Festival

Türkiye’nin dört bir yanından, sivil toplumun her alanında çalışan örgütlerin buluşması Sivil Sesler Festivali, zorlu pandemi günlerinin ardından yine yola çıkıyor. Konuşmanın, dinlemenin, düşünmenin, tartışmanın, gülmenin, eğlenmenin, hayal kurmanın, oynamanın, birlikte olmanın, birlikte güçlenmenin, dünyayı değiştirmek için elimizde olanları yan yana getirmenin festivali Sivil Sesler Festivali katılımcılarını bekliyor.
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Sivil Sesler Festivali dünyayı iyileştirmek isteyenleri buluşturmak amacıyla yola çıkıyor.

In civil society, we all have one in a thousand and one purpose in life. The problems we face are different, but the will to improve these problems brings us together and we organize. Some of us want to improve access to rights for children working on the streets, others want to improve the smell of tomatoes, improve discrimination against people with disabilities or other illnesses, improve gender inequalities... Or we want to improve a bay, a wetland, a neighborhood or park, a historical or cultural space or we want to improve the political or cultural environment in which we live, a community or generation, a technology or a consumption habit...

We know that recovery is difficult and that it is a great challenge to make a difference in the increasingly difficult political, economic and social conditions in the world. But in every difficulty, we also see the enormous strength of our common will, of our voluntary organizations.

Believing that to improve you must be strong, and to be strong you must organize, the Civil Voices Festival brings together those committed to improving the world. The festival includes panel discussions, exhibits, booths, plays, performances, publications and films to see, learn about and be inspired by different experiences of improvement.

Civil Voices aims to bring together those who want to beautify the world.

We often experience civil society as a space for struggling with difficulties, dealing with violations, fighting injustice, and rightfully resisting. We hear that there is a price to pay to improve."Fighting the enemy" takes away the beauty, joy, pleasure and excitement of life and makes the colors fade. Fortunately, every healing effort has a soul, a feeling, even a shape, a color, a smell, a taste, and a climate! When a civil society organization seeks to improve the world, the people, the relationships, the time and space around the problems it makes an issue of, it also creates the opportunity to beautify them and make them more esthetic.This, in turn, is the result of a collective effort, an ability to get organized.

With the belief that true creativity lies in making each other creative, the Civil Voices Festival brings together those who set out to make the world beautiful. At the festival, the creative experiences of our participating organizations meet their enthusiasts through activities such as interviews, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops.

Civil Voices aims to bring together those who want to democratize the world.

In the increasingly complex world we live in, it is becoming more and more difficult to participate in the destinies of societies. Citizens are stunned by the deepening inequalities in every crisis, alienating themselves from both society and the political system. To address this problem, civil organizations are being called to work more frequently, more broadly, and more fiercely. Unfortunately, our traditional political systems do not yet have the institutions and culture to easily respond to this call. Therefore, the first path that civil society organizations will take to prevent this call from becoming a benefactor and a social sedative is to become more involved in the decision-making process. Having a say in the decisions made at the macro level or in the context of the issues we want to improve and beautify together will democratize the space, the environment and the community in question.

Although one cannot deny the existence of negative examples in our country, there are many good examples that positively influence decision-making processes, both at the central and local levels, and in some cases even become part of the decision. The Civil Voices Festival will also be a platform where organizations involved in the adventure of civil society to change society will share their experiences of participation.

The Civil Voices Festival is not just a meeting between civil society organizations. The festival is open to the participation of everyone in order to reach large segments of society. Both representative sof participating organizations and individual participants can take part in the activities of the festival and meet with participating civil society organizations at their booths. On the other hand, representatives of public institutions, international organizations supporting civil society and representatives of programs are also among the invited guests of the festival.

The pandemic has opened the distance, the break has been extended, three years have passed. Fortunately, the hardest days are over.Now we finally meet!

Get your voice, the festival begins!