Change Starts in Our Neighborhood

BACKGROUND

A crucial decision-making mechanism at the local level, “neighborhood councils,” aims to strengthen the bond between neighborhoods and local governments and to encourage citizen participation. However, women’s participation in these councils remains limited in Adana, as across Turkey. It is essential to nurture suitable conditions for the active participation of women in local democratic decision-making mechanisms and to raise awareness of their own rights. They need support in knowledge and skills on the public services offered by the city, to which they are entitled, and on the procedures to follow to access these services.

PROJECT GOALS

• 10 volunteering women from Yeşilyurt and Gürselpaşa neighborhoods of Seyhan district in Adana will participate in 50-day trainings of 10 modules. Each module, covering topics from gender equality to the right to education, women’s health, legal rights, employment, media literacy, and democratic decision-making mechanisms, will include visits to the relevant organizations.
• Each participant will transfer their newly acquired knowledge to other women in their neighborhoods.
• These women will be encouraged to regularly participate in the neighborhood councils and submit their opinions, suggestions, and complaints about public services.
• A workshop will be organized to discuss neighborhood issues and suggested solutions to establish a communication network.
• A separate educational video will be prepared for each module to allow participants to review the training content later.