2024-2025

About the Project

This project aims to document the "layered burdens" experienced in container cities following the February 2023 earthquakes through a series of photography workshops. Led by Communication Specialist Kaya Yüksek, with contributions from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökçesu Akşit Dudaklı, the project will span approximately four months. The outcomes of these workshops will be compiled into a booklet and an exhibition.

A photography workshop will first be conducted with a group of 20-25 children whose mothers work in the Textile Workshop at Mimar Sinan Temporary Housing Center in Antakya. After receiving training, the children will be encouraged to capture images of their own surroundings, documenting their post-earthquake lives. The selected photographs will then be featured in an exhibition and booklet, to be presented at Maltepe University.

On the second anniversary of the earthquake, the project aims to:
📷 Visually document the everyday lives of children in the region,
📖 Shed light on the "layered burdens" they carry, as revealed in previous research,
📣 Raise awareness among relevant stakeholders about the ongoing challenges faced by these children.

From Layered Burdens to Collective Empowerment: The Second Session of the Online Awareness Workshop for Women in Post-Disaster Recovery is Completed

As part of the project, the Textile Workshop established at Mimar Sinan Temporary Housing Center in Antakya aims to mitigate the effects of post-earthquake trauma and provide economic support to women in the region. The workshop, launched in July 2024, operates with contributions from AFAD, the Hatay Provincial Directorate of National Education, and the Hatay Public Education Center.

Online Awareness Workshop for Women

Conducted under the Maltepe University Scientific Research Project (MÜAR), the "From Layered Burdens to Collective Empowerment: Online Awareness Workshop for Women in Post-Disaster Recovery" is a series of events designed to support the individual and collective empowerment of women participating in this project.

Second Session: December 10, 2024, 14:00 (Online)

👩‍👧 Participants: 16 women, 4 children

🎯 Objectives:
✔️ Making the burdens faced by women after disasters more visible,
✔️ Strengthening solidarity networks,
✔️ Raising awareness of women's rights and encouraging their active participation in reconstruction efforts.

Project Team

The workshop was conducted with contributions from Aid Convoy’s Nuran Farina and members of the Maltepe University SOYAÇ team, including:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökçesu Akşit Dudaklı (SOYAÇ Director)
• Prof. Dr. Belma T. Akşit
• Kaya Yüksek
• Res. Asst. Batuhan Kalaycıoğlu
• Hilal Hançer
• Berfin Kurt
• Berivan Gökdemir
• Tuğba Zeytin
• Fatma Nur Özbay

The Empowerment Journey Begins with the Textile Workshop

As part of the project, the Textile Workshop established at Mimar Sinan Temporary Housing Center in Antakya aims to mitigate the effects of post-earthquake trauma and provide economic support to women in the region. The workshop, launched in July 2024, operates with contributions from AFAD, the Hatay Provincial Directorate of National Education, and the Hatay Public Education Center.

Online Awareness Workshop for Women

Conducted under the Maltepe University Scientific Research Project (MÜAR), the "From Layered Burdens to Collective Empowerment: Online Awareness Workshop for Women in Post-Disaster Recovery" is a series of events designed to support the individual and collective empowerment of women participating in this project.

First Session: December 5, 2024, 14:00 (Online)

👩‍👧 Participants: 16 women, 4 children

🎯 Objectives:
✔️ Making the burdens faced by women after disasters more visible,
✔️ Strengthening solidarity networks,
✔️ Raising awareness of women's rights and encouraging their active participation in reconstruction efforts.

Project Team

The workshop was conducted with contributions from Aid Convoy’s Nuran Farina and members of the Maltepe University SOYAÇ team, including:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökçesu Akşit Dudaklı (SOYAÇ Director)
• Prof. Dr. Belma T. Akşit
• Kaya Yüksek
• Res. Asst. Batuhan Kalaycıoğlu
• Hilal Hançer
• Berfin Kurt
• Berivan Gökdemir
• Tuğba Zeytin
• Fatma Nur Özbay

SOYAÇ Completes Project Application for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

SOYAÇ has submitted its application to the Scientific Research Projects Program (MÜAR) of Maltepe University for the 2024-2025 academic year with the project titled "Photography Workshop, Exhibition, and Photobook with Children in the Narlıca Container City, Antakya." The application is currently under evaluation. The project will be conducted in partnership with the Aid Convoy Association for Humanitarian Aid, Solidarity, and Development.

Project Purpose and Scope

This project aims to provide children living in the Narlıca container city in Defne, Antakya—a region heavily affected by the earthquake—an opportunity to express their world through photography. Through their own perspectives, the children will document their surroundings, actively participate in the process, and amplify their voices.

The project will begin with a photography workshop for a group of 20-25 children, selected from the families of 27 women working in the textile workshop established in the container city. The children will then apply their new skills to capture images of their environment. These photographs will be compiled into a photobook and an exhibition, which will be showcased at Maltepe University.

Project Goals

🎯 Focus on the daily lives of children in the region on the second anniversary of the earthquake.
📷 Visually document their “layered burdens” through photography.
📢 Inform relevant stakeholders about the experiences and challenges faced by these children.

Through this initiative, the project seeks to empower children as active storytellers while creating a valuable visual archive of their post-disaster realities.

SOYAÇ Completes Project Application for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

SOYAÇ has submitted its application to the Scientific Research Projects Program (MÜAR) of Maltepe University for the 2024-2025 academic year with the project titled "From Layered Burdens to Collective Empowerment: Online Awareness Workshop for Women in Post-Disaster Recovery." The application is currently under evaluation.

The project, carried out in collaboration with SOYAÇ and the Aid Convoy Association for Humanitarian Aid, Solidarity, and Development, focuses on the disaster experiences and coping strategies of 27 women working in the Textile Workshop established in a container city in Defne, Hatay. The online workshops, set to take place from November 2024 to April 2025, will address the following topics:

• Understanding gender roles before and after disasters,
• Adopting rights-based approaches,
• Developing emotional resilience and advocacy skills.

Additionally, the project will include special mother-daughter workshops aimed at strengthening intergenerational communication and solidarity strategies.

Through these efforts, the project seeks to empower women in the aftermath of disasters while fostering social solidarity and resilience.

SOYAÇ has completed its application to the 'Civil Society Research Call' under TÜBİTAK's '3005-Innovative Solutions Research Support Program in Social Sciences and Humanities' for the 2024-2025 academic year. The project title was determined as 'From Layered Burdens to Collective Empowerment: Developing an NGO-University Collaboration Model with a Clinical Sociology-Based Intervention Program for Adolescent Earthquake Survivors in Hatay'.

Purpose of the 3005 Program The Innovative Solutions Research Projects Support Program in Social Sciences and Humanities is structured around three main objectives:

1. Identifying current situations through data collection and analysis in humanities, and developing scientific innovative methods, approaches, and interpretations based on these findings,
2. Providing scientific basis for the development of public policies,
3. Examining the effects of technological advances on society.

This program aims to provide academic contributions to understanding and solving social problems while offering innovative solutions to the scientific world."

Let me know if you need any clarification on specific terms or would like help with translating other materials related to the project.