This project is ran by Tarlabaşı Community Center (TTM) in cooperation with the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Conducting sessions and workshops with children aged between 7-15 living in Tarlabaşı was the main activity of this project, which aims to investigate how violence is perceived in the eyes of children, strengthen children against violent interactions and to raise awareness in society.

In these studies which have been conducted through the use of artistic expression tools such as painting, story writing, photography addition to verbal sharing, it has been enquired into how children perceive and conceptualize violence experiences in their daily life. A total of 87 children between age of 7 and 15 living in Tarlabaşı joined the workshops in scope of the project and 30 children’s workshop outcomes have been examined in the research range.

Associate Professor Zeynep Çatay from Istanbul Bilgi University psychology department has conducted the research part of this project. Verbal sharings and artistic products of the workshops were subjected to content analysis in which themes and concept maps were found. This project has been the source for the master thesis of two clinical psychology master students, Merve Özgüle and Çimen Güldöker.

Within the scope of the project, 2nd Çocuklar Arası Çocuk Hakları Forumu (Interchildren Children's Rights Forum) was held on 04 June 2016 with the participation of 40 Turkish, Kurdish, Rom and Syrian children from Tarlabaşı and Sulukule neighbourhoods of Istanbul. The topic of this year has been determined by children as “media and children’s rights” and focus groups have been made about series, news, advertisements, social media and entertainment programs as subtitles.

Besides these, Parlayan Çocuklar Çocuk Kulübü (The Club of Sparkling Children) published a magazine which addresses issues such as peer bullying, education system and street, within the scope of the project.

The project also has a social media part. Workshops’ outputs and research results were shared anonymously with the general public by using various social media tools with the aim of raising awareness in society and sharing children’s points of view.

Project results were disseminated via an exhibition series which was curated by children, Parlayan Çocuklar magazine in which children discussed their own perspective of violence and booklet which includes the project report.

TTM volunteers and as well as our partner Bernard van Leer Foundation, we would like to thank to BvL Turkey representative Yiğit Aksakoğlu who stood by us during and after project preparation period with his knowledge and experience.

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