Collaborations
UN Global Compact
Global Compact is "the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative". Global Compact is a set of globally accepted principles supporting voluntary initiative supporting sustainable development and good corporate citizenship practices. Established in 2000, UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. By the year 2007, 700 international NGO's and civil society institutions signed Global Compact in addition to 3000 business from 100 countries. In order to provide a better and sustainable world to our children, here at TEGV we continue and diversify our efforts to support Global Compact, which we have signed in October, 2007. While we maintain our activities to communicate and raise awareness about the principles of Global Compact, we also arrange educational activities to raise awareness in children about human rights and we carry on our work for refugee children in cooperation with other NGO's.
Within the context of labor rights, in compliance with all legal and ethical values, we provide the necessary personal and professional development trainings to our personnel. In the area of environment, we have taken on a recycling and green IT perspective both as a part of our work processes and in children's education. We have published the first Progress Report in 2009, which was required to be presented by the end of the first two year period. As a part of our progress report, we have calculated our Carbon Footprint for the year 2008 in order to find means to decrease the carbon emission resulting from our activities. While the results can be considered encouraging, since our carbon footprint is below the Turkey average, we still will be searching for new ways to decrease our carbon footprint for a sustainable world.
International Youth Foundation – IYF
IYF is one of the greatest NGO's in the World operating in the area of children and youth development. Operating in nearly 70 countries since 1990, IYF supports programs in which the youth is involved in activities in order to find solutions to problems in the society they live in and improve the living conditions. Up until today IYF supported the exemplary social responsibility projects of hundreds of companies and NGO's and continues to provide millions of young people with training and development opportunities in order to develop their life skills. Since 2003, TEGV has been implementing the Dreams Workshop program in collaboration with IYF and Nokia. Dreams Workshop is a part of the "Make a Connection" program that Nokia and IYF together had been implementing in 24 countries. Turkey, with the Dreams Workshop program, which aims to develop life skills in children and youth through plastic arts, became the 14th country to be involved in the Make a Connection program.
Step by Step Initiative
Step by Step Initiative (AAO) is made up of amateur sportsmen who are working as professionals in various corporations and organizations. The aim of AAO is to get together people and organizations in need, with people and organizations who would like to donate via sports activities. The amateur sportsmen, who participate in sport events in Turkey and in various countries, make calls for donations before and after the events for the NGO's they have decided to support. Step by Step runners, gave support for the education of 955 children in 2009 by running in Runtalya and Eurasia Marathons to support our foundation. In 2010 the revenue reached through their races enabled 3 years sponsorship for Mardin Savur Learning Unit Abdulgani Activity Center and Mardin Midyat Learning Unit's operation. In 2011, Step by Step runners hope to raise enough money for the construction and management costs of the "Step by Step Firefly Mobile Unit''
İstanbul, Our Home
As part of the Istanbul European Capital of Culture 2010 Activities, our Foundation carried out "Istanbul, Our Home" activities in all TEGV locations in Istanbul, in collaboration with the Provincial Directorate of Ministry of Education and the 2010 Capital of Culture Agency. Through the Istanbul Our Home Club Activities, children at primary school living in Istanbul had a chance to learn more information about the city they have been living in. The project aimed to develop consciousness about the city culture, to raise awareness about the cultural structure of the city and to strengthen the sense belonging to the city. Thus, children who get to know the city better had a chance to demonstrate their creativity in cultural and artistic areas. The activities involved drama, group work, art activities, field trips and educational games.
The activities of "Istanbul, Our Home" project were implemented in all the built-in locations of TEGV in Istanbul, in 2 Firefly Mobile Learning Units and in the Culture Trailer specially designed for this project which carried out its activities in various districts of Istanbul. The 3.000 teachers who voluntarily participated in seminars organized by TEGV, implemented "Istanbul, Our Home" project in their schools as well. In 2011 the "Istanbul, Our Home" project is still being implemented in our own activity locations as a "Club Activity" and the Culture Trailer now became the "Istanbul, Our Home" trailer and is continuing its activities. Moreover, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Education decided to implement the project as the "Istanbul Class" as a part of the curriculum in all primary schools in Istanbul.
Community Service Class
Our locations are working in collaboration with universities nationwide for the Community Service Classes, Social Responsibility Projects and Civil Society Activities. Since 2007, TEGV has been a part of the Community Service Classes (THU), through which students gain awareness and social sensitivity, and improve their collaboration, team work, communication and self-evaluation skills. Through THU activities, over 2.500 university students learned about volunteering and participated in TEGV activities.
In order to continue and improve these activities, at the beginning of the 2010-2011activity year, TEGV contacted 78 presidencies of Universities and Deans of 48 Education Faculties in 35 provinces.
In this context a protocol has been signed with Eskişehir Anadolu University for a Community Service Class and an important ground has been established for students to volunteer in TEGV.
+1 Social Step – Ekle Destekle (Add Support)
Ekle Destekle is a part of the + 1 Social Step Initiative and intends to turn the minutes individuals or corporations spend on the internet into the education of children, more green, more culture and art activities, all free of charge. Users who download the Ekle Destekle application, provide financial support to the social project they have chosen while they are spending time on the internet.Not only does this application provide civil society institutes and social projects with the sustainable financial resources they need, it also enables brands to communicate with their target populations and also support a social project. The users in return continue to do what they usually do on the internet and support the NGO's they would like to support. The Ekle Destekle application does not create a security problem when downloaded, installed and used. The financial resources raised by Ekle Destekle , transferred to social projects and used by the institutes are audited and published on the official internet site of Ekle Destekle http://www.ekledestekle.com. Ekle Destekle users can chose to support Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey, Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation or TEMA. They can support one or more NGOs of their choice.
BİLGİ Young Social Entrepreneurship Awards
The "BİLGİ Young Social Entrepreneurship Awards" project, which was organized by Istanbul Bilgi University in collaboration with the International Youth Foundation, Sylvan/Laureate, is a part of the Youth Action Net® National Institute platform which TEGV joined in 2010. In the face of urgent global challenges - poverty, climate change, HIV/AIDS, hunger, homelessness - young people are exercising their leadership potential. The "BİLGİ Young Social Entrepreneurship Awards" project targets young people between the ages 18-29 who have done positive changes in their environments and served their community. The project intends to provide the power, support and training opportunities to young people to help them make positive social changes both for themselves and for their community. 10 young social entrepreneurs, finalists chosen by a jury in which TEGV was also a member of, won 3.500$ and a chance to participate in the "Global Young Social Entrepreneurs" program. TEGV supported the content and training for the finalists, a good practice for civil society and academic collaboration. Furthermore, TEGV volunteers were encouraged to apply for the "BİLGİ Young Social Entrepreneurship Awards" project which also serves to extent awareness about social responsibility.