Those Who Remember

Collective Memory and Intercity Cultural Sharing with Young People

October 2025 - September 2026
ESKISEHIR, HATAY, IZMIR, RIZE, VAN

Affiliates:

ESKISEHIR: Muzaffer Kaya
HATAY: Mişel Uyar and Nehna Platform
IZMIR: Bayetav
RIZE: Gola Association
VAN: Aryen Huner Association

The project aims to create a foundation for lasting cooperation and solidarity to make the fragile and fragmented field of memory in Turkey stronger, more inclusive, and more connected. Over the course of a year, the project aims to develop a unique model with five local participants to bring together young people from different cities in Turkey with cultural and artistic actors to make local memory work visible and increase youth participation in this field.

Youth meetings open to young people aged 20–35 will be held in Eskisehir, Hatay, Izmir, Rize, and Van. The sessions will explore memory studies and art and cultural productions in Turkey and locally, and participating young people will have the opportunity to share their own memory narratives and approaches. Following the youth meetings, memory walks will be held in each city with the participation of groups of 30 young people. These walks will highlight two main themes: spaces that embody urban memory and structures that contribute to memory in the local arts and culture sphere. The walks will be accompanied by informative narratives and will facilitate direct contact with local actors. Each walk, documented with audio and video recordings, will be converted into a short videocast.

Following all local events, a closing meeting will be held in Istanbul. At this meeting, which will be attended by two young representatives from each city and local participating institutions, experiences will be shared, best practices will be discussed, and opportunities for intercity collaboration will be explored. The main objective of the meeting is to develop a roadmap for establishing a sustainable youth and cultural memory network and to plan the dissemination of the developed methods to other cities.

Truth Justice Memory Center

The Truth Justice Memory Center was established in 2011 to work within the principles of truth, justice, and social reconciliation to combat the impunity for gross human rights violations perpetrated by the state in Turkey—especially enforced disappearances and violations of the right to life. Following the authoritarianization process in Turkey after 2015, it expanded its strategic focus and developed an institutional structure that shares its knowledge and experience in transitional justice, restorative justice, and memorialization with various social actors, and connects memory and rights advocacy with cultural and social dialogue. Today, its core activities include documenting grave violations, waging a legal and cultural struggle against impunity, supporting rights defenders, creating alternative learning spaces with young people, and promoting a culture of confronting the past.

This page is published on 8 October 2025.