By Senay Ataselim-Yilmaz “I didn’t know men could be Secretary of State,” said the 8-year old daughter of Fred Turner, a senior official at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe when he told his daughter that John Kerry was the new Secretary of State. It’s amazing how role models can change the perspective…
by Senay Ataselim Yilmaz In June 2012 the World Economic Forum launched the project, The Future Role of Civil Society, to better understand the eco-system civil society works in and discuss different models that civil society can use to collaborate with different actors including government and international organizations. One of the outcomes of the project…
Where you want TPF to go in 2013 The results are in! We asked you to give us your opinion on what programs we should prioritize in 2013 to have a positive impact on Turkey and you’ve responded! Read on to hear top results. When we asked our readers what they thought was the greatest…
By: Melis Figanmese Appalling is the only word. What else can you say about a country, whose economy is reporting record-breaking highs, has been ranked last in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index report in its region. Not only is Turkey ranked last in Europe and Central Asia, in terms of Gender Equality, it…
Meet-n-Eat with Education Reform Initiative Wednesday, October 31 12:00 – 2:00 PM TPF Office 216 East 45th Street, Floor 7 In April 2012 Turkish Grand National Assembly passed an education reform bill, famously known as 4+4+4. Immediately after, ERG called upon all parliament members to revoke the bill, and became a leading source in…
Natural disasters do not only destroy buildings, roads and infrastructure, they upend human life; forcing many to suffer post-traumatic stress. That is what happened in Van last October. Our partners are making enormous strides in helping not only the physical well-being of the victims of the 2011 earthquake, but also the emotional. During the month…
We can’t stop at TPF. At the end of January we rolled out a campaign focused on Empowering Turkish Girls. Wow, were we pleased to see how many of you wanted to help us educate, uplift, inspire and encourage young Turkish women to believe in and fulfill their potential. Over 2,700 people participated in our…
President Obama agrees, “While we have made great strides toward equality, we cannot rest until our mothers, sisters, and daughters assume their rightful place as full participants in a secure, prosperous, and just society.” As we kick off Women’s History Month today, TPF is working hard to make sure that all women realize their potential…
Many corporations are celebrating Corporate Philanthropy Day today. Started by the Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy it is “intended to build awareness of corporate-community partnerships.” We at TPF believe that’s definitely worth celebrating – and the perfect way to close out our Empowering Turkish Girls campaign. Corporate-community partnerships have been critical to TPF’s work, especially…
By Elmira Bayrasli Engaging men, focusing on childcare options and educating women were some of the suggestions made during our Twitter chat on empowering Turkish girls and closing Turkey’s gender gap. The chat kicked off Turkish Philanthropy Funds’s month-long campaign on empowering teen girls. Istanbul-based journalist Claire Berlinski participated and, subsequently, had questions about the…