelters for victims of violence, as well as child development centers to support the development of children, should be established. Additionally, the number of daycare centers within the boundaries of Zeytinburnu should be increased to include women in employment and the workforce.
- Social workers, rather than guidance counselors, should take responsibility for improving the situation of children who experience peer bullying.
- The problem of unskilled male and female candidates and unskilled women at home should be solved through training tailored to the needs of the workforce to reduce social exclusion. Additionally, for low-income groups, vocational courses should be organized in collaboration with the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) to train intermediate-level technicians.
- Candidates who do not attend interviews at the municipal career planning centers and reject jobs should be immediately eliminated from the system, allowing more valuable candidates to stand out.
- Localizing data with neighborhood-based mapping and establishing institutional memory within the municipality through data collection.
- Expanding Turkish language courses for the integration of migrant and refugee children into society and ensuring their access to education.
- Removing prejudices against former convicts who have served their sentences, been rehabilitated, and are ready to adapt to the workforce and social life.
Our workshops will continue in collaboration with other district municipalities in Istanbul in the coming weeks.