Within the scope of the project aiming to strengthen civil participation and volunteerism for democratic local government in Turkey; It is aimed to increase the participation of non-governmental organizations in decision-making mechanisms, strengthen civil society-public cooperation based on trust and mutual understanding, and contribute to the creation of a favorable and sustainable environment for volunteering. Within the scope of the 1st Component of the Civil Participation Project, desk studies, online survey applications and face-to-face interviews were conducted in 7 pilot provinces consisting of Çanakkale, Elazığ, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Manisa, Mersin and Trabzon. and opportunities, participation mechanisms and volunteering structures were examined in detail. As a result of the studies, a draft 'Current Situation and Needs Analysis Report' was prepared.
AKÇA: “THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO INCREASE CIVIL PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES IN THE CITY”
Metropolitan Municipality Culture and Social Affairs Department Urban Participation and Civil Society Relations Branch Manager Başar Akça stated that they, as local governments, are a part of the Civil Participation Task Force Project and said, “The main purpose of the Civil Participation Task Force project is; Increasing the effectiveness of civil participation in all decision-making processes in the city. This is aimed by establishing communications. Mersin Metropolitan Municipality has been undertaking serious duties in the decision-making mechanisms of civil initiatives in Mersin since 2019. Our boards of Those Who Add Value to Mersin (MEDEKA) and Those who Add Value to Tarsus (TADEKA); It consists of a total of 20 subcommittees. These boards consist of culture, art and science disciplines. Our board members consist of artists and academics who have added value to Mersin and have done serious work in Mersin. We receive the suggestions of these members and boards at our regular meetings. "We project these suggestions and implement them on a certain schedule," he said.
“WE ARE ALREADY IN CONSTANT COOPERATION WITH NGOS”
Stating that they cooperate with NGOs in the decision-making processes of the Metropolitan Municipality, Akça said, “The Tarsus Festival, which we organized for the second time this year, was with the suggestion of the TADEKA board. The 2nd Mersin International Literature Festival, which we held in the past months, was realized with the recommendation of the Literature Board. Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, in the Civil Participation Task Force project; By positioning these civil initiatives in the institutional structure and implementing them in all decision-making mechanisms, our culture-art policies and decision-making policies, it is already implementing and implementing these initiatives. "The general aim of this project is in this direction," he said.
TUĞCU: “CREATING SOCIAL VALUE IS VERY PRECIOUS”
Stating that creating social value is very valuable and that they are doing effective work in this context, Mersin City Council President Ayferi Tuğcu emphasized the importance of civil participation and said, “For me, this means touching my city, my country and the world in some way. That's why I attach great importance to it. The civic engagement task force really started with high-level work in a very friendly arena. It started in a scientific way, with both field experience and surveys conducted within each city. Outside the field, that is, in the international arena, the question 'what is civil participation?' We created awareness. We effectively reflect all these reflections to the city. "I am happy to be part of such a task force and make this visible," he said.
