Gülcan recognized that simply translating existing German materials into Turkish was not a sufficient measure to solve the problems facing Germany’s environmental community. Instead, she started to develop her own hands-on Turkish information material which includes pictures, metaphors, and… Read more
Gülcan recognized that simply translating existing German materials into Turkish was not a sufficient measure to solve the problems facing Germany’s environmental community. Instead, she started to develop her own hands-on Turkish information material which includes pictures, metaphors, and references to Turkish daily life that could be easily understood by everyone, including the semi-illiterate. Parallel to the development of these materials, which nowadays can be found at almost all information stands in Turkish community centers around Germany, Gülcan convinced influential Turkish community associations (i.e. which exist in almost every Turkish community throughout Germany) to partner with her in organizing the first Turkish Environmental Day in Berlin. In spite of great skepticism, the event was a huge success. It has become an annual event, attracting hundreds of people and triggering many more environmental activities for the migrant communities.
Having intensified her collaboration with Turkish migrant associations, Gülcan and her team started giving two-hour lessons on environmental protection at countless Turkish community centers throughout Berlin and other cities in Germany. They quickly realized that women were especially eager to learn how to save energy and therefore money, how to avoid toxic cleaning agents and plastics, as well and other environmentally unfriendly actions. Behavioral changes as a result of the trainings do not only result in positive effects for the environment, but also in the better integration of the training’s beneficiaries in their neighborhoods and ultimately, in society.
Looking for ways to scale her impact and the number of people being reached by Yesil Cember Gülcan developed a 30-hour training course that educates women to be multipliers in their communities. Through its trainings Yesil Cember is catalyzing new local changemakers, thus spreading the model and its impact in ways that would have been impossible without encouraging community-members to take initiative. These local change makers go to the homes of their peers for environmental counseling free of charge. Although the women are paid for their initial counseling, Gülcan found that women often continue their work even after funding ceases, mainly because they enjoy the responsibility they have been given, often for the first time in their lives.
The whole initiative is backed through the support of Turkish Community Associations, which provide space and financial support. This is extremely important as it gives Yesil Cember tremendous visibility and builds trust within the Turkish community. Backed financially by the German Environment Foundation and scientifically evaluated by the University of Cottbus, Gülcan is now replicating the model in at least seven other German cities by training members of local Turkish community organizations to become representatives of Yesil Cember. These local representatives train new multipliers and oversee their face-to-face counseling.
Besides developing new information materials, organizing community activities and training multipliers, Gülcan is extensively promoting collaboration between German environmental organizations, Turkish migrant associations, state agencies, Turkish and German media corporations, and other relevant stakeholders. An expert in the field of environmental education for migrants, Gülcan is invited to share her experiences at conferences and seminars, and is training other environmental organizations in how to adapt her experiences in their work. Eager to find new ways to maximize her impact Gülcan is currently developing trainings for Turkish businesses, helping them to save energy and become carbon-conscious companies.
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