Türkiye

UNICEF Türkiye implements the Adolescent Kit through the national systems and platforms for youth-led civic engagement and humanitarian action which it has built, with its partners and with young people, over more than 25 years. Since 2000, UNICEF-Türkiye has collaborated directly with youth to advocate for their human rights and priorities, and to take an active role in building healthy, cohesive, resilient communities. With UNICEF’s support, Child Advisory Boards and Child Rights Monitoring Committees in both states and districts have been established across Türkiye. Within its education, child protection and other humanitarian programmes responding to national and cross-border crises, including the 2023 earthquake as well as the Syrian civil war, from which more than 3.2 million individuals have sought refuge in Türkiye, UNICEF has also integrated channels for adolescents and youth to share their views and priorities for programmes meant to support them, and to take active roles in programme implementation and leadership. 

In 2017-18, UNICEF first recognized the Adolescent Kit as a programme resource to expand and strengthen community engagement opportunities and social cohesion for and among adolescent and youth Syrian refugees and those from Türkiye's host communities. In national youth centers, children and family multi-service centers and women's and children's empowerment programmes, youth facilitators used the Adolescent Kit's activities and approaches to catalyze "adolescent committees," who organized and led service projects with their communities. In 2024, UNICEF institutionalized the Adolescent Kit as a resource for use by humanitarian responders in Türkiye, training educators from the national educational company IDEMA to become lead trainers in the Adolescent Kit's activities and methodologies. IDEMA has subsequently trained both governmental and nongovernmental agencies supporting nonformal education and youth engagement programmes for young people, children and families affected by the 2023 earthquake throughout the southeastern region, and preparing for emergency response in other regions of the country.