Learning Circle: Awareness on Gender Equality and Social Unity

On March 28th, we hosted a Learning Circle in Izmir on “Awareness on Gender Equality and Social Unity” with four incredible women. Our speakers not only came from different areas of expertise but also brought different viewpoints of their generations.

Our first speaker was Prof. Dr. Solmaz Zelyut, Women's Studies & Philosophy Department at Ege University. She stated that the best way of struggling with those who claim to be unequal is to express inequality. She asked the question: “Why is the equality a demanded value? Equality is not a mathematical expression. It is not just quantitative but qualitative. This is justice itself.”

Our second speaker Aslıhan Konez, Young Leaders Symposium Representative to Turkey. She worked in different countries and represented Turkey with many projects. Her aim is to discover the world and help her young peers to experience life-changing opportunities. Aslıhan believes that our greatest power is having the courage to dream big and inspire people on this journey. Having gained experience in different countries, she now feels like she has sisters in all around the world.  

Next, we listened to Engin Demir, President of Women’s Right Association of İzmir Branch. She carried out many studies for women to make a difference in their lives. She wishes to build bridges between people and empower each other to succeed. She pointed out the fact that government offices should be in contact with NGO’s. She also has been the representative of several NGO’s and continues to be vocal in both local and international organizations, increasing awareness of women rights and challenges in the 21st century.

Our final speaker was Şule Yücebıyık, Corporate Communications Director at Borusan Holding. She gave a speech full of inspiration and hope by explaining her work at Borusan Holding. Şule expressed that girls at a young age are encouraged to have the mentality of "I can do it too" through education. She has a lot of projects inspired by other companies as well as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. Borusan Holding aims to put into practice a “gender sensitive employment” program for all positions. Şule believes in order to strengthen women, a free environment must be provided to them.

Thanks to our fabulous speakers for a day full of inspiration. We also thank our guests who filled the room and were actively engaged in the discussion! We pass our gratitude to Konak Municipality for hosting us at Türkan Saylan Culture Centre.

See more photos from the event on our Facebook page.