Establishing a culture of dialogue: Opportunities for joint action

This project offers people of different cultural and religious backgrounds a platform for exchange. The focus is on civil society actors in Turkey as well as migrant communities from Turkey in Switzerland. Exchange across “frontiers” is facilitated by the possibility to present different point of views and explore joint collaboration.

Turkey has a high degree of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. Turks, Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Greek, Roman, Arab, Circassion and many other communities live in Turkey. Often prejudices, ally/enemy outlooks ("with us or against us") and segregation shape the relations among the different groups. This strains living together and hinders the collaboration between people of the different groups – in Turkey as well as among migrants from Turkey in Switzerland.

Project objectives

• Promoting exchange among civil society actors in Turkey and among migrants from Turkey in Switzerland.
• Generating understanding and acceptance, among people of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds in Turkey and among migrants from Turkey in Switzerland.
• Participants implement joint activities in the area of culture and current socio-political topics that promote a culture of dialogue.
  

Project schedule and activities

This project consists of two parallel processes, one in Turkey and one in Switzerland. The processes have an open and participatory structure.

a) Project component in Turkey

The project component in Turkey is run by the partner organisation Anadolu Kültür in Istanbul. The dialogue process begins on the local level in Antakya (Hatay Province). A local working group of motivated young people assumes the planning and implementation of joint activities by different cultural and religious groups in the fields of art and culture. These activities form the basis for dialogue and exchange. The local working group receives support in the form of further training opportunities. A national dialogue group consisting of representatives of civil society from different regions in Turkey monitors the process and supports the partner organisation.

b) Project component in Switzerland

Migrants from Turkey take part in dialogue sessions guided by professional moderators. In order to ensure the sustainability of this process, committed participants are trained in e.g. moderating their own dialogues and project management ("train the trainers"). Participants then jointly plan their own projects and activities, such as discussion forums, film-making, exchange programmes with individuals from Turkey, etc. They receive further training and financial support for their projects.

Target group

The project is oriented toward persons of different cultural and religious backgrounds in Turkey and of migrant communities from Turkey in Switzerland who have the potential to influence public opinion (therefore having a multiplying effect).

Partner

Anadolu Kültür, Istanbul

Katharina Haab
Project Manager
+41 32 344 30 54
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