Özge Sönmez Vardar is Program Director at YUVA Association, an Istanbul-based NGO that tackles issues relating to ecology, human rights, and poverty eradication simultaneously. In 2019, Özge was selected by the Malala Fund to be a Gulmakai Champion from the Syria region, for her work supporting girls’ education, especially refugee girls’ access to education and […]
DemoSapiens: Freedom Under Threat
This past Thursday, HasNa hosted the third gathering in our DemoSapiens discussion series, co-hosted with MetaCulture. DemoSapiens comes from the Greek demos, meaning “people” and sapiens, meaning “wise,” because the series is designed to allow us to learn from one another’s wisdom. This third episode really leaned into that intention; there was no presentation and the entirety […]
Why is Collaboration Crucial for Democracy to Function?
Below is a message from HasNa’s President, Nevzer Stacey, on the necessity of collaboration: In order for us to respect the voices of people in a society, we cannot only hear them; we must listen to them. We hear a lot of things, some intentionally, some unintentionally. But when we listen it signifies that we […]
The Power of Storytelling
On May 21, 2015, HasNa screened Hüseyin Karabey’s 2014 Turkish film, “Come to My Voice,” at the Avalon Theater in Washington, DC. It is a simple enough premise, but powerful in its ability to bring to light the realities of a typical Kurdish village’s unfortunate interactions with police through a storyline that seems at once […]
Water: The Principal Resource for Humanity
Water is essential for human life and the depletion of clean water resources is a serious global threat. According to the International Water Management Institute, one third of the global population does not have access to clean drinking water and another 1.5 billion people live in areas experiencing water scarcity. Some scientists argue that within […]
Building Bridges, One Word At A Time
In many ways, intercultural exchange serves as a cushion or catalyst for peace. When two ethnic groups are in a state of conflict, there is a breakdown of communication between them. In such situations, inter-cultural activities provide them with a common space to meet, communicate, and interact. Communication includes both listening and expressing oneself so […]
2010 Program Management Training a Great Success!
All over Turkey, non-profit organizations work vigorously to meet the needs of individuals and communities in a diverse set of areas. Organizations are promoting human rights, improving access to education and healthcare, addressing environmental damage, promoting gender and ethnic equality, fostering economic and social development… The list goes on. Good intentions are always admirable, but […]