GIRLS WITHOUT BARRIERS
A program to empower the adolescent girls
The GwB Project aims to empower the girls in the age group of 12-18 who are socially excluded and disadvantaged. We wish to ensure their integration into society as highly motivated, self-confident, courageous individuals and entrepreneurs after their adolescence. We ensure this with the help of activities such as sports, and training in the nature in teams, and help increase their intellectual and physical abilities and capabilities
This project aims to help the teenage girls develop their relationship with culture and their surrounding with creative art and group experiences, become aware of their strengths, improve them, and express themselves, self-improve as individuals, express themselves in public.
Alongside the classical education system, this program proves to be a good opportunity for short-term self-improvement. It is important to empower the socially disadvantaged girls between 12-18 in self-confidence and respect, sports, integration, social entrepreneurship because with the help of this type of guidance, they can choose which roles to take in society, to express themselves, choose a career, and be confident in other areas of social life.
The most important aspect of the Girls in Action project is to ensure that the girls gain the self-confidence by saying “Yes” to try. The group activities in the nature/outdoors and goal-oriented sports activities enable the girls to achieve, and provide the necessary physical and intellectual satisfaction that the girls need.
Project Objectives
To ensure that the girls get to know themselves closely with activities in nature and sports activities, and by communicating with others
To ensure the experience of total inclusion and participation in an inclusive environment
To uncover their leadership skills and be empowered
To help them with their decision making and problem-solving skills
To increase their creative/innovative problem-solving skills
To help them discover their leadership skills by empowering their social entrepreneurial skills
To light the path to self-discovery by enabling them to take risks in safe environments
To ensure environmental awareness and respect to nature
To instill social responsibilities and awareness
To help them obtain life skills with the help of physical activities in nature
To provide a multicultural setting where girls coming from different socio-economic backgrounds and regions meet and share
To support gender equality by demonstrating the girls that they can use their physical strength too
Project Activities
July 2017 marked the third year of the project.
The girls receive intensive training and education during the camps which include experimental learning, emotional intelligence, orienteering, leadership and group work, problem solving, negotiation skills, physical activities such as camping, yoga, running, high (rope) trekking adventures, diving, swimming in the sea, cycling, trekking, sailing and artistic and self-development activities such as dancing, painting, and creative drama.
Also, during the program week, three modules called “Communication is an art”, “Who am I” and “The future tree” are introduced to the participants.
A Brief History and An Overview of Our Solutions to Social Issues
‘Girls without Barriers’ aims to introduce girls with outdoor sports and for the girls to discover themselves and their potential/strength/power. When the 6-day-long intensive camp is over, and when it is time to go home, the girls will have started questioning the societal norms that tell them that ‘They cannot do it’. The participant girl has swum, dived, jumped off a boat, sailed, walked the Lycian way under the moonlight, slept on mat in a small tent, ridden a bike on the roads of town with other girls, started the day with physical exercise, she danced while viewing herself in the mirror, transformed her relationship with her body, tried rhythm with percussion instruments, and has experienced music different than before. She has developed projects about ecological life, thought about consumption. Discovered the long path to martial arts, and yes, she has done all these in only a week!
In all adventures, in all exciting activities, a deep part of her used to say, “I cannot do this”. It used to be almost under her skin, built-in, by default. Her first reaction used to be “I cannot do it!” But then she sees how much she can do and achieve in a week. Then she is surprised. It is not actually like she used to think. She can do the things she thinks she could not do.
GwB hosted 200 girls from different towns of Turkey in 2015 in 7 camps, and in 2016 in 9 camp-weeks over the summer. As Alternative Life Association, we work for this change with all our hearts, and over the course of this journey, we have made wonderful friends. We achieved this transformation together.
For a future full of powerful women, the girls are in action!
Team
Ercan Tutal – AYDER Chairman of the Board and Founder, Project Supervisor
Alper Akça – Project Coordinator, Founder
Tanyel Süzer– Training Director
Sevda Baysal– Camp and Volunteer Coordinator
Melis Başaran– Camp Leader, Trainer
Taylan Aktuğ– Rhythm Workshop Trainer, Psychological Help Specialist
Duygu Dünya Önen– Camp Leader, Trainer
Esra Kuzucu– Ecological Life and Sustainability Workshop Trainer
Koray Sezer– Ecological Life and Sustainability Workshop Trainer
Batuhan Özyurt– Captain, Diving Trainer
Umut Servi – Assistant Captain, Diving Trainer
Olga Blasco – Dance Workshop Trainer
Renk Koçtürk – Therapy with Dance Trainer
Tuba Unat – Art Workshop Trainer
Deniz Karcı– Martial Arts Workshop Trainer
Çiğdem Tanyer– Yoga Workshop Trainer
Ahmet Kalkan– Riding Trainer
Ferit Ercan–Sailing Trainer
Ali Balkan– Web Design
Armağan Akçay– Visual Communication and Archiving
Selin Gündoğdu and İrem İnce– Seasonal Camp Leaders
Project Deliverables
As part of the project that has started in 2015, resources such as an outdoor training program, a booklet for family training, volunteers’ handbook, and operational management procedures have been developed and published. The seminar presentations about gender inequality have been included in the AYDER training. Over 100 women have volunteered in the camps with 200 participants. Please find the details to these activities in the 2015 Activity and 2016 Social Impact Reports.
Social Impact Evaluation
