İLKSENOL Association

İlk Sen Ol Youth Movement Association is a non-profit, non-governmental organization engaged in youth work and humanitarian aid. We aim to contribute to the employment of young people and to spread the culture of cooperation and solidarity among young people with the projects we carry out in the national and international arena. Our activities involve all people, regardless of language, religion, or race. With the projects we carry out, we contribute to the solution of the problems of disadvantaged young people and support them to be part of the solution, not the problem.
As the Association, we attach great importance to the principles of the European Union respect for human rights, including unity, human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and work in line with these principles. We carry out projects by these principles.

İlk Sen Ol Youth Movement Association is an NGO and remarkable actor with its projects conducted all around Turkiye, especially in İstanbul. Moreover, in the international domains and Africa, İlk Sen Ol actively and efficaciously has been carrying out projects and programs for years.

We have been part of countless projects including those in our partnership and hosting. They are mostly ESC30, ESC51, KA152, KA153, KA154 (YOU), KA210, KA220, and etc. We are looking for partners, and we strongly want to be a convenient partner in your projects. If you are looking for suitable partners, please do not hesitate to reach us!

İlk Sen Ol Youth Movement Association holds ESC Quality Label as the sending and hosting organization. Additionally, we have the Humanitarian Aid Quality Label (ESC-HUMAID) as the sending organization.

The projects we have implemented and been implemented as an association are as follows:

1. Sports Culture:
Our KA1 project is a youth exchange project involving the participation of young people from EU member states within the scope of Individuals' Learning Mobility. Our project numbered 2020-2-TR01-KA105-095879 was financed by the Turkish National Agency. This project aims to use sport as a tool to support and understand the diversity of cultures and all other differences between young people.

2. Unity in Diversity:
Our project is a training course project involving youth workers from 9 different countries within the scope of KA1 Learning Mobility of Individuals. Our project numbered 2020-2-TR01-KA105-095692 was financed by the Turkish National Agency. We aim to develop the capacities of youth workers and volunteers in the field of intercultural youth work and to increase the quality of Erasmus+ projects by strengthening the awareness of cultural diversity of the participants.

3. Include, Unite!:
KA152 is our project accepted in the field of Youth Exchange in the 2022-R1 Term Erasmus+ Youth projects application. With this project, we would like to draw attention to the increasing xenophobia in Europe and Turkey. We aim to help young people become tolerant and empathetic individuals towards communities of different ethnic origins.

4. Let's Break down the Barriers Together:
This is our project in the field of ESC30 Solidarity Projects, which was accepted in the 2022-R1 Term European Solidarity Program projects application. As the Be the First Youth Movement Association, we want to carry out beneficial projects for the disabled and healthy individuals in our society. With this project, we aim to turn our attention to disabled individuals in our society and take a role in their awareness.

5. European Migration Stories:
This is our project accepted within the scope of ESC30 Solidarity Projects. We aim for intercultural learning by focusing on the beauties that migration has added to our lives.

6. Volunteering Summit:
KA154 is our accepted project in the field of Youth Participation projects. With this project, young people and decision-makers will come together. Volunteering problems and solutions will be discussed. We aim to raise awareness of this issue.

7. Strong Turkey with NGO Ambassadors:
It is our project financed by the Ministry of Interior of TR. With these projects, we aim to ensure the more active participation of NGOs working in the fields of migration and integration, volunteering, social entrepreneurship, humanitarian aid, and social solidarity in the policy and decision-making processes of professional or volunteer employees in Istanbul. In this direction; It is aimed to develop the communication, lobbying, and advocacy competencies of the relevant NGOs and increase their institutional capacities.

8. Green Footprint:
This project is a KA152 and granted by the EU, and it highlights the importance of raising the green footprint in society. Participants of this project have gained different perspectives in a multicultural environment.

9. Be Volunteer Against Hate:
In terms of the national and cultural richness of this KA152 project, it improved the international and intercultural bonds among our precious participants.

10. Volunteer Stories:
Various youth workers volunteering in the partner countries came together in this KA153 project and exchanged valuable and unique experiences with their colleagues.

11. Youth Humanitarian Aid
Thanks to this KA154 project, by interviewing, our participants have gathered some information about the humanitarian aid implementations and policies from the public of that activity region. Regarding the perspectives and information that our participants have collected, they have met with decision-makers to shape the future's policies.

12. Rest - The 7 Types of Rest That Every Person Needs
This KA220 project will help our youth participants to unearth the efficient way of resting in 7 different dimensions such as mental, physical, spiritual, etc.

1. Awareness of Diseaster Through Team Volunteering
Via this Brussel

2. InEvo-2023 PBE Ohrid
This event was held in North Macedonia, Ohrid by our Romanian partner to meet various organizations from different countries to evaluate possible partnership ideas and develop project drafts.

3. Project Horizons
This event was held in North Macedonia, Ohrid by our Romanian partner to meet various organizations from different countries to complete the recent drafts for the next deadline.

4. Youth Tackling Racism
This is a KA210 project to be held by our Italian partner in Italy, Ireland, Bulgaria, and Turkiye. In this project, the participants will compare each country's policies and implementations in tackling racism. Accordingly, there will be tangible results.

The institutional capacity of our association includes 3 permanent employees and 15 active volunteers, as well as 2 offices, 1 meeting room, and 1 library. Our association has a Hummingbird volunteer network of more than 300 volunteers. Under the General Coordinatorship, we have Foreign Affairs Coordinatorship, Design and Social Media Coordinatorship, Financial Affairs Coordinatorship, Communication Coordinatorship, and Project Coordinatorship.

We have public institutions as our project partners such as Sultangazi Municipality, Mardin Municipality, and the İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports.

İlk Sen Ol Youth Movement Association has many opportunities and additionally, it has various sports areas. For instance, pools to swim, pitches and fields to organize competitions, forests for tracking and orienteering, a facility for rowing and other aqua-related activities, and beautiful natural fields for resting in nature and hiking.

As an association, we also carry out humanitarian aid projects in addition to our youth work. Together with our partners, we carry out relief efforts in countries experiencing humanitarian crises such as Nigeria, Somalia, Chad, Tanzania, Yemen, and Syria. In 2022, 2 water wells in Nigeria, 10 water tankers in Yemen, 14,875 hot meals, and 892 pieces of clothing were distributed in countries such as Syria, Chad, Somalia, and Tanzania. In addition to these donations, we implement sustainable projects such as schools and orphanages.