Our Academic Board Members, Dr. İnan İzci and Dr. Erkin Erimez worked as a consultant in the "We Participate" Program run by the United Cities and Local Governments the Middle East and West Asia Section and the National Democratic Institute.
1 September 2020 – 1 June 2021
Within the scope of the project, studies were carried out to strengthen civic participation in Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality, and Bornova, Nilüfer, and Sultanbeyli Municipalities.
The “We Participate” program was developed to encourage contribution to political decision-making processes and to increase interaction between social entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, and local government representatives. In this context, the program aimed to increase and improve the communication and cooperation between local governments and civil actors (non-governmental organizations, social enterprises, etc.) in policymaking and implementation processes.
Within the framework of the "We Participate" Programme, a limited number of municipalities were selected that are currently working and need to increase civic participation. At the same time, non-governmental organizations and social enterprises that could cooperate with the relevant municipalities were also included in the program. All participants in the program from 3 different sectors conducted a self-assessment to develop civic participation, and then, in line with the emerging needs, activities were organized, most of which will take place online, on topics such as strategic communication, networking, and advocacy, especially in terms of necessary skills.
