HoN Turkey continues carrying out activities by engaging National Members of ALF Turkey to keep the Network active and vivid. Given the restrictions put in place due to the pandemic, these activities have been mostly organized virtually but also some small scale activities have taken place such as field visits by eventually avoiding gatherings of big groups.
In short, the activities that have been implemented from October to December 2020 by ALF HoN Turkey are as below:
1. Multi-Country Debate #3
On the 28th of October 2020, ALF HoN Turkey hosted virtually the Multi-Country Debate #3 in the frame of the future of civil society and Intercultural trends, with the joint participation of debaters, observers and judges from Albania, Italy, Georgia, Pakistan, Turkey, Algeria, North Macedonia and Spain.
The motion of the debate was ‘THBT Human Activity is not primarily responsible for Global Climate Change’. The debaters presented valuable arguments and discussed the motion from different angles. The winners of this debate were the Opposition Team, represented by Hana and Patricia, respectively from Georgia and Spain.
2. Field visit #4, Ankara
On the 20th of November, 2020, HoN of the Anna Lindh Foundation Turkey organized field visit #4 at the premises of ‘Non-Violent Society Organization’ Şiddetsiz Toplum Derneği), in Ankara, Turkey. The visit offered the opportunity of having a better knowledge of the common interests between the Anna Lindh Foundation and Non-Violent Society Organization. In addition, the participants could discuss the chance to:
- Partnership building at local, national, and international level;
- Latest updates of ALF Network;
- Introducing possible funding opportunities;
The attendees, exchanged the best practices of each organization, emphasizing common goals and planning future projects and activities to strengthen ALF values and keep the strong commitment in the fight against injustices and violence.
3. Multi-country Debate #4
On the 24th of November 2020, ALF HoN Turkey organized virtually the Multi-Country Debate #4 in the frame of the future of civil society and Intercultural trends, with the joint participation of debaters, observers, and judges from Indonesia, Portugal, Albania, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Algeria, Romania, North Macedonia, and Spain.
The motion of the debate was THBT ‘We should invest more in nuclear power rather than in green energy’. The debaters made gave interesting overviews and convincing arguments, a fact that made it difficult for the judges while taking the decision. The observers shared their opinion related to the topic and offering the perspectives of the background where they come from.
The winners of the debate were Muratcan (Turkey) and Oussama (Algeria) representing the Opposition Team.
4. ALF Balkans and southern region HoN Virtual Network Meeting
On 26th November 2020, ALF HoN Turkey hosted the ‘ALF Balkans and Southern Region HoN Virtual Network Meeting’. The meeting registered the participation of Heads of Networks from the Balkan and Southern Region, following the below agenda:
- Opening Speech & Welcoming of the participants;
- Mapping the realities regarding the operational aspects of the CSOs during the Covid-19 pandemic;
- Sharing best practices on the National Network Coordination;
- Partnership development within the National Network Members and how this has affected the internal cohesion and joint mobilization of the National Network;
- Inter-Network Communication and Consultation;
- Q&A session;
- Closing Speech;
- End of the ALF Balkans and Southern Mediterranean Region HoN Virtual Network Meeting.
All the participants offered an exhaustive overview of their engagement as HoN at the national level, shared best practices and challenges faced during the year 2020 taking into account mostly the difficulties that arose by the pandemic.
It’s worth to mention that the meeting served as a bridge to further strengthen the ties and cooperation between the HoNs.
5. Field visit #5
On 21st December 2020, HoN Turkey conducted the 5th field visit at the premises of Lykia Scouting and Nature Sports Club Association (LIDOSK) in Antalya, Turkey. This visit endeavored to offer the chance to further promote ALF values and foster the collaboration between the National Members. The participants shared the best practices of this year, challenges, and ongoing projects and activities. It is worth mentioning that this field visit served as a stepping stone for the organizations to initiate joint projects and activities at the national and international scale.
The full list of activities(with further explanations and photos) carried out by the ALF HoN Turkey can be accessed through this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jr8thnasL9D5825lYTog2s2dM18pK0kk/view?usp=sharing
