Complex and fragile political and socio-economic situation in urban & metropolitan Turkey, compounded by underdevelopment of accountable, democratic of civil society and local governments, along a shortage of meaningful, result-oriented actions undertaken to strengthen communities’ social integrity, made the broad group of disfranchised become bona fide unwilling and incapable to actively participate in genuine civil society dialogue. The project focuses on public spaces, as a perfect representation of common space of mutual interactions, being scoped on two different focal areas – locations: the District of Beykoz, Metropolitan Istanbul as well as the Districts of Çukurova & Ceyhan, Metropolitan Adana.
Over the span of 12 months – April 2019 through March 2020 – Youth Urban Action Lab aims at restoring disadvantaged trust in policy making through providing an innovative consultation formulas (online based consultation tools, charrette public consultation events), building capacity of local CSOs, disfranchised leaders and local authorities to better represent the needs of youth groups (barriers identification, participation and co-design of the public space), further offering tangible results by implementing results of public consultations through participatory public space co-making under Urban Action Lab.
The overall objective is to nourish a long-term, sustainable, result oriented civil society partnership between Turkey and EU contributing to Turkey-organized Civil Society enhanced capacities to initiate and deliver a social change in partnership with other stakeholders at the local level.
Project implemented by Development Policy Foundation in cooperation with TOÇEV-Tüvana Okuma İstekli Çocuk Eğitim Vakfı (Istanbul) and Flying Balloon Children and Youth Association (Adana). The project is founded by the EU and the Republic of Turkey.