Collaboration with NGOs for SDGs

Kadir Has University (KHAS) actively engages in collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the local, national, and international levels to contribute to the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through these partnerships, the University implements student volunteering projects, joint research initiatives, and educational programs that promote awareness, capacity building, and sustainable development practices.

The following section highlights ongoing and newly launched initiatives carried out in collaboration with NGOs during the 2023–2024 academic year, reflecting KHAS’s continuous commitment to social responsibility and sustainable impact.

ISTANBUL STUDIES CENTER

Kadir Has University’s Istanbul Studies Center is a key partner in Heritopolis, an international initiative that bridges the realms of heritage and metropolitan challenges with the ultimate goal of promoting sustainable urban development. This partnership operates within the framework of the UNHabitat Universities Network Initiative (UNI), more specifically, the UNI Hub on Metropolitan Management.

Given the projected growth of metropolises to become the world’s most populous urban category by 2035, Heritopolis revolves around several vital research questions:

• What specific role can heritage play in advancing the sustainability of 21st-century metropolises?
• How can the metropolitan context redefine our understanding of heritage?
• What distinguishes metropolitan heritage from other forms of heritage?
• Can we perceive the metropolis itself as a heritage, and if so, how?

Heritopolis is committed to cultivating a holistic perspective, breaking free from traditional academic boundaries, and harnessing the insights of various disciplines and thought leaders. It embraces a triple helix approach that seamlessly integrates academia, governance, and industry to shape a progressive and comprehensive paradigm for the future of metropolitan development and heritage conservation.

To access additional information, kindly refer to the provided link: https://heritopolis.org/ 

KENT95 PROJECT

Kadir Has University’s Istanbul Studies Center, in collaboration with the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), has developed an interactive platform. This platform serves as a valuable tool for local governments, aiding them in monitoring their existing services and crafting strategies for forthcoming initiatives. Moreover, it empowers city residents by granting them access to comprehensive information about the services available in their urban area. You can explore this platform at https://map.kent95.org/

Kadir Has University Gender and Women’s Studies Research Center publishes the Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Plus Employees in the Private Sector in Turkey and the Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Plus Employees in Public Sector in Turkey annually, in collaboration with the NGO Kaos Gay Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL). 

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECTS WITH NGOs

Students from all departments of the university take mandatory civic responsibility courses, offered by the Common Courses Department, in their first year. In these courses, students gain knowledge of concepts such as civil society, NGOs, social justice, participatory democracy, social benefit, and active citizenship, and put this knowledge into practice by participating in social responsibility projects run by partner NGOs with themes ranging from children’s rights to food waste and urban poverty.

These projects relate to the sustainable development goals, particularly those related to “no poverty, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, peace, justice and strong institutions, partnerships for the goals”.

Dr. Mine Yıldırım (Common Courses Department) contributes expert advice to the Pollen Ecology Institute (Political Ecology and Animals), focusing on ecological justice and animal policy, and works as a program director in Four-Legged City, where she coordinates interdisciplinary research programmes, advocacy initiatives, and policy development processes in partnership with NGOs, municipal shelters, and national networks. Her work contributes to policy guidance, evidence provision, and committee participation in national and regional decision-making processes on animal welfare, ecological resilience, and legal reform.

These engagements support SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening governance frameworks, legal protections, and cross-sector collaboration. frameworks.

• https://ekolojienstitu.org/category/danisma-kurulu/
• https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/yasam/dort-ayakli-sehir-calismalari-dernegi-genel-koordinatoru-yildirim-2254314

NGOs with which protocols were signed and project contents:

All Children Are Ours Association (2023-2024 academic years)

Within the scope of the cooperation developed with the association, the students carried out activities for Fatih Kırımlı Aslanbey Primary School 1st-4th grade students in Fener. Working groups were formed and paired with a primary school branch and the students met with children from the branch they were paired with in their fortnightly field studies. In some weeks, in-class activities were organised in the primary school (Dodo Reads Books, Dodo Tells Tales, origami, playground painting, free play hours in the school garden), while in other weeks, students from the primary school came to the university accompanied by their teachers and participated in the activities organised by the students taking the course at the university (film screenings in the school cinema hall, a visit to the Rezan Has Museum, origami exhibition). In addition, books for children were collected from the “book tree” established at the university and donated to the primary school. Before the fieldwork started, an expert psychologist from the association gave online trainings to the students on communicating with children, effective reading techniques, and body language.

Please find their activity report here: https://butuncocuklarbizim.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BCBD-2023-faaliyet-raporu.pdf

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Urban Planning – Beyoğlu Senin project (2023-2024 academic years)

The students contributed to the Beyoğlu Strategy Plan prepared by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Urban Planning Directorate through participatory methods. IBB team stated that they needed youth participation in the study and directed the students to work with young people living in Beyoğlu. It was planned to carry out field studies to determine how young people living in the neighbourhoods of Beyoğlu use Beyoğlu, what their expectations, needs and demands are. Each of the 6 neighbourhoods of Beyoğlu was matched with a student group (Sütlüce-Örnektepe, Okmeydanı-Hasköy, Dolapdere-Tarlabaşı, Kasımpaşa, İstiklal Caddesi-Galata-Karaköy, Tophane-Kabataş-Cihangir). In the first phase of the study, students carried out data collection activities (determining the nursery-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, high schools, universities, research institutes, public urban service areas, private/legal urban service areas in Beyoğlu region and their characteristics). In the second phase of fieldwork, students met with young people aged 14-20 living in Beyoğlu in civil society organisations and conducted in-depth interviews (Sururi Neighbourhood Solidarity, Tarlabaşı Community Centre, Okmeydanı Environmental Protection and Beautification Association, Hasköy Culture House, Örnektepe Neighbourhood House, Bereketzade Muhtarlığı, Beyoğlu Citizen Assembly). Although it was planned to organise a Beyoğlu forum at Kadir Has University within the scope of the Beyoğlu Senin project, it could not be held. The cooperation ended with the finalisation of the IBB Beyoğlu Strategic Plan.

Please find here the activity report: https://istanbulkentkonseyi.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2024_FAALIYET_RAPORU_ISTANBUL_KENT_KONSEYI.pdf

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Social Services – Neighbourhood Houses (2023-2024 academic years)

In the Neighbourhood Houses established by IBB Social Services Directorate for community empowerment in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Istanbul, students volunteered and organised activities for children and women. In Örnektepe, Sulukule, Zafer, Cibali Neighbourhood Houses, they carried out free time activities and workshops (lesson support workshop, Papuduk, English support, game workshop). Before the fieldwork of the students, an expert psychologist from IBB provided online trainings to the students on children’s rights to bodily speech and trauma-sensitive volunteering.

Please find here the activity report: https://butcesenin.istanbul/projeler/16d03c22-15aa-47ab-bd7d-39b973325e86

Istanbul City Council (2023-2024 academic years)

Within the scope of the cooperation, students proposed and developed projects based on urban commons and participation under the mentorship of İKK and using the facilities of the council. In the first working year, 4 working groups developed projects with 4 different methods and themes: one group carried out focus group studies on Kadir Has University students’ access to culture and arts, one group worked on the urban mobility of students studying in the Golden Horn region, one group carried out a face-to-face leg of the “Participation Café” events organised by İKK in different neighbourhoods of Istanbul to identify and report the demands, expectations and requests of different groups regarding the city, one group carried out a face-to-face leg at IBB Sütlüce facilities for students studying in the Golden Horn region, and one group carried out an online Participation Café event for the same group via the Discord platform. In these activities, in which all groups developed their own working themes and methods, a mentorship model was developed with IKK; in this model, a project coordinator from IKK and a political scientist with expertise in the field of participation were determined as mentors, and these mentors met with the students periodically and gave feedback to their projects. In the second year, student groups were directed to submit project proposals for the “Participatory Budget”, a joint project of the Istanbul City Council and IBB. Citizens residing in Istanbul apply to the Participatory Budget, which aims to plan the IBB budget with a participatory approach, by proposing projects on certain themes; projects that pass a preliminary screening on the applicability of the projects are submitted to a public vote and the selected projects are implemented with the IBB budget. After the 6 February earthquakes, the theme of the Participatory Budget was determined as “disaster resilience” and the students developed their own project proposals with feedbacks under the mentorship of IKK and made their applications at the end of the term. 6 working groups developed different projects on the theme of disaster, such as developing an Istanbul animal disaster action plan and rights-based awareness-raising activities on disasters in the neighbourhood.

Basic Needs Association – TIDER (2023-2024 academic years)

Within the scope of the cooperation with Tider, which has the largest food bank network in Turkey, students carried out volunteer work in Beyoğlu Municipality Food Bank and Şişli Municipality Food Bank as they are close to the university. In these food banks, products that are close to their expiry date but are still healthy to consume, products that are not sold in the market due to reasons such as packaging printing errors, etc., or donated products are delivered free of charge and with a credit system to those in need determined by the social service directorates of local municipalities. The market system enables those in need to obtain the products they want in the quantities they want and to feel better about themselves. In these food banks, student groups carried out field work every two weeks, assisting and guiding those who came, sorting and placing products in the market, and placing the parcels. Some student groups contributed to the distribution of iftar meals at the Embrace Life Association Restaurant and Atlas Aid Association Restaurant. In addition, some student groups coordinated the donation of products (books, food, toys) to Tider in the donation piggy banks within the university.

Please find here the activity report: https://tider.org/derin15/uploads/Tider-2024_Faaliyet-Raporu.pdf

Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) (2023-2024 academic years)

In this digital volunteering project planned for international students, students provided online English support workshops to disadvantaged children and youth in different provinces of Turkey. Before the work, TEGV team provided training on online communication techniques and volunteering for the students. Due to the difficulties of implementing TEGV’s volunteering procedure in the duration and scope of a one-semester course, the project was not continued in 2023-2024.

Wikimedia User Community Group Turkey (WMTR) (2023-2024 academic years)

In collaboration with the WMTR community of volunteer Wikipedists on digital volunteering and open source knowledge production, students created content for Wikipedia, “the free encyclopaedia to which everyone can contribute”, and its sister projects (Wikimedia Commons, Wiktionary, Wikisource, Wikidata). At the beginning of the semester, the WMTR team provided online training on the principles of Wikipedia, how it is used, and digital literacy. Students worked in groups throughout the semester on different topics such as endemic plants of Turkey, Istanbul biennials, independent film festivals in Turkey, nature reserves in Turkey, women writers and artists, and developed Wikipedia articles on these topics.

Within the scope of the course, 510 articles were created, 1120 existing Wikipedia articles were improved, 2170 total edits were made, 89 open source images were added, 4030 references were added.

Please find here the report: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/KHAS_core/KHAS110_24_(2024_spring_semester

Khas Social Support and Solidarity Club & Khas Activism Club (2023-2024 academic years)

Within the scope of the course, two student clubs within the university, which are engaged in social benefit-oriented activities, were co-operated with. The clubs provided mentoring support to students who developed their own projects or provided students with the opportunity to develop joint projects in the existing working groups of the clubs (human rights, environment and animal rights working groups were formed). Different projects were developed and implemented, such as collecting and sending donations of books and toys to children in village schools, organising bird house workshops and placing bird houses for birds in and around the school, organising an animal rights conference at the university with NGOs and rights defenders working in the field of animal rights as speakers, forums and trainings where gender norms were discussed.

Resif34 (2023-2024 academic year)

Resif34, which emerged as a project proposal of a student group developing an original project within the scope of Khas110 in the 2023-2024 academic year, turned into a student community the following year, and when they stated that they wanted to carry out joint work with the students who would take the course within the scope of Khas110, they were included in the collaborations in the course. Working on Istanbul’s water pollution and raising awareness of urbanites on this issue, Resif34 formed different working groups with the students and created their working topics/plans together with the students. The social media working group scanned water-related news and produced regular content/images to be published on the community’s social networks, the game group worked on the software and design of a digital game aimed at raising awareness about water pollution for children, and the activity group organised a coastal cleaning event in Yeşilköy at the end of the semester, which included concerts, talks on water pollution given by IBB and Turmepa teams, and a picnic.

Examples of original projects

Apart from NGO collaborations, students were also given the option to propose and implement their own original projects. These student groups presented their project plans and developed their projects under the mentorship of the course coordinator throughout the semester. Some examples of original projects: A weekly newsletter project where news, articles and columns on the right to water are shared within the university, reading activities on the climate crisis for students at Riyaziyeci Salih Zeki Primary School in cooperation with Günışığı Kitaplığı and the university Information Centre, collecting and recycling electronic waste at the university and donating the proceeds to the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey, Organising cinema workshops with young people at Cibali Secondary School, organising a veganism and animal rights summit at the university, meeting and watching films with young people who have recovered from cancer in cooperation with Lösev, organising a two-day study-recreation camp with disadvantaged children living in Balat and Cibali, cat houses made with upcycling and placed around the university.

Samples from NGOs’ social media:

• https://www.instagram.com/p/CedtUEcLg2y/; https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Xn5LYgj8c/; https://www.instagram.com/p/C6taZw1owqj/

Samples from students’ NGO works:

• https://core.khas.edu.tr/toplumsal-sorumluluk-projeleri/