As being Imece Network participated in SociALL Up “Social Awareness Festival” organized by IU Entrepreneurship Club in IPA Florya Campus.
Among the 20 others, Imece Network was the only organization dealing with Erasmus + programs.
We could share all the projects our participants joined, new friends that they made and interesting things they learned. The event lasted till the late evening hours when we finished our gathering with a concert that completed the whole day of fun that we had!
On the 8th of May our adventure started. Three of our volunteers attended the five-day training course that took place in Varna. The training course was organized by the association “Inspiration” Ruse, Bulgaria. Eight countries took part in this course, besides Turkey.
The youth workers played lots of fun games, had some challenging activities and got a chance to improve their communication skills, to be more open-minded, learned not to trust everything they hear in the newspaper. One of the topics that volunteers had a chance to discuss was the topic of human rights.
Of course, every job deserves a treat. On the training courses, we call them intercultural evenings. Every night we brought new information about the other countries that participated in the project. Some countries even did some quizzes to see how much they remembered the presentation or to give them a chance to learn something new about their country.
Sadly, as everything on this project came to an end by the 14th of May, when our volunteers packed their bags and hit the road to Turkey, where they came with lots of excitement and good memories of new friends and places!
The “Transfer Experience” event at our office was a fascinating exploration of the Wim Hof Method and Italian cultural experiences. Held in a cozy, welcoming atmosphere, the event attracted a diverse group of participants eager to learn and share. The evening began with an engaging introduction to the Wim Hof Method, a breathing and cold exposure technique known for its health benefits.
Our friends Ömer and Ceren, from the training course in Italy, guided the attendees through the basic principles and scientific background of the method. Participants were then led through a practical breathing session, which left many feeling invigorated and curious about incorporating it into their routines. Following this, the focus shifted to Italian experiences, highlighting the rich cultural heritage and vibrant lifestyle of Italy.
Stories about Italian traditions, cuisine, and travel destinations captivated the audience, painting a vivid picture of the country. Our friends shared personal anecdotes from their travels in Italy, offering unique insights and tips for those planning to visit. The evening concluded with an open discussion, where attendees exchanged thoughts and experiences related to both topics. The event was not only informative but also inspired a deeper appreciation for holistic wellness and cultural exploration.
Our NGO’s stand at the LCOY in IPA Florya Campus was a tremendous success. We showcased our ongoing projects and future initiatives to a diverse and enthusiastic crowd. The stand was creatively decorated with informative posters, brochures, and drawing considerable attention from the attendees.
We also organized short presentations to highlight our impact and encourage volunteer participation. Many attendees expressed interest in joining our upcoming events. The atmosphere was lively, with meaningful conversations about community development and social responsibility. Our social media coverage of the event garnered significant engagement, spreading awareness beyond the campus.
Overall, the stand was a valuable opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and strengthen our network. We are grateful for the support and excited to build on this momentum for our future endeavors.
The National Youth Conference (LCOY) is an event where young people discuss environmental and sustainability issues and is linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These conferences provide young people with opportunities to collaborate on sustainability issues and make their voices heard, serving as a preparation for the global Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings. LCOY Turkey is organized by İklim Öncüleri and is the largest and most comprehensive conference in this field and presents its reports on international platforms.
Yes friends! We realised our Erasmusdays event 🙂
This year, on Saturday, October 14, 2023, we brang together a variety of youth institutions for you. In this way, young people had a chance to see many institutions and organizations together and participated in the workshops, presentations and interviews they were interested in.
Participated Organizations:
EUROPUBlic
Faal Derneği
Genç Düşünce Enstitüsü
Gençlik Mevsimi Derneği (Youth Season)
Hürriyet Masası
IAESTE Türkiye
İBB Gençlik ve Spor Müdürlüğü
İBB “Kampüste Çözüm”
İmece Network Education & Culture
İstanbul Kent Konseyi Gençlik Meclisi
Nişantaşı Erasmus Kulübü
Öğrenme Tasarımları
Pulsec
Roman Hafıza Çalışmaları Derneği
T4 Technology Team
TOG – Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı
Uluslararası Aktif Şehirler Derneği
Yücel Kültür Vakfı
Realised Workshops:
11:00 “Youth Exchanges” Imece Network Education & Culture
12:00 “Internship Abroad” IAESTE Türkiye
13:00 “Learning Designs” Öğrenme Tasarımları
13:00 “Erasmus and Philosophy” Hürriyet Masası
14:00 “Culture, Art & Youth” Yücel Kültür Vakfı
15:00 “What does Erasmus clubs add to students?” Nişantaşı Erasmus Kulübü
16:00 “ESC Humanitarian Aid Programme” Youth Season
17:00 “Volunteering Law” Genç Düşünce Enstitüsü
18:00 “Electronic Waste Inspection/Removal Workshop” Pulsec
The meeting took place between 11: 00-19: 00 on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Şişli İBB Habitat Yaşam Merkezi in cooperation with İmece Network, İPA and İBB Youth and Sports Directorate.
Gallery will be here soon!
#erasmusdays #erasmus #ulusalajans #eurodesk #erasmusplus #imecenetwork #imece #ipaistanbul #ibbgenclikvespor
Between September 5th and 12th, four volunteers from İmece Network attended the training course organized by Back to the Roots Association. After the project, in which a total of 24 participants from 6 countries took part, let’s take a closer look at our volunteers’ thoughts about the project!
Here is Berra’s comment:
Hello.I’m Berra.From September 5th to 12th, I had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful town of Pujalt in Spain for an Erasmus+ Training Course. This experience took place as part of a project supported by the European Union and has become one of the most unforgettable memories of my life.
During the week I spent in this charming town, I had the chance to delve deep into the world of theatre. Throughout the course, we participated in various improvisation workshops.
The most memorable moments were the practical exercises. We worked on different games and performances to enhance our own theatre skills. Interacting with participants from other countries, we experienced a cultural exchange that broadened our perspectives.
This training course not only helped us better understand the art of theatre but also provided an opportunity to meet people from diverse cultures and form new friendships.
This experience reaffirmed the value of European Union cultural exchange projects. The theatre training course in Pujalt was highly enriching for me, both personally and professionally. I look forward to participating in future projects and hope for these experiences to be shared with even more people.
Ahmet expresses his experience as follows:
This experience took place within the scope of a project supported by the European Union and it was an incredible experience for me.
During the week I spent in this town, we did many theater-related activities and I learned a lot about theatre. During the course, we took theater-related improvisation classes. The improvisational theater experience has helped me a lot, not only on stage but also in all areas of life. It improved my ability to make split-second decisions, increased my self-confidence, and taught me what an enriching experience it is to work with people from different cultures. We worked on different plays and performances to improve our theater skills. We had a cultural exchange with our friends from other countries and I learned different things.
With this training, I learned a lot about theater and made great friends. As a result, the improvisational theater experience I had during the Erasmus event in the town of Pujat, Spain, became one of the most valuable memories of my life. It improved my ability to express myself, helped me make new friends and gave me the opportunity to better understand different cultures. This experience will remain an adventure I will always remember.
Here is Mert’s comments:
During the week I spent in Pujalt, we delved into the depths of the art of theatre. Throughout the course, we received various improvisation lessons, and, more importantly, engaged in hands-on activities to enhance our theatre skills. We worked on different plays and performances, fostering our creativity and expressive abilities. Additionally, interacting with participants from different countries enriched us with a cultural exchange, providing us with different perspectives.
This training course not only helped us gain a deeper understanding of the theatre arts but also offered the opportunity to meet different cultures and forge new friendships. This experience reaffirmed the value of European Union cultural exchange projects. The theatre education course in Pujalt was highly productive for me, contributing to both personal and professional development. I look forward to participating in future projects and hope that such experiences can be shared with more people.
As participants of the project, we would like to thank our organization İmece Network and the project owner @backtotheroots.eu.
Organized by: @s.hcli
Within the scope of the mentoring support of the 5th Young Social Entrepreneurs meeting, the social initiative of Seda Vural, a member of our association, “Anne Çocuk Yaşam Merkezi (Mother Child Life Center) – Eğirdir” will be realised soon. For the project Seda interviewed with the district governor and the mayor.
After these meetings, field visits were realised on possible places for our activities with the instruction of the mayor of Eğirdir, Veli Gök.
The first stop of the field visits is Dündar Bey Madrasah. And later on Aya Stefanos (Yeşilada) Church, Eğirdir Social Facilities and Historical Eğirdir House were visited respectively.
We participated the Erasmus Sports Project “Lets Play All Together” by APD Roma Volley.
The main aims of the project were the followings:
1- Exchanging best practices for freeing sports from bullying and for using sports as educational tools against bullying;
2- Creating a European network of non profit organizations committed in educational values of sports against bullying.
During the project, were realized 3 international meetings (the kick off meeting, an international exchange and a final workshop).
The video created by our first group:
Gallery by our second group:
The outcomes of the workshops at the end:
For more details please click the official website:
In October, I had the pleasure of participating “Life after Brexit” dialogue program in Budapest, among people from the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Hungary, Turkey, and Slovakia.
The RESOLVE: Life after Brexit is a dialogue-focused, network-based, and social action project that allows young people to connect with, debate, and influence decision-makers in the Europe. We held activities for three days that made us realize how important it is to voice our thoughts.
Because we were going to complete our project in a major metropolitan area like Budapest, I had high hopes. Our experience, however, has been far more beautiful than I could have expected. All of the participants were thoughtful, open-minded, and friendly.
We spent the evenings in gorgeous Budapest while working on our project through non-formal education throughout the day. Thanks to this project we were able to make friends from different countries, get to know about their culture and make memories for a lifetime. I would gladly recommend everyone to join such a programme because it is very fun and educative at the same time!
Our memories, I believe, are our most valuable collection. I’d like to express my gratitude to Imece Network for providing me with this opportunity.
İrem Çetin
Life After Brexit was my first youth project. So, while I can’t draw a direct comparison, I believe this initiative is among the greatest.
Budapest has been a dream city for us from day one. Walking through its streets made us happy. It was impossible not to be impressed by its historical landmarks. We could spend hours watching the parliament building:)
People from various countries and cultures collaborated in the project. The fact that we shared so much in common with folks thousands of kilometers away struck me the most. In a globalizing society, it’s no surprise that understanding and respecting cultures, but when I first met foreigners for the first time, I never imagined I’d be able to connect so easily.
It was a five-day period during which we did not waste a single minute of training or sightseeing in Budapest.
The Turkish team is one of the factors that contribute to this event being unforgettable. I’d want to express my gratitude to IMECE NETWORK for bringing together people who are compatible and energetic.
In my first project, I took my steps with more fear and tension, yet it left me with wonderful memories. I am confident that I will be ecstatic about the upcoming projects. Our young friends who aspire to get into project world should not waste any time. I’m confident it will provide you with numerous advantages in every way.
I’d want to express my gratitude to ASFAR and IMECE NETWORK for this chance.
“Some ships are wooden ships, but those ships may sink. The best ships are friendships, and to those ships, we drink.”
Saliha Kartal
Meeting summary with Asfar & Partners
Imece Network participated in the meeting that took place on the 26th of January. The agenda was about the Erasmus+ Resolve: Peace Camps project which has since been launched and will last for 12 months.
The Resolve: Peace camps 2020, the focus is on the dialogue that will bring ideas and ways that will bring about youth empowerment therefore as result, youth will be able to voice their opinions together with their respectable decision-makers.
The meeting was held via the Zoom meetings platform and was fruitful as participants were left satisfied with the outcome. Partners came from seven countries which include UK, Turkey, Georgia, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus. All partners were given the opportunity to decide on how the youth camps should be handled. No stone was left unturned as all the topics were included in the dialogue, from the profile of the potential participants to how best, travelling can be made possible during the deadly pandemic of COVID-19.
Imece Network will work together with all the partners to find and implement ways that will see, young people, dialogue with decision-makers, be it on a national, regionally, and international basis. The goal is to advocate for the youth to be heard and participate in democratic practices.
Tanaka Takunda Munyoro