Istanbul&I

I completed my Leadership in Action period with Istanbul-based NGO ‘Istanbul&I’, an organisation that strives for social cohesion by engaging youth in social impact and volunteering programs. Istanbul is a diverse and multicultural city, with large communities of refugees and migrants as well as locals. While this contributes positively to the city’s culture, there remains tensions due to local policy, lack of jobs and access to opportunities. Throughout my time with Istanbul&I I saw the impact that organisations promoting social cohesion can have in creating a sense of belonging and community.

Beginning my internship with Istanbul&I meant being introduced to the events coordinator who I would be working with, and attending as many of the events and social impact projects to get a feel for the organisation. I was able to attend all of the events and social impact/volunteering projects multiple times throughout my stay, and as I got into the later stages of my stay, I was situated enough to plan and run my own events independently. One of the first events I attended was a social picnic, which ended in a impromptu zip line with a view of the Bosphorous strait! Crossing from Europe to Asia over the Bosphorous was so exciting the first time, and I was surprised how quickly it became part of my everyday life!

Social Impact Projects 

While my primary role was to work in events coordination, I was able to attend many of the social impact projects throughout my time, which meant I could broaden my experience and the communities I was connecting with. 

Sokak Lambasi 

Istanbul&I and Sokak Lambasi had a strong partnership when I arrived, with Istanbul&I sending a group of volunteers every Saturday and Sunday to assist, as the demand was higher on the weekends. Sokak lambasi literally translates to ‘street lamp’ and is an NGO providing hot meals, clothes and other essentials to people living on the streets in Istanbul. I enjoyed working with the team here so much, and their work was clearly incredibly impactful, with a queue for their support down the street every day. I was grateful that Sokak Lambasi allowed me to return and help out on some of the weekdays when things were quieter at Istanbul&I. The team and the work here was genuinely incredible, and apart from anything else the food was absolutely delicious!

Animal Shelter

I had originally planned for my LiA to be human-focused, specifically an interest in refugee experience that followed on from my research project, so working with animals wasn’t something that had really occurred to me. However, this was an excellent way to consider other issues that face a city like Istanbul, and it was lovely to see how there are organisations looking after stray cats and dogs. I enjoyed the practical aspect of this project, cleaning up bowls, food trays, refreshing water, litter picking and of course getting to pet some of the (friendlier) resident dogs after the work was complete. 

Homework Help Project

The homework help project was also one of my favourites, and it was a fun opportunity for me to be able to practise my Arabic from my degree. This project was direct and Syrian refugees of primary/early secondary school age  living in and around Istanbul, and due to constraints on travel and a lack of a permanent office for Istanbul&I, this project took place online. I volunteered in this project every opportunity I got, and I was even able to carry on for a while when I came back to the UK. I was also paired up with a Syrian refugee living near Leeds from a contact through this project, and we did regular English lessons together. This teaching was definitely more within my comfort zone compared to the other projects and tasks as I have a lot of tutoring experience, so it is unsurprising it was one of my highlights!

Events Highlights!

I engaged with and helped to organise several of the regular events, including a run club ‘Sips&Steps’ and an advanced English conversation club ‘Chai talk’. Running 5ks  in the heat of summer in Istanbul was definitely a challenging (and sweaty) experience and although I can’t say I have kept the running up since I left, running along the coast in Istanbul was a beautiful view, and a lovely way to connect with people. Chai talk was also a great way for people to connect and practise their English-language skills, and for me it was nice to escape from having the worst Turkish in every room, to being a native speaker consultant! 

I was also able to temporarily re-instate the language exchange event. Including Turkish (me as a beginner), French and Arabic. I really had to learn to think on my feet with this one, as my meticulous planning didn’t always match up to what worked in real life. One of the highlights of the LEE for me was when I had 3 members in a group, none of whom had the same language to share or learn. This ended up with me adapting a game (I think it’s called telephone pictionary) where the first person would describe the picture in Turkish to the second player, who would describe it in French to the third player, who would draw it and then discuss the results in English! It’s a bit more difficult to explain than it was to play, but it was one of my best problem-solving moments!

Sudanese culture night

I am describing everything as a highlight, but Sudanese culture night was really one of the most wonderful experiences. Plans were already in the works when I arrived in Istanbul, so I joined in the later stages, but I got to see how much work it takes to organise a team of volunteers to provide a night of food, entertainment, music, information and mementos in an appropriate venue at a reasonable and accessible price. The night was a huge success, it was amazing to hear about Sudanese culture and heritage, and hear from the Sudanese community in Istanbul. I was as involved as possible with the organisation of Sudanese Culture night, as I knew that the next culture event was going to be my own - so I wanted as many tips as possible! My personal highlights were the authentic Sudanese food and the live music. 

Palestine Fundraiser

Another highlight, genuinely one of my favourite days in Istanbul. This was one of the first times I felt like I had been really independent with an event, and I saw it through from the initial planning stages to its completion. We collaborated with an Istanbul ex pat group to organise a fundraiser potluck for Palestine, and I was able to invite digital nomads from my hostel to come along, many of whom made generous donations. It was incredible to see so many different communities come together for an important cause, not to mention all of the great food that was brought. I also got a taste of how hard it can be to organise an event in a large park (where are you? by the tree. by a picnic bench. which tree? which picnic bench???)

This event also helped me with a lot of problem solving for my own cultural event, as I decided to hold it in the same park, saving money from the expensive venues and making the event more financially accessible. 

British Culture Event

This was my final event with Istanbul&I, and it was an incredible way to finish my time. I was slightly unsure where to start with this one, especially following the Sudanese culture night I was struggling to see what I had to offer that would come close. However, the team was keen to see what I had to tell them about British culture, so I did my best. 

I ended up making a (somewhat makeshift) afternoon tea, with cucumber and salmon sandwiches, scones and tea. We tried a maypole dance (badly), I gave a cultural presentation and we listened to some classic primary school harvest music. Overall, the event went very well, and it was a lovely goodbye. 

These are not all of the events that took place, but a highlight reel. I exchanged countless emails, messages and phone calls over my internship organising a meditation event, soap making event, potlucks, as well as events that would take place after my departure such as a round-table between Kenyan delegates and Istanbul youth. I gained a new appreciation for events planning (which I can tell you was extremely beneficial for my final year of uni) as well as an understanding of the impactful role NGOs like Istanbul&I have in promoting social cohesion and belonging.