The goal of the measure is to prevent socio-economically disadvantaged children from being on the streets, thus also reducing the risk of gang affiliation and petty crime involvement. Most of these children are living in a nearby gecekondu. The aims are, on the one hand, to provide the children with certain skills; on the other hand, the project aims at providing them with more self-conscience and self-confidence: they shall be able to defend and organise their life themselves.

The centre offers bussing picking up the children at home and bringing them back after classes have finished. The teachers offer computer and language (English) classes and assistance for homework. The children can participate at a variety of activities like music, poetry, handicrafts and theatre. The centres are supported by volunteers recruited from pedagogic students of the Ege University at İzmir.

Researcher: Wolfgang Bosswick, European Forum for Migration Studies at the University of Bamberg, Germany.

The various centres provide an important service for the children during their school-free time (either morning or afternoon, depending of the local school and grade).

Children from a socio-economically disadvantaged background, living in a gecekondu (families with an internal migration background). The centre Ege Cagdas Egitim Vakfi (EÇEV), for example, is visited by 200 children of all ages per day.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) in cooperation with the NGO Aegean Foundation for Contemporary Education (EÇEV).

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality
Izmir
Mr Bugra Ozcoban (Project coordinator), tel. +90-232-4458144

//

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Integration of social groups