Zerrin, a 9-year-old from Adıyaman, was asked a simple question: what would she like to add to the playground in her neighborhood?
She did not ask for a new swing or an ice cream truck. Instead, she imagined a safe, shaded space where stray cats could curl up and nap peacefully.
Mustafa joined her idea, suggesting food and water bowls. Then Nergis asked, “What about the pigeons?” She imagined a space above, safely away from the cats, where birds could rest too.
And just like that, the idea began to grow. Together, they brought it to life with arts and crafts, building a small mock-up of what a playground could become—not just for them, but for every living creature around them. It was thoughtful, imaginative, and quietly powerful.
Together, the children began to build a model of their idea. With paper, paint, and their imaginations, a playground became something more: a place designed not only around what children wanted, but around how they saw the community around them.
The model took shape during an Urban School workshop at Hayat Park, where children gather to explore their city through creativity, design, play, and problem-solving.
At the heart of Playful Adıyaman, supported through the TPF Earthquake Fund and implemented by Şehir Dedektifi, is a simple idea: ask children what they think, and take their answers seriously.
That matters particularly in a city still living with the consequences of the February 2023 earthquakes. For children whose surroundings have been transformed by loss, displacement, construction, and uncertainty, the ability to imagine and influence the spaces around them can restore something important: a sense of agency.
And sometimes their ideas travel beyond the workshop.
When Zerrin and her friends were asked about public transportation, they talked about something they experienced regularly: feeling invisible on buses. Their response was to design a flyer reminding adults that children deserve the same respect and consideration as everyone else.
With support from the municipality, their message was displayed on buses across Adıyaman for a month.
A drawing created by children had entered the life of their city.
The project is designed to take that participation even further. A 10-member Children's Advisory Council will create a formal channel for children to contribute their perspectives, while work with municipal staff will help strengthen the role of children's voices in decisions about public spaces.
In earthquake recovery, rebuilding is often measured by what can be seen: homes, schools, roads, parks. But recovery is also about restoring people's relationship with the places where they live.In a place where children have had to grow up around loss, uncertainty, and constant change, having a space to imagine, to create, and to be heard becomes something much bigger.
For children, that begins by knowing that they have a place in those conversations.
It becomes a reminder. That they are seen. That they are heard. And that they are deeply, truly cared for. And seeing their ideas become part of the city shows children that their voices can shape the world around them.
It is through your support that these ideas find their way into the world.