Youth in Turkey

148 Pages·2008·1.66 MB·Turkish

Copyright © 2008
by the United Nations Development Programme in Turkey
UN House, Birlik Mahallesi, 2. Cadde, No 11,
Çankaya, Ankara
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retriaval system
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without prior written permission.
First published in March 2008
Printing: Desen Ofset A.Ş.
Birlik Mah., 7. Cadde, 67. Sokak, No:2
Çankaya/Ankara
Cover: Tasarımhane
Layout: Tasarımhane
For a list of any errors or ommissions found subsequent to printing, please visit our web site at
www.undp.org.tr or www.youthpost.org
TEAM FOR THE PREPARATION OF TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Coordinator and Lead Author
Aygen Aytaç
Senior Consultant
Sir Richard Jolly
Authors
Berivan Eliş, Dr. Kezban Çelik, Dr. Hakan Ercan, Dr. Ali Çarkoğlu
Survey/Statistics Advisors
Mehmet Ali Çalışkan, Ulaş Tol, Emrah Göker
Translator and Sub-editor
Canan Silay
Outreach and Communications
Mehmet Arslan (Knowledge Fair Organizer)
Şirin Soyöz (Web Site Editor)
The National Human Development Report is the product of a collective effort. The UN family
in Turkey, specifically the Turkey Offices of UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, IOM, FAO, UNAIDS and UNHCR,
provided detailed comments and advice throughout the research process.

FOREWORD
This Report is part of a series of UNDP’s contribute to the ongoing debate and wider
Human Development Reports, national discussions on youth policy, education,
and international. Human Development employment, and participation. It will also
for a country means human progress for its highlight youth’s needs and aspirations on the
people – enabling people to live long and national development agenda, augment our
healthy lives, based on living with substantial ongoing activities and programmes, and help
freedoms. It is thus defined as a process of promote an enabling policy environment for
broadening opportunities and strengthening more action.
human capabilities to enable people to make
the choices they have reasons to value and to It is now the task and responsibility of policy
enjoy their basic human rights. Capabilities makers -- and other adults in various positions
can vary in form and content, though they throughout Turkey -- to listen to the voices of
are also often closely interrelated. They youth, to trust what they hear and to explore
include the enabling opportunities given by with young people how better to respond
schooling, for example, or by the liberty and to the ideas presented. This can be a first
the economic means to move freely and to step to empower the next generation with
choose one’s abode. There are also important responsibilities and opportunities, and to
‘social’ freedoms, such as the capability to remove some of the obstacles which hold
participate in the life of the community, to them back.
join in public discussion and to participate in
political decision-making…1 We extend our deep appreciation to all the
contributors, from young people involved
The National Human Development Report to the many state agencies and academics,
2008 on Youth in Turkey has used an for the extensive assistance and cooperation
unorthodox approach in its preparation. provided in the preparation of a truly National
Young people in Turkey have been involved Human Development Report.
especially during the research. In addition,
a comprehensive State of Youth Survey was
carried out among more than 3,000 young
individuals aged 15-24 in 12 different regions
sampling the entire country and twenty eight
focus groups were organized with youth and
adults.
Mahmood Ayub
Turkey’s young men and women are its next UN Resident Coordinator and
generation. They have skills and ambitions, UNDP Representative in Turkey
vision and energy. But they need to be given
opportunities to utilise these to the fullest.
If this can be achieved, the county’s future
will be assured and sustainable. As we reflect
on how best this can be done, this Report
analyses diverse aspects of the issue and
suggests possible arenas for action. We are
confident that the relevant assessments will
TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 
i HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT / TURKEY 2008
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This Report was prepared by a core team led contributed to the Report with their ideas and
by Aygen Aytaç, and comprising Berian Eliş, recommendations.2
Dr. Kezban Çelik, Dr. Hakan Ercan of Middle
East Technical University and Dr. Ali Çarkoğlu Important additional contributions were also
of Sabancı University, under the general made by Dr. Ayşe Hoşgör and Dr. Mustafa Şen
guidance and supervision of Mahmood of Middle East Technical University, Professor
Ayub, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Nazmi Bilir of Hacettepe University, Dr. Hilal
Representative in Turkey. Özcebe of Hacettepe University, Seyhan
Aydınlıgil of Middle East Technical University,
Young people in Turkey have been actively Dr. Nilay Çabuk of Ankara University, Dr.
involved in preparing and contributing at all Hakan Acar of Hacettepe University, Turkey
stages of this report as well as learning from Offices of UNICEF, ILO, IOM, FAO, UNAIDS
the techniques of conducting focus groups and UNHCR, and UNV Genea Office.
and even organizing some themselves, with
the guidance and supervision of Professor Yaşama Dair Foundation conducted the
Esra Burcu of Hacettepe University. The quantitative survey and contributed to the
evidence from the survey and from focus data appendix. Gökçe Pişkin, Cem Koray
groups is used throughout the Report to Olgun and seeral members of Youth for
explain the views and proposals of young Habitat Association, such as Derya Altun
people, often in the form of direct quotations. Erdem, Ferhat Gök, Rukiye Parlas and Songül
However, for confidentiality reasons, we have Kaya, gave extensive support during the
not used the real names of the young people organization of focus group meetings in var-
we quoted in the Report. In drawing on this ious parts of the country. GSM-Youth Services
material we have relied on Dr. Kezban Çelik, Centre and British Council contributed to
who has used her outstanding professional the establishment of an interactive web
skills and experience in sociology to select site (www.youthpost.org) dedicated to
views and quotations in ways which are Human Development and youth issues.
representative of all the material. British Council, TUSİAD, Coca Cola, and UN
Coordination Office in Turkey made financial
Sir Richard Jolly, to whom the team is grateful contributions for the implementation of the
without implication, advised the Report team project activities. Ankara World Trade Centre
on how to write a Human Development mobilized all its facilities for us, including the
Report throughout the process and helped venue for the organization of the ‘Knowledge
the team to identify the main messages and Fair’ where the results of this Report were
recommendations of the Report. Professor shared with young people.
İlhan Tekeli of the Middle East Technical
University advised on the content throughout The team undertook a wide range of
the process. Extensive and excellent advice consultations for this Report, which included
was also received from Üner Kırdar, Yusuf regular meetings with youth NGOs, youth
Işık; and many others inside and outside the workers, government officials, private sector
UNDP Turkey Office. organizations, youth experts, parents and
youth themselves through one to one
Members of Education Reform Initiatie in interviews, meetings and focus groups. Many
Turkey revised the relevant chapters and young people also sent their contributions to
TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT ii
the web site of the Report.
The team was assisted by Berkan Toros,
Gökçe Yörükoğlu, Murat Çitilgülü, Ayşegül
Özgan, İlkay Okdemir, Yeşim Sözeri, Mustafa
Birbilen, Fulya Özerkan, and dozens of
volunteers including Seda Atabay, Ozan
Çakmak, Nazlan Ertan, Ali Fuat Sütlü,
Yasemin Kök, İlknur Erdem, Fatma Hasçalık,
Özge Gören, Melike Baykal, Burcu Şengül,
Alper Şentürk, C. Emre Doğru, Nalan Koçak,
Gökçe Erbatu, Gözde Özden, Gökşin Şahin,
Huriye Segi Tokgöz, Hürrem Kara, Sinem
Toprak, Onur Şentürk, Hüseyin Aktürk and
Elif Ünal Arslan.

Nuri Duman of the State Planning Organiza-
tion, Çağrı Öner of the British Council,
Mehmet Arslan, Şirin Soyöz and Öyküm
Bağcı of the GSM-Youth Services Centre, Sezai
Hazır of the Youth for Habitat, Perin Öztin
and Akif Yeşilkaya of Bilkent University, and
Obahan Obaoğlu from Ankara World Trade
Centre were always ready to support different
aspects of the project activities.
Canan Silay translated the Report into Turkish
and was one of the sub-editors.
Tasarımhane Company designed the cover
and page layouts of the Report.
Özhan Önder and Alper Şen from Videa Film
produced the TV documentary accompany-
ing the National Human Development Re-
port.

UNDP Turkey Office wishes to thank all
contributors.
iii HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT / TURKEY 2008