Center of Disabled and, Supporting Family and Women

CITY ADAPTATION UNIT ACTIVITIES

            Individuals that had to leave their countries for many reasons have to deal with lots of social, economic and psychological problems. As much as local politics are constituted as part of national politics; local politics have a very important role in the integration process of individuals who came with migration.

            City Adaptation Unit which was established in 2009, with the aim of providing people who came to the Zeytinburnu with migration’s adaptability process by creating various projects.

• Turkish Language Course: Adults and children who encounter the problem of communication, maintaining educational life, providing basic needs during daytime and have difficulty adapting to the society because of those problems are giving Turkish Language Courses within different classrooms. Within the frame of the curriculum which is provided to the individuals who came with the migration were getting an education by Turkish teachers who are tasked with Public Education Center.
• Adaptation School:Adaptation School that showed that as a good example in both national and international area and is a first in Turkey aims at contributing to children who came from different culture’s adaptation process. Adaptation School which is consists of 22 modules targets to educating children between 6-14 ages in basic subjects, supporting them in a psycho-social way, by joining artistic and sportive activities to complete their adaptation processes.
• Primary Education: There are pieces of training about nature and environment, seasons, customs and traditions, basic dynamics of the society, life in that city, information about transportation, child rights and general knowledge for children who are between 6-14 ages and came with the migration.
• Psycho-Social Studies: for increasing the traumatic causes that created by migration, there are studies like anger control, express one’s feeling, developing imagination and art towards children who are educated within the context of Adaptation School.
• Children’s Choir:with the “Music Has No Language” motto, children between 6-14 ages who came with migration’s learning both of their own cultural music and the music language of the society which they live in and having such a good time and reinforce their Turkish through music contribute to increase their self-esteem and being an active person in the society.
• Handicrafts: Handicrafts provide todeveloping children who are educated in Adaptation School’s brain activities and motor skills, increasing expression of their imagination, creativity, and revealing artists inside them.
• Privacy Act Education: After they finish their education on the Language of Turkish, children who finished the Adaptation School are given this education. With that, they can protect themselves against abuses, distinguishes the difference between touching someone in a good way or in a bad way and learn how to say ‘no’ to someone. Education is given by the psychodrama method.
• Tours:with the purpose of developing city and history awareness on children who are continuing to go to Adaptation School, alongside tours in Zeytinburnu and various places in İstanbul, tours were prepared to the Darıca Zoo and Traffic Park as well.
• Adaptation Studies: within the context of Adaptation studies, we pave the way for Turkish and immigrant children to know, understand and socialize together with the groups that bringing Turkish children and immigrant children together. Children are coming togetherin the activities like archery training, football matches, basketball games, artworks, and those are given them an opportunity to raise awareness of living together.
• Developing Capacity and Providing an Opportunity to Means of Existence to Refugee Women in Zeytinburnu: As a part of the projectwith the cooperation of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, producing and marketing bags which are designed under the name of KarSerçesi were continuing. The project which has a 60.000 $ budget is consists of 5 stages.
• Refugee Women’s Club:towards women who are the basic member of a family Refugee Women’s Club is made actualize in 2015. Refugee Women’s Club’s purpose is to women who have to leave their countries with similar problems come together, support each other, having a good time, and increasing their knowledge and skills. In this club, women are trained in various subjects and participate in workshops.
• Education Works: education package that offers to the foreign women who are living in Zeytinburnu in company with persons who are specialized in their fields and translators include modules like; Women’s health, baby and children’s health, hygiene, nutrition and healthy life, home economics, legal rights, etc.
• Workshops: Workshops that are placed in the second step of the Refugee Women’s Club are established based on women’s handwork. In this study: workshops like a bead, felt, scented stone, and fabric aimed at women develop a hobby and develop their hand skills and turn them into professional achievement.
• KarSerçesi:KarSerçesi is a brand that emerged from the products made in workshops and its description is referred toas refugee situations. In a contest that Marmara union of municipalities organized, KarSerçesi is considered worthy in the field of the social municipality and won AltınKarınca reward. KarSerçesi maintains its studies to get famous all around the world and develop a more professional range of products. With selling those products that come together under this brand, foreign women have the opportunity to make a contribution to their home economy.
• Tours: Tours are organized for women who passed all the three stages in Refugee Women’s Club and they are being introduced about our city’s history and culture that we are living in.
• Child Protection Project: Since August 2018 with the cooperation of Save The Children (SCI) Child Protection Project is conducted. This project is aimed at strengthening the protection and psychological well-being of both children and adults who were coming to Zeytinburnu with migration. With the 800.000 $ budget within this project which includes various activities gives services like;
• Social Counselor: Foreign people who make an application for basic problems like social aid, education, health, residence given services in 6 languages (Turkish, English, Persian, Arabic, Russian and the Uzbek language). At the same time, they are informed about other services that they could take advantage of and ensured that they lead to the related units.
• Social Study:Social Studies are actualized with the purpose of makingan analysis of foreign people who are living in Zeytinburnu’s needs, and determine their situation in the household and record it. Using a structured survey, all of the data is recorded. As a result of social studies, families are given services by their needs.
• Briefing Seminars: Subjects like leasehold property and property rights, conditions of application for a juridical status and reclamation processare informed in the seminars that are organized for the foreign people with translators from time to time.
• Resilience Workshops: For resilience and strengthen the health of the refugee girls and boys who are living in Zeytinburnu ages between 9-13 and 14-17, they get two hours sessions in one a week with psycho-social and protection methodologies which are not clinical and aimed at approaching complicated interactions of individual and social factors developed by Save The Children. This workshop is made by children’s own mother tongue.
• Social Adaptation Activities
• Language Café (DilKafe’si): Turkish and refugee women who are living in Zeytinburnu meet once a week, mention intercultural themes, get to know each other and each other’s cultures and get a chance to practice on their Turkish.
• Children’s Reading Club: Refugee Children who are finished Turkish course and Adaptation School with a success get a place to read a book and discuss what they read with their peer group.
• Women’s Committee: Women who were participating in the activities and meet each other throughoutthe whole year working on projects towards their community’s needs. In these projects which are implemented very first time, is worked with the cooperation of local authorities. 2^nd hand clothes are after they were gathered, separated, and cleaned transmit to the needy families via local authorities.
• Tours: for increasing social adaptation, immigrant individuals taken to the İstanbul’s various cultural places and ensured to practice in their Turkish language the whole day.