NEWSROOM

The Turkey office of the international non-governmental organization Ashoka, which operates in more than 90 countries, announced its new strategic plan through a community meeting. The mission of Ashoka Turkey is to bring together its community with actors who are effective in enabling individuals to have the skills to create change by imagining a world where every individual can be a pioneer of change, supporting them, and mobilizing them. 

TURKEY - Ashoka Turkey Fellows, Ashoka Support Network (ASN) members, the social entrepreneurship ecosystem, individual and corporate supporters, and ecosystem partners, among a wide range of participants, attended the Ashoka Turkey Community Gathering held on January 10th at Postage in Beyoglu, Istanbul. The Ashoka Turkey team shared its new strategic plan with the participants and prepared the community's support through one-on-one meetings and focus group sessions during the gathering. 

“We have created our 5-year strategic plan with the support of our community”

Ezgi Özkök Sefer, the Country Director of Ashoka Turkey, emphasized that the world is constantly and rapidly changing, and the need to adapt to this change and lead change for the greater good is more urgent and critical than ever. She said, "We envision a world where the gap between those who have the skills to create change and those who do not is bridged, and everyone can be a 'Changemaker' for the greater good. To realize this vision, we will unite, support, and activate effective actors who empower people with the skills to create change. We thank everyone who contributed to shaping this strategy.”

Ezgi Özkök Sefer emphasized that “Changemaking” is a role that anyone can take on and stated, “Anyone who wishes can define themselves as a “Changemaker”. The journey of a “Changemaker” begins with one’s self-awareness and extends to finding solutions to social and environmental problems they observe in their surroundings, forming a team around this solution, collaborating with their other “Changemakers”, and transforming systems and mindsets. Changemaking can be practiced by everyone at different stages of this journey.”

The Young Changemakers Program is starting

Ashoka Turkey will continue to select and support social entrepreneurs focusing on system transformation as Ashoka Fellows every year. The launch of the Young Changemakers Program will also bring together the identified “Changemakers” by focusing on cognitive empathy, teamwork, new leadership, and change-making practice skills. 

“Changemakers are everywhere”

Yaşar Adanalı, Ashoka Fellow and founder of Postane, stated, “Changemakers are everywhere. As social entrepreneurs, when we look around, we observe any individuals who identify a problem and take action. Some do it by supporting fear production, while others mobilize a community. That’s why Ashoka Turkey’s new static plan is very valuable.” 

Ashoka Turkey will collaborate with impact partners to create a culture of change. 

Ashoka Turkey will collaborate with educational faculties, educational publishers, teacher networks and unions, media, government, and decision-makers to ensure the early acquisition of a culture of creating change. As a first step, Ashoka Turkey will work with Change Ambassadors within these institutions and contribute to young people’s adoption of change. Ashoka Turkey refers to the institutions as “impact partners”. In the near future, Ashoka Turkey will also collaborate with institutions in critical areas such as gender, climate and the planet, technology and humanity, longevity, migration, and democracy. 

Call to Journey Together

Ashoka Turkey's team invited individuals and organizations to join the Ashoka Turkey Changemaker Community as impact partners, individual and corporate supporters, or in-house Change Ambassadors to embark on this journey together. Faruk Eczacıbaşı, a member of the Ashoka Support Network (ASN), emphasized the important role Ashoka Turkey has in the future, serving as a network organization that helps spread our learnings globally for the benefit of society. He also highlighted the value of disseminating the knowledge behind technological advancements to the broader community. Ashoka Turkey will continue its effort in the coming period to enable everyone to become a “Changemaker” through new programs and community activities.