Within the scope of the Social Protection Project initiated in 2018, we conduct trainings in municipalities where our Social Protection Desks are located, aiming to enrich the knowledge and capacity of municipal personnel in the field of refugees.
The trainings, which began with the personnel of the Social Support Services Directorate and Call Center in Pendik Municipality, continued throughout 2019 in districts such as Pendik, Ümraniye, and Beylikdüzü.
The trainings provided to public institution and organization personnel in schools and municipalities were most recently organized for the teachers and other public personnel at Istanbul Swedish-Turkish Friendship Secondary School, under the leadership of the Avcılar Social Protection Desk. The work addresses the rights and obligations of refugees and common misconceptions regarding refugees. The purpose of the program, carried out in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) within the framework of the Social Protection Project, is to inform public personnel within district boundaries about the rights and responsibilities of refugees, to introduce the Social Protection Desks and the Social Protection Project, and to inform teachers about common misconceptions regarding refugees.
Attended by a total of 82 teachers, the seminar was held in two sessions, morning and afternoon. Beginning with the opening speech of Yunus Çakmak, Principal of the Swedish-Turkish Friendship Secondary School, the seminar continued with the presentation of the Social Protection Project activities by the WALD Social Protection Desk Lawyer and the introduction of the personnel working at the Social Protection Desks who participated in the training.
Additionally, participants were provided with information on legal support and access to rights, the differences between the fundamental concepts of refugee status, international protection, and temporary protection, as well as the statuses, rights, and responsibilities of foreigners residing in Turkey. At the conclusion of the seminar, participants' questions were answered. The seminar ended with the school administration stating that the information provided and the answering of questions were extremely valuable, and that they were ready for any kind of cooperation on this matter as a school.
