Pendik Municipality

Pendik Municipality operates at Anatolian side of world famous city Istanbul. According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), it serves nearly 700,000 citizens in its borders with more than 2.000 employees. The scope of the work and legal responsibilities of the municipality is very broad and diverse which requires specialization. Therefore it has 27 directorates with more than 100 units. These directorates are;

- People Relations Department: Works for publicity, visibility of activities which departments of municipality implement. It has graphic designers, social media workers, cameramen, photographers, reporters. It publishes a local newspaper every 15 days.

- IT Department: provides IT support to directorates and it also follows up online e-municipal applications. It has 10 software developers and 30 technical personnel for hardware issues.

- Environment Protection and Control: provides parks and recreation services and organizes awareness-raising activities about the environment.

- Procurement and Purchasing Department organizes a call for tenders and purchases which directorates request.

- Foreign Affairs Department: prepares, implements and follows up project proposals for EU and other funds; manages foreign relations with sister cities and other local, national and international organizations.

- Housing Department: is responsible for accepting/declining the construction of new houses.

- Infrastructure Department: is responsible for providing infrastructure to new housing areas where it is necessary. It is also responsible for responding to disasters quickly.

- Department of Legal Affairs: provides legal assistance to directorates and Mayor when it is necessary. It takes legal action when it is necessary and pursues and defends the legal rights of the municipality.

- Internal Inspection Department ensures the quality and effectiveness of directorates. It is a relatively impartial body. Directly reports to Mayor.

- Constructions Department: is responsible for planning and building new municipal complexes.

- Constructions Control Department is responsible for inspecting new constructions made by companies and third parties to ensure that the buildings are met with the criteria determined by law.

- Human Resources Department: is responsible for hiring, termination of contracts and education of staff.

- Cultural Affairs is responsible for organizing all kinds of social events, hobby courses, education etc.

- Finance Department: provides financement to actions taking by directorates, it also generates income by collecting taxes.

- General Secretariat of Mayor: is responsible for designing and following up Mayor's daily programme and activities.

- Urban Design Department: is responsible for the design of city plans and their approval. - Commercial License and Inspections Department: is responsible for giving licenses to various commercial firms.

- Social Relief Department provides assistance (such as food, shelter, monetary aid etc.) to citizens with low income.

- Strategy Department: designs municipal strategy in parallel with feedbacks from directorates and surveys conducted on citizens with objective, statistical evaluation.

- Cleaning Services Department: provides cleaning services to the whole city (garbage collection, cleaning streets etc.) and encourages recycling.

- Facilities Department: is responsible for well functioning (cleaning, procurements etc.) of municipal facilities.

- Editorial Department organizes incoming and outgoing of official letters in parallel with regulations.

- Municipal Police Department: is responsible for inspections of commercial activities and takes action when it is necessary. It provides supporting legal force. All these departments have experts in their areas.

Foreign Affairs Department is specialized for preparation for EU projects and other local, regional, national funded projects since 2005. It also designed this project proposal.

It has 10 expert personnel who can actively participate in different phases of the project.

Pendik Municipality has carried out many successful projects with EU, National and International funds as well as its own funds with the aim of providing better services and raising the living standards of its citizens and promoting Pendik in the European platform.

The public participation shown for the education and training given as part of the projects have shown that Pendik Municipality is on the right path.

There are many centres built by Pendik Municipality in which there are family health, youth, social counselling, research and study centres, fitness rooms, multipurpose halls, libraries, İSMEK (Free Courses for the Public), fitness and multipurpose halls and cafeterias. There are many services Pendik Municipality offers to its disadvantaged citizens. For example, Pendik Municipality has a Food Bank which provides hot food and nourishment for families that are in need. Hot Food is delivered to the houses of Ill, old-aged, disabled and lonely people that are unable to cook at home. Packages containing various food supplies are delivered to families in need. Approximately 2.000 food packages are distributed every month. Medical supplies (Battery-Powered and Manual Wheelchairs, Crutches, Disposable Underpants, Sickbed etc.) are provided to those that own a Green Card and those with disabilities in the presence of a Health Report. Stationary help is provided to primary and secondary school students in need in Pendik. Also, a suitcase full of various gifts such as a Digital Dictionary, Flash Disk, Calculator, Mug etc. is given to students that are about to start university.

Pendik Municipality has a Co-ordination Centre for the Disabled. Information, referral and counselling services are provided about the legal rights of the disabled and their families at the coordination centre. Psychological support is given to overcome the difficulties faced in the daily lives of the disabled individuals and their families.

As we have mentioned above as Pendik Municipality we have a lot of opportunities within the town for Volunteering Projects.

We take part in the European Voluntary Service as Host Organisation, Sending organisation and Coordinating Organisation in order to help the youth to learn about different cultures and meet new people. The youth that goes on a voluntary service learn new experiences which enhance their personal qualities. As a host organisation, we earn new things from the volunteer that services at the municipality which gives us an insight into different cultures, and these experiences may enable us to develop new working methods. We aim to increase EU awareness amongst our youth and citizens and for youth to actively take part in shaping the future of the European Union. We aim for youth to be more included in democracy and decision making.

We have organized an EVS Programme called ' Young Volunteers in Local Administrations I ' between Pendik Municipality from Turkey and Smolyan Municipality from Bulgaria in 2014 and its sequel project called as 'Young Volunteers in Local Administrations II' will be organizing by Pendik Municipality as a sender& coordinator organisation in 2017.

As Pendik Municipality we take part in many European Union Youth in Action Projects. Pendik Municipality participated in a European Union Youth in Action 1.1 Kitchen Ando which took place in Napoli/Italy between 16-25 June 2011. The aim of the project was to enable the interaction of youth from different cultures aged 18-25 through lunch/dinner activities and activities such as city games, food quizzes and cultural nights.

Another European Union Youth in Action Program Pendik Municipality took part in was the Action 4.3 project INVOLVE which took place in Napoli between 2-11 September 2010 where work was carried out to form a new partnership by visiting the NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organisations) that are active in the city of Napoli. The project partners were Romania, France, Portugal and Italy. Pendik Municipality was also a part of the Youth in Action Program Action 3.1 Cooperation with Neighbouring Countries of the European Union.

The Meeting of the Community Service Volunteers project took place in Istanbul between 19-24 April 2010. The aim of the project was for youth with restricted opportunities in various countries that are faced with social, economic, educational or geographic obstacles to participate in voluntary work in another country and to strengthen the youth’s active citizenship and reinforce the solidarity and mutual understanding between them.

The Pendik Library Volunteers Project of the European Union Youth in Action Program Action 1.2 Youth Entrepreneurs was another Youth in Action project Pendik Municipality participated in between 01.10.2011 - 31.05.2012.

For More:
http://www.pendik.bel.tr/index/

https://issuu.com/pendikbelediyesi/docs/allaboutpendik-s

https://europa.eu/youth/volunteering/organisation/945723326_en

2019 Ongoing Projects (as coordinator):
2019-1-TR01-ESC11-065100 (ESC)
2019-1-TR01-KA204-074520 (Adult Education Strategic Partnership)
E+ Sport – Project 613209-EPP-1-2019-1-TR-SPO-SSCP (Erasmus+ Sport)