The Cultural Awareness Foundation (Kültür Bilincini Geliştirme Vakfı) works to foster cultural awareness and promote collective responsibility for cultural diversity—a vital part of our shared human heritage. With our grant support, realised through the contribution of Christie’s in partnership with IKSV, following the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, the foundation launched a project in Malatya to support children and young people through culture and arts.
Over several months, the project engaged more than 500 children and young people through art workshops, cultural awareness sessions, and art therapy activities. 25 young volunteers helped deliver the programme, which also included cultural visits, a large community event with around 1,000 attendees, and a final exhibition showcasing over 160 artworks. The project drew attention through local media, social media outreach, and close collaboration with local institutions.
Read the interview below to learn how your support helped make this possible—and why investing in cultural rights and children’s well-being matters more than ever.
Your foundation works to raise public awareness and cultural consciousness, embracing cultural diversity as a shared human heritage. How would you describe the situation in Türkiye, and what role does your organisation play?
Knowledge and awareness of cultural heritage can foster values like respect, care, and protection. But creating real change requires long-term, consistent effort.
In Türkiye, schools fall short in promoting cultural awareness, and families are rarely engaged. A national survey found that 91% of people get cultural information from TV, while only 0.6% attend live music or performing arts events. According to TÜİK’s 2022 Quality of Life Survey, 9 out of 10 people aged 15+ did not take part in any cultural activity over the past year: 85% did not go to the cinema, 94% did not attend a live performance, 92% did not visit a cultural venue, and 95% did not attend any live sports events.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) in this field are still few and far between. Only around 7 or 8 CSOs in Türkiye focus on cultural awareness education—and most of these operate locally and inconsistently.
For nearly 20 years, our foundation has maintained a consistent presence. Every year, we host around 250 seminars for adults led by experts—delivered in person or online—and we continue our long-running Cultural Ants programme for children. We believe this sustained effort addresses a critical gap.
Cultural heritage belongs to all of us—and it’s today’s children who will carry it forward.
With our grant support, you launched the Rehabilitation through Culture and Arts project in Malatya, responding to urgent post-earthquake needs. Can you tell us more about this project?
Following the earthquake in Malatya, many national and international CSOs provided emergency relief in areas such as shelter, water, sanitation, and psychological assistance. However, these services have significantly decreased over time. In particular, social and psychological support for children is now mostly limited to a few container cities. Our project aimed to fill a critical gap in this area.
There’s been discussion around how to work with children in post-disaster settings. What is your approach?
When well-designed and carefully evaluated, these activities can be very beneficial—especially in constrained environments. It’s essential to tailor programmes to age-specific needs and secure parental consent.
The most important factor is designing activities that respect the child’s age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs, and psychological state. We always work with professionals—child development specialists and psychologists—from planning through to implementation.
Supporting children’s rights means helping them reach their full potential.
What are your future goals and projects? How has our grant support influenced your plans?
In August 2023, we adopted a three-year strategy with two key priorities:
- Expanding our cultural awareness programmes for children and adults.
- Strengthening partnerships with other arts and culture CSOs.
Our Malatya project supported both. It allowed us to:
- Reach disadvantaged children and young people
- Bring our Cultural Ants programme to a new region
- Collaborate with local CSOs
- Build wider local partnerships
We are grateful for this opportunity. Evaluating our impact in Malatya will help us improve and adapt our model for other regions.
We see diverse donors not just as supporters, but as sources of learning, strength, and solidarity.
Why is it important that children’s rights projects receive support from a variety of donors?
Articles 31 and 32 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantee the right to participate in cultural life and artistic activities. But children in Türkiye still don’t fully enjoy these rights, and CSO efforts remain insufficient.
Private sector donors in Türkiye often fund one-off festivals, while long-term support is rare. International funders also allocate limited resources to arts and culture.
That’s why every contribution—national or international—matters. It helps sustain and expand the impact of CSOs like ours, particularly for projects that directly benefit children and their communities.
Cultural heritage belongs to all of us—and children are the ones who will carry it forward. We encourage children in our programmes to freely express themselves and share their feedback. Some of our current volunteers were once participants themselves. Inspired by the programme, several pursued studies in architecture or restoration, building careers in cultural heritage.
Supporting children’s rights means helping them reach their full potential. Through our activities, they’re introduced to history, philosophy, and the arts—topics they might not otherwise encounter. Learning from inspiring volunteers can spark curiosity and open new horizons. One of Türkiye’s leading percussionists, for example, first encountered percussion at one of our events in the early 2000s.
Our goal is to nurture cultural and civic awareness—but the impact goes deeper. We aim to create spaces where children can explore their interests and capabilities. And just as we learn from children, we also learn from our donors. We see diverse donors not just as supporters, but as sources of learning, strength, and solidarity. Sharing experiences and insights with partner organisations enhances solidarity and learning across civil society.
