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<h1>Interview with Emine Kaya, YouthBankTurkey</h1>
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<p class="summary" style="color: #000;">Emine Kaya is the project coordinator of YouthBank Turkey. She coordinates all the processes of all YouthBank teams in Turkey (their trainings, budgets, projects), the processes of Start Up Trainings and also local training and field visits. She is also responsible for the follow up of social media, all reports and budget including local projects funds.</p>
<p><img src="/uploads/556652d7d55e2.jpg" style="width: 306px;"> </p><p><strong><br></strong></p><p><strong>Describe yourself in five words.</strong></p><p>Energetic, curious, open, friendly, clumsy.</p><p><strong>How did you first hear of YouthBank?</strong></p><p>Before YouthBank, I was working for the Community
Volunteers Foundation (TOG) as a field coordinator. I was in a different department, but I was keeping up to date with the other
projects of the foundation, and YouthBank was one of them.</p><p><strong>What was your motivation for joining YouthBank?</strong></p><p>TOG mostly works with university students.
YouthBank is one of few initiatives which also involve that work other young people.(unemployed,
high school students, working). It is really motivating. YouthBank is built on
trust put into young people, which is very exciting. We operate locally, where young people live and we give them a chance to change
their environment according to their needs and dreams. Young people support
young people in every way! That’s an inspiring idea!</p><p><strong>Describe the context of your YouthBank/YouthBank
network: what did you see happening in your community, culture, social context?</strong></p><p>It is an opportunity to be part of the change.
Perception about youth has evolved and has to change a lot more. In
Turkey, young people are just considered as objects to be protected from
harmful habits and misbehaviors. There is no political agenda for their needs,
desires and opinions. But change is happening.
Young people strive to stop being objects to become main actors. When you take a closer look, you can understand how significant the YouthBank projects are. They address these important issues which all also include human rights and social
rights.</p><p><strong>How do you see your local YouthBank developing in
the future?</strong></p><p>Actually, It is a really inspiring big picture. Now we are in 11 different region, working with different local institutions
and it has been going really well. In the future, local engagement in the
project will increase, municipalities and youth centers will be much more
effective and this will help much more projects led by young people. With these improvements, there will much much more youth-friendly politics and
places.</p><p><img src="/uploads/558bc23d4dc8d.jpg"></p>
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