Informal Education Youth Center (YASOM)

“Informal Education Youth Center- YASOM” is established by youngster for promoting social inclusion, volunteerism and social responsibility among the youths with technical and financial support of Genctur. Center has not any political orientation and commercial aim. The roots of the center lie at the 2009 which is the date of the Not One Less Project. The Project aimed to see effects of in-formal education on the youth in the different countries. It is conducted at Turkey, Vietnam, Mexico, Spain and Italy. Genctur was responsible for the Turkey part of the Project. The volunteers of the center were volunteers of the Project on behalf of Genctur. Throughout the Project, volunteers conducted focus group meeting with different age groups and interviews with youth workers and leaders. Genctur reached 158 people at these meetings. After the “Not One Less” project, we continue our project with a national youth meeting in İzmir at September 2009. There was 45 active young from 14 cities of Turkey and they all concluded that informal education is complementary for formal and nonformal education. Moreover, we concluded that intergenerational dialogue is also very important for personal and societal development. After the project, we share our results around 15 different universities at the whole Turkey. These experiences showed us, informal education is crucial and young people need a space for reaching it.

Our volunteers profiles are university students and young professionals. However, the center is open to everybody both individually and institutionally who wants to do something common with parallel to our principles. At the center, whole activites are conducted by the demand of the volunteers. The current activities are; English , German, Spanish, French and Turkish Conversation Clubs, Awareness Trainings, Photography Trainings, Infomeetings for EVS, Workcamps and other volunteer activities, project writing sessions for youth and drama trainings. We are also planning to organise a seminar under the framework of Youth in Action in June if it will be approved. Moreover, we are participating regularly to the festivals and fairs in universities all around Turkey. EVS volunteers and our regular volunteers are providing sustainability of the center with consultancy of Genctur staff. All acitivities are conducted by demand of young people and by volunteers. Hence, all of our activities are free of charge. Basicly, the center is the space which youth can learn and take initiative to realise their dreams.

Our volunteers are joined exchanges in several European countries to enhance their vision since the last year. This year our project also selected by Ashoka Turkey for Changemakerxchange (http://www.changemakerxchange.com/).

Moreover, YASOM is currently country partner of Social Innovation Europe network which aimed to building and streamlining the social innovation field in Europe.

You can reach us through our website (www.yasom.org), social media (https://www.facebook.com/yasayarakogrenmemerkezi) or e-mail (iletisim@yasom.org).