NEWSLETTER ASSOCIATION FOR SOLIDARITY WITH ASYLUM SEEKERS AND MIGRANTS SI? INMACILAR VE GÖÇMENLERLE DAYANI?MA DERNE??

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1 NEWSLETTER ASSOCIATION FOR SOLIDARITY WITH ASYLUM SEEKERS AND MIGRANTS SI? INMACILAR VE GÖÇMENLERLE DAYANI?MA DERNE?? Mar ch- Apr i l 2016 ABOUT SGDD-ASAM The Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants was established in Ankara on December 22, 1995 as a non-governmental and non-profit organization. SGDD-ASAM, based in Ankara, has 45 field offices covering 41 cities. The main objective of SGDD-ASAM is to develop solutions to the challenges that refugees and asylum seekers encounter in Turkey. SGDD-ASAM provides psycho-social and legal counselling, organizes peacebuilding activities, language courses, vocational courses and also performs public awareness raising activities. SGDD-ASAM offers services to refugees and asylum seekers regardless of their language, religion, gender, race, sexual orientation and political views. SGDD-ASAM is the implementing partner of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Turkey Office, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and in cooperation with International Medical Corps (IMC), German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), European Union (EU), British Embassy and a member of both Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures and UNITED for Intercultural Action.

2 AL FARAH CHILD AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER MORE THAN OPENED! Children living in Gaziantep According to the records of the Directorate General of Migration Management, currently, 325,165 Syrian refugees are living in Gaziantep and more than 80,000 of this population consists of children. Children need safe spaces in their new homes that offer sensible environments for their healthier growth and development. SGDD-ASAM, which has been providing services and support to refugees in numerous fields through projects carried out since 1995, is now engaged in the establishment of Child and Family Support Centers in cooperation with UNICEF for the purpose of expanding and developing child oriented services in Gaziantep, Ankara, Adana, Istanbul and Izmir. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk, Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, Turkish Prime Minister and Ministers opened Child and Family Support Center established in Gaziantep on April 23, Services are provided by Child and Famil y Support Cent er: - Psycho-social Support Programs - Life Skills Trainings - Child Protection Services - Family Training Programs - Primary Health Care Services. Our Centers aim to support children and the youth between the ages of 4 to 18 in accessing rights and services to foster them to acquire knowledge and skills as well as emotional and social improvement through games and activities in a safe environment with its expert staff in Child and Youth Friendly spaces in Gaziantep and in the other provinces covered by the project.

3 4TH ISTANBUL CHILDREN AND YOUTH ARTS BIENNIAL LET?S WAKE UP AND LISTEN TO THE STORY OF SYRIAN PEOPLE WAKING UP THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WITH THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS ON THEIR WAY IN SEARCH OF A HOPE, PEACE, AND BUILDING THEIR FUTURE. Syrian children attended the 4th Istanbul Children and Youth Arts Biennial, which started on April 19, 2016, with arts and music projects they developed. The first one is?ways and Faces Awakened,? which is a road installation project. The children of this mass displacement who have been deprived of their homes, made a road composed of faces that they created using wires, fabrics, strings and other materials. This road also relates to the theme of this year?s Biennial,?Wake Up Call.? The second Project is?let?s Wake Up to Rights and Awareness.? One of the fundamental problems refugee children face is the difficulty to access their right to education and adequate living conditions for children. This artwork, every part of which represents a crucial children?s right, is made up of sculptures of a boy and a girl holding a kite and its tail is decorated with school materials such as books, schools bags, notebooks and pencils. The decorations reflect on every child in the world, who can?t go to school, enjoy their right to play, and has been deprived of their rights by becoming child labour and brides. Within their third project Syrian children, who attend hip-hop and dance workshops run by the music group Tahribad-? Isyan in the Child Friendly Space of SGDD-ASAM, are participating in the 4th Istanbul Children and Youth Arts Biennial with the song?i Woke Up in a Foreign Country.? The studio record of the song, whose lyrics the children wrote themselves, and the video-clip will be exhibited in the video-art section of Biennial.

4 MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF SYRIAN INTEGRATION TO EDUCATION PREVENTING THE RISE OF A LOST GENERATION SGDD-ASAM organized a two-day conference on the Involvement of Syrian Refugees in Turkey into the Turkish Education System held in Ankara on 17th and 18th March 2016 in cooperation with the British Council. The conference was held with the participation of the representatives of General Directorate of Migration Management (DGMM), British Embassy, Ministry of National Education (MoNE), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), British Council, British Council Lebanon, British Council Jordan, Relief International Jordan, Plan International, Mavi Kalem, Middle East Technical University, University College London, The Learning Harbor, Koç University, Gaziantep University and Suleyman Demirel University. The conference, which provides an opportunity for the evaluation of challenges, gaps, problems and capacities for Syrian refugees to access and involve in the education system served for developing concrete solutions based on science. The number of refugees between 0-18 years old is estimated to be more than 53% in Turkey that hosts more than 2,7 million Syrian refugees. These large numbers emphasize the necessity of involvement of the Syrian refugee children into education system. Participation to education has a significant role for both local integration and Preventing the Rise of a Lost Generation. Atilla Toros, General Director of Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) There is a risk for the children, who could not go to school due to the conflict in Syria, to become a?lost generation? and unfortunately education is not recognized as a primary need. We brought together the institutions and organizations, which may take part for the solution of the problem at the conference where we started to tackle the ways of adaptation of the children into the education system.?brahim Vurgun Kavlak SGDD-ASAM General Coordinator United Kingdom is a highly experienced country to adapt refugees into education system. We would like to share our experiences with Turkey. Julian Parry Director English and Education at British Council

5 9TH TRADITIONAL CAPPADOCIA WOMEN?S MEETING SGDD-ASAM hold the 9th Traditional Cappadocia Women?s Meeting on March 12, 2016, Saturday with support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The event aims to bring refugee women, the representatives of local NGOs working for women and refugees rights together and create a platform encouraging solidarity among host community and refugee women, facing similar challenges. These meetings have been organized since 2008 in cooperation with Nevsehir-Cappadocia Association for Solidarity with Women. Approximately 1000 asylum seeker and refugee women from different cities and different nationalities (Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan etc.) participate in the activity each year to celebrate International Women?s Day and enjoy the unique beauty of Cappadocia region. There is no such activity bringing refugee women together in the world. As a woman I have no country, As a woman, my country is the whole world. Virginia Woolf

6 A?a??Dikmen Mah. Galip Erdem Cad. No:42-44 Çankaya/ ANKARA/ TURKEY Phone: Phone: Fax: en / asamsgdd / sgdd_asam / sgdd_asam SGDD-ASAM Field Offices: en/ offices