Büyükelçi Sok. 20/4 Kavaklıdere
06700 Ankara/
Turkey
- Gender
- International/Cultural relations
- Research
- Youth and education
he Vision of Flying Broom
Flying Broom aims at contributing to the overall gender equality in Turkey and the institutionalization of gender equality. Within this framework, Flying Broom:
• Tries to implement the gender equality norms and principles formulated at the Beijing Conference and other international conventions in every aspect of life.
• Supports newly established women’s organizations, believing that the empowerment of women’s organizations is the first step towards the empowerment of women.
The Mission of Flying Broom
Flying Broom primarily works in three main areas to achieve its aims:
• Networking
• Communication
• Capacity building / Empowerment
i) Awareness on Child Brides in Turkey: We have been working on this issue since 2006.
Child Brides and forced marriages are now on the agenda of policy-makers and other NGOs. We have published an information kit consisting of booklets on the Child Brides issue (legislative, social, media etc.) We established a national platform for the prevention of Child Marriages for effective lobbying. Two short-films, one Documentary and a number of spots were prepared. As a result,we now work with one of the biggest social responsibility foundations in Turkey for social projects. We are implementing a pilot project to create an effective mechanism pertaining to child brides to prevent these incidents.
ii) International Flying Broom Women Films Festival:
Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival has been organized every year since 1998 with the goal of using the narrative of cinema to raise public awareness about gender issues. Flying Broom Film Festival is Turkey’s first women's film festival.Since2003the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) awards one of the films screened in the 'Each Has a Different Color' section of the festival program. Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival is the only women's festival in the world to grant the FIPRESCI award. The festival is a platform for women directors, movie makers all over the world who emphasize gender quality and dwell on women's issues. We held different workshops and talks with our guests and provide a dialogue opportunity not only with people from the industry but also with the audience. This year around 650 films applied for screening. We showed more than 100 films. As women of the Flying Broom we are proud of being able to organize this festival with very limited staff and resources. Being a women’s festival organized by a women’s NGO, we always face difficulty in finding sponsors and logistical support for the festival.
iii) My Madam Curie Project
Flying Broom Women's Communication and Research Association has launched a project for primary school students. A model study supported by European Union Central Finance and Contracts Unit and Ministry of National Education is being carried in schools picked by Ankara Provincial Directorate for National Education in the city's Pursaklar district.
"My Madame Curie" Project aims to steer young girls towards an education in the direction of their talents and dreams for when they are to make their career choices, instead of them succumbing to gender role influences. The members of Flying Broom state that women can work not merely as teachers, nurses, lawyers, but also in the fields of science and technology, and that in order for this to happen, obstacles of male dominance have to disappear.
Since its foundation in 1996 Flying Broom is working towards the strengthening of the women’s movement in Turkey through communication, networking and research. One of the most important objectives of Flying Broom has been to enhance the dialog between women’s organizations.Over the last twenty years, the number of women’s organisations has increased and the communication among them has become an important issue. We would like to expand our previous experiences with other CSO's in Turkey.
We would like to join the ALP Network since it is widely accepted that networks of CSOs can be more effective than individual and İsolated organizations. For example networks may expand the individual capacities of organizations by providing increased social capital and building synergy among disconnected CSOs.