As IPS Communication Foundation/bianet, we have planned a series of meetings with NGOs working in the fields of human rights, gender equality, women, LGBTI+, migrants/refugees, ecology, disability rights, youth, law, and media, with the goal of strengthening civil society, establishing regular communication channels, and enhancing opportunities for collaboration.
As part of this effort, our nineteenth meeting took place on May 29 with Deniz Umut Eker, General Coordinator of the Ali İsmail Korkmaz Foundation (ALİKEV), at IPS Communication Foundation/Atölye BİA.
Eker shared the foundation's work and discussed possible collaborations with IPS Communication Foundation/bianet.
He emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for young people who lack equal access to education so they can pursue their dream careers. He noted that offering such opportunities helps youth build a future in which they can be happy.
Dream ambassadors following in Ali İsmail's footsteps
Founded initially in Hatay by Ali İsmail Korkmaz’s family, the foundation first aimed to carry on the initiatives Ali İsmail began during his high school years. Eker explained that the foundation has been developing social responsibility projects together with young people. With activities such as shelter visits, visits to nursing homes, building libraries in village schools, and cleaning up beaches, the foundation has become a hub for young people in Antakya. Many students who joined the foundation during high school have continued their involvement in other cities where they attend university, leading the foundation to expand into five different provinces. As a result, the dream ambassadors program—featuring young people inspired by Ali İsmail—has been launched in various localities.
From the pandemic to the earthquake, growing hope
Eker said that the strong organic connection with young people was especially disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He pointed to the shift to online university education and the closure of dormitories as major factors. Just as the weakened bond began to rebuild, the foundation had to face the devastating impact of the February 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
After the ALİKEV Youth Center in Hatay was destroyed by the quake, Eker said the foundation would begin reconstruction efforts to revive the center. Having become one of the most disadvantaged groups due to the pandemic and then the earthquake, young people remain the focus of the foundation’s ongoing efforts. Following the disaster, ALİKEV launched a scholarship program specifically for high school and university students from Antakya. So far, the foundation has supported 735 students and aims to continue supporting them throughout their education, thereby strengthening its relationship with youth.
What do young people have to say?
Today, ALİKEV aims to create a space especially for young people in the earthquake-affected region, where they can express the issues they’ve experienced in their own words and through their own works. To sustain these communication efforts, the foundation is looking for ways to increase its resources. Noting that civil society is going through a financially challenging period, Eker highlighted the increasing construction costs in the earthquake zone, which have raised the foundation’s basic expenses. With this in mind, ALİKEV is seeking support to help young people express themselves more effectively.
About Deniz Umut Eker
He graduated from the Department of Elementary Science Education at Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2008. He began working in the civil society sector in 2011 at the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV). Over the eight years he worked at TEGV, he held various positions across different departments, gaining diverse experience in civil society work. He worked as an operations specialist in the Field Support Program Department, and as a specialist and manager in the Education Programs Department. Deniz joined the ALİKEV team in July 2019 and currently serves as the foundation’s general coordinator.
About ALİKEV
ALİKEV was founded to keep alive the dreams of Ali İsmail Korkmaz, who, at the age of 17, launched an initiative called “Youth for Society” to build a “free world in his dreams” and bring together “young people who truly work for society.” ALİKEV was established in 2014, after Ali İsmail was beaten to death in Eskişehir by police and opposing groups during a protest supporting the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013, when he was just 19. The foundation aims to become a reference point for decision-makers in the field of youth.
(HA/VK)
