About the Festival
Our voices is one of our most basic instruments to show that our differences are richness and that differences can live together. The Civil Voices Festival is a multi-voice choir where civil society organizations from different fields of work can share their experiences, knowledge, works and dreams in their fields.
Organized by STGM, the Civil Voices Festival is one of the first events that brings together Turkey’s civil society actors and provides a space for them to talk and discuss what can be done for a better world.
At the Civil Voices Festival, civil society organizations working in different cities of Turkey and in different thematic areas will have the opportunity to present their work through stands. In addition, civil society organizations will come together at various workshops, panels, forums and discussion events and have the opportunity to get to know each other, talk about cooperation opportunities and hold discussions about the fields.
The Civil Voices Festival was first held in 2009. The two-day festival held in Küçükçiftlik Park, Istanbul, brought together nearly a hundred organizations working for the rights of children, the disabled, youth, refugees, women and the environment. In July 2011, after a two-year hiatus, a meeting was held with civil society organizations in Ankara, this time with the theme "There would be no civil constitution without us" on the agenda of the constitutional amendment. The festival, which brought together more than a hundred civil society organizations from different regions of Turkey raised demands for an egalitarian, libertarian, pluralistic and ecological constitution and called on lawmakers.
The third festival, held in May 2014, was held under the clouds created by the Soma disaster. The meeting, organized as a forum to talk about the limits of our freedom, discussed the limits of freedom on the basis of the "right to life".
The last meeting of Civil Voices, which was supposed to be continuous from the first day, but which we held irregularly for various reasons, took place in 2019. At the festival in Istanbul, representatives of civil society organizations from all over Turkey discussed the changes that civil society has brought about from the past to the present.
Today, in 2022, we look forward to coming together again with all the voices and colors of civil society after a long, mandatory 3-year break...
After the earthquakes in February, we held the sixth festival on 17 and 18 November 2023 in İzmir Kültürpark under the motto "Solidarity strengthens". The festival brought together over 200 civil society organisations from all over Turkey working in various fields of rights. Various sessions were held to discuss how civil society organizations came together to fight the crisis and the work they did after the earthquake.
We will be at TED University in Ankara on 4 and 5 October 2024 for the Civil Voices Festival, which we are organising for the seventh time this year and where we will once again come together with civil society organisations from all over Turkey. We can not wait to come together again with all the voices and colours of civil society...
About STGM
The Association of Civil Society Development Center (STGM) was founded in 2004 by a group of opinion leaders and activists who believe in the importance of civil society for the development of participatory democracy in our country.
The Association of Civil Society Development Center, which aims to create a "strong and democratic civil society," uses its nearly twenty years of experience to support the capacity building of civil society organizations so that they can take a more active role in participatory democracy.
STGM, which supports civil society organizations operating in different rights areas from environmental rights to LGBTI+ rights, from disabled rights to women's rights, from children's rights to elderly rights, from urban rights to youth rights, works on various topics with the aim of increasing the dialogue between civil society organizations improving public-civil society cooperation, supporting the lobbying and campaign activities of civil society organizations and improving the institutional, financial and administrative capacity of organizations.
STGM, with its long experience, implements various programs to improve the capacity and visibility of organizations, and carries out three programs supported by the European Union as of 2022.
To get detailed information about the works of STGM, visit www.stgm.org.tr/en/about-stgm
FAQ
The Civil Voices Festival, which will be attended by civil society organizations and activists from all over Turkey working in many different areas of rights, from environmental rights to disability rights, from child rights to urban rights, from youth rights to animal rights, will take place on 4 and 5 October 2024 at TED University in Ankara.
The Civil Voices Festival, which will bring together civil society actors from Turkey and around the world, will be attended by civil society organizations active in different cities and in different areas of law. Representatives of civil society organizations abroad, experts, academics, representatives of donor organisations and local governments are also among our guests.
This year, our guests can expect forums on various topics, different games, workshops for exchanging experiences and creative performances. Many civil society organizations will once again be represented with their stands at the festival for two days.
The doors of the festival, which will be held in Ankara, are open to all actors in the civic space. Those who want to follow the festival can participate in the festival and follow the events with their own means.
At the Civil Voices Festival, which we organise with the aim of making the voices of civil society organizations from all over Turkey heard and contributing to their visibility, CSOs can take part with their non-commercial works (stands, workshops, exhibitions, events, etc.) that they wish to present. The application process to apply for a stand at the festival has begun. The deadline for applications is Sunday 25 August 2024 at 18:00. Click here to apply for a stand at the festival.
Civil society organizations wishing to participate in the festival from outside Ankara must complete the application form for transport and/or accommodation by Sunday 25 August at 18:00. STGM will cover the accommodation and/or transportation costs of the representatives of the civil society organisations whose applications are accepted. Click here for the application for support for transport and accommodation at the Civil Voices Festival.
- Representatives of CSOs participating in the festival will be accommodated in double rooms. However, representatives wishing to be accommodated in single rooms will be required to pay the difference between the rooms, subject to hotel availability.
- For participants coming from the centre of Ankara and surrounding districts, no transportation or accommodation costs will be covered.
- For places 500 km or less from other cities to Ankara, transport will only be supported by train or bus.
- Accommodation will be provided for two nights (the nights of 3 and 4 October) in double rooms, as arrival will be on 3 October and departure on 5 October.
No, of course not! The Civil Voices Festival is open to everyone, no registration required! Registrations are only required for those who wish to set up a stand or apply for support for transport and accommodation.
You can attend any of the festival events for free, where we all raise our voices together for a better world and remember that we stand side by side.
The festival site is accessible for disabled participants and guests. All events taking place over the two days will be organised to meet the needs of disabled participants within the means available.
You can follow all developments related to the festival on the festival website (www.sivilsesler.org) or the STGM website (www.stgm.org.tr)
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If you have any questions about the festival, you can reach us at [email protected] or via our contact page.