Haklara Destek Closing Meeting

At the closing meeting we held in Diyarbakır between December 5-7, we spent three days both evaluating the program together and learning from one another. A total of 105 people participated, including two representatives from each organization, invited speakers, facilitators, and the Haklara Destek team.

While planning the meeting, we prioritized inclusivity, interaction, and collective learning. The program flow was shaped by activities prepared by the Haklara Destek team, as well as those proposed by beneficiary organizations. As a result, the meeting became a valuable gathering where organizations connected, shared their work, and opened the door to new collaborations.

During the 3 days, we organized 20 events in total, including workshops, concerts, film screenings and panels, as well as sessions where we evaluated the Haklara Destek program together.

December 5 – First Day

Murat Çelikkan from Hafıza Merkezi and Dawid D. Bartelt from Heinrich Böll Stiftung delivered the opening speeches. Following them, Prof. Dr. Nilgün Toker, in her talk titled “Current Problems of the Human Rights Movement and Possibilities of Struggle/Intervention,” addressed challenges such as shrinking civic space and declining funding. She encouraged us to collectively reflect on and develop new strategies for resistance under these conditions.

To foster interaction among participants and introduce those who had not yet met, we organized an icebreaker activity facilitated by Hilal Başak Demirbaş.

In the first Haklara Destek session, Hülya Kurt and Olcay Özer shared their evaluations of the two-year implementation process, covering field visits, grant processes, capacity-building activities, and the future of the program.

For the rest of the day, we held six different events:

• Workshop on Feedback (Elmas Yılan, Nonviolence Education and Research Center)
• What kind of play is it? (Youth Re-autonomy Foundation of Turkey)
• From Local to Local (Gola Culture, Art, and Ecology. Association)
• Workshop on Hope-based Communication (Kerem Çiftçioğlu, Truth Justice Memory Center)
• Oral History Studies: Three Chambers of Justice Video Film Screening and Q&A (Diyarbakır Association for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets)
• Embroidering Memory (Damla Sandal)

In the evening, we came together at MORDEM. After watching the Dargeçit documentary, we had a conversation with director Berke Baş and producer Enis Köstepen. We would like to thank the MORDEM team for hosting the film screening.

December 6 – Second Day

We began the second day by evaluating the five thematic network meetings held throughout the program. In a panel moderated by Balacan Ayar, we reflected together on the discussions from these meetings and the developments that followed. The panel featured insights from Dicle Müftüoğlu of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, Dilek Başalan of the Women’s Time Association, Oğulcan Yediveren of SPoD, Yeter Erel Tuma of the Colorful Hopes Association, and Remziye Alparslan of Kurdish Research Association.

For the rest of the day, we met in concurrent panels:

• Decolonizing Civil Society? (Nil Delahaye)e
• peace compass (Cultural Research Association for Peace)
• Fairy Tale Recital: Dream first and then reality (Migration and Humanitarian Aid Foundation))
• Station Game for Civil Society Organizations (Hilal Başak Demirbaş and Balacan Ayar, Truth, Justice, Memory Center)
• Workshop on Braille (Association of Barrier Free Access)
• Strategic Mapping (Minus 25 Association)
• Seen/Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)censorship Film Screening and Q&A (Altyazı Cinema Association)
• Dengbêj Concert (Dengbêj Sebrî Agirî, Kurdish Research Association)

December 7 – Third Day

We spared the entire third day to evaluations. Our field officers gave presentations on the support provided, challenges encountered, network activities, and positive developments. Following this, the floor was fully opened to our beneficiary organizations. Together, we evaluated the program process, listened to experiences, and gathered suggestions.

The Haklara Destek closing meeting provided a valuable opportunity to come together, learn, and strengthen solidarity. We hope that the connections made and experiences shared over these three days will enhance inter-organizational cooperation and inspire future collaborations.

Heartfelt thanks everyone who participated, contributed, and shared their experiences!