We also had youngsters who had a country which “democracy” is rising in their dreams along with the excitement to arrive at a new world. These youngsters cried out one by one and they created their own project of democracy, of youth. They called it “The Voice Of Youth”, to point out the aim of their project.

They were the youngsters of Başak Culture and Art Foundation; it was Mehmet Ali who was running from side to side with all his excitement, it was Düzen who had the enthusiasm of seeing Italy for the first time, it was Reyzan, it was Emek and the others who created this beautiful project. They got their friends, their brothers and sisters from partner association Gün-Der and they set out to meet their brothers in Italy.

Başak Culture and Art Foundation, which creates projects for the children and youngsters of families which are forced to migrate and poor-deprived, realized the second leg of The Voice Of Youth Project within SPO Youth Program Action 1.3 Democracy Projects  which is coordinated by itself with Güneşlik Köyü Derneği (Gün-Der) from Turkey, Xenia (Napoli) and Accademia Psicologia Applicata (APA-Palermo) from Italy.

Eight youngsters from Turkey realized activities about cultural interaction and democracy awareness and completed the second leg of The Voice of Youth Project between the dates 7 September to 15 September 2008 within the project that is accepted by Center for European Union Education and Youth Programmes and that deals with the subject Youth and Democracy. Participants of the project, which consist of different types such as high school students, university students and textile workers, got the opportunity to learn concepts related to democracy such as individual freedom and rights, mutual understanding, collective action by practicing in the activities. They discussed the definitions of democracy in their own countries, they compared the cultures and democracy perceptions wise ideas, they saw and showed that democracy is does not only consist of voting and that democrat states are not only governed by republic. They were an imaginative country indeed; four different associations realized their project the way democracy let them. Still the project was their voice and they did not try to make their voices coordinate with each other because democracy did not mean one side complying with the other, it did not mean chaos either. It meant different ideas and differences living together and expressing themselves, even if they are minorities.  

Maybe the major contribution of this project to youngsters was to see another country, to create a group in that country, to obtain ideas about democracy and to aplly these ideas. Youngsters that returned from Italy will publish a journal in order to share their self-confidence, experience and knowledge with the others. The journal will be named The Voice Of Youth, since it will reflect the voice of them, and it will introduce you their democracy perceptions.