‘Enable Bridges with Sustainable Dialogue’ Project, set out to establish dialogue between CSOs and public institutions in Türkiye and the EU on disability rights through new partnerships, has successfully paved the way for the proverbial bridges.
The “Enable Bridges with Sustainable Dialogue” Project, implemented by the Development Centre Association of Individuals with Disability and Their Families (EBAGEM) and in partnership with ADAPTO (Association for the Promotion of Equality among Youth) from Romania, was completed following a series of notable activities in cooperation with Mersin Yenişehir Municipality and Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education.
Ayda Yeter Serin, President of EBAGEM, and a regular coordinator and project partner in various EU projects to date, said that the activities within the project contributed to the empowerment of persons with disabilities and their families, their participation in social life, and their personal and professional development. Serin also pointed out that their mission is to support the development of CSOs working on disability rights, to develop cooperation between the public and CSOs in this field, and to take part in networking activities at local, national, and international levels. That’s why this project has a special significance for Serin and EBAGEM.
Milestones of the project
The project, structured over four milestones, covered a wide range of activities from conferences and networking activities to study visits and training materials, from dialogue meetings and training programmes to an international summit and an online training platform.
Dialogue and networking
As the first step of the dialogue and networking activities, two “Fact Finding Conferences” were held in Mersin and Constanta. These conferences were held to establish social policies targeting Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and to identify major issues concerning PwD and their families. In addition, representatives of local actors were provided with an open space to learn more about the current situation regarding the implementation of strategies related to the EU acquis in the field of disabilities.
Later, 20 organisations working in the field of disabilities in Türkiye and 15 similar organisations from Romania were invited to the networking activities, eventually establishing the “Network without Barriers”. During the study visit to Romania, CSOs and public institutions working in the field of disabilities exchanged views on how to develop further cooperation between Türkiye and the EU.
Finally, three platform meetings were held to increase local entrepreneurial skills and to develop communication capacities of active actors, as well as to create cooperation opportunities so that people with disabilities and their families could fully enjoy their rights.
Training module development
Within the scope of the project, content for a training module on topics such as disability rights, active participation, and citizenship was developed to respond to the methodological needs of trainers working with individuals with disabilities and their families. A “Training of Trainers Handbook” was also prepared.
Capacity building
Trainers and youth workers from CSOs and public institutions in Türkiye and Romania participated in a training of trainers’ programme on disability rights, non-formal education, experiential learning methodology, active participation, and citizenship, to develop their methodological capacity. Participants were also involved in the development process of the E-Learning platform to be established to support the platform.
EU-Türkiye awareness and dissemination
One of the important steps taken towards awareness and dissemination, the last milestone of the project activities, was the “European Cooperation in the Field of Disabilities” Seminar, held during the study visit to Romania. In addition, a “Training Handbook” was prepared for stakeholders organising events targeting persons with disabilities and their families. Another major outcome of the project was the animated short films focusing on the rights of the disabled, active participation of the disabled and accessibility. The films were shared on various social media platforms. Finally, the “International Disability Summit” was held in Mersin on 10 December 2021, coinciding with World Human Rights Day, with 200 participants from 10 countries.
An important outcome of the project in terms of sustainability was the E-Learning platform, consisting of seven modules and designed as an accessible platform for individuals and trainers with various kinds of disabilities. The platform, providing an open space for trainers to develop their theoretical knowledge when learning about the rights of the disabled, can be accessed at https://ebridges.org/tr/ .