ChangEquality AMBASSADORS' PROGRAMME
We conducted ChangEquality Ambassadors Programme with voluntary participation of the students to ensure sustainability of the SAGE in Work project by giving intensive gender equality trainings to enable them to moderate the ChangEquality in Work University activities commenced by us. For this purpose, we provided trainings to equip and/or update their knowledge about gender equality concept, and to increase their familiarity with ChangEquality in Work game. We expect that the ChangEquality ambassadors will continue the project by playing the game at their close circles during 2020-2021 academic years.
ChangEquality Ambassadors' Trainings
The content of the ChangEquality training programme was created based on the knowledge deficiencies observed during ChangEquality in Work university events and paid further attention to cover work, money, time and power domains of gender equality. Project Team planned 8 different sessions to discuss gender equality from different aspects, to ensure students have a good command of the topic with different viewpoints.
The primary purpose of the ChangEquality Ambassadors trainings was to develop the capacities of 10 students who volunteered to be gender ambassadors. However, when the number of students (and some mentors) who wanted to come together with the experts so as to enrich their theoretical knowledge in the field of gender equality, primarily the mentorship programme attendees, exceeded our expectations and reached 83, the training was expanded such that it responds positively to this interest and cover all applications.
We designed and shared on electronic medium a special poster for ChangEquality Ambassadors training named Various Aspects of Gender Equality. Then, the Agenda was notified to the students and trainers in electronic medium. We completed our preparations with organization of the presentation files and additional images together with notebooks, pens, and attendance sheets and certificates.
The Various Aspects of Gender Equality Training was held on October 19, 2019 with the following topics.
- Gender 101, Prof. Dr. Fatmagül Berktay
- Leadership and Gender Stereotypes, Prof. Dr. İnci Erdem
- Participation of Women in Employment, Promotion Opportunities and Parental Leave Practices, Hüray Böke
- Political Under-Representation of Women, Z. Gül Üstün
- Gender Division of Labour, Women’s Time Use and Care Economy, Erdem Tüfekçi-Seçil Pelin Aka
- Tracing the Womanhood in Theater Scripts, Ayşe Lebriz Berkem
- Woman Image in TV Series, Ayşe Ayhan - Ebru Büyükdağ
- Gender Inequality in Relationships, Sinem Ilgın-Serap Ilgın
- The wrap-up of the day: Moral of the Story, Melek Sine Berkem
The project director and coordinator designated 10 volunteers as ChangEquality Ambassadors based on their observations and short interviews among the candidates attending the Various Aspects of Gender Equality Training. Further trainings were planned and executed for this selected group. Communication and presentation skills along with practical game training were delivered on December 7, 2019 with attendance of the project director, project coordinator and association president. This full-day training was realized in two sessions; game playing practice was held in the morning session, answers to the questions likely be directed during the game were discussed in the afternoon. A WhatsApp group was established to maintain the communication and an online class on the Google Classroom application was opened for updating the statistics used in the game, and sharing the resources that will help in answering frequently asked questions on theoretical topics. ChangEquality box game and the some of the reminders such as bag, notebook, pen were given to each ambassador to distribute to the participants of their own events. Feedback forms were arranged and given to the ambassadors to report their activities.
We would like to sincerely thank Ceren Albayrak from Istanbul University, Sinem Kısacık from Istanbul Aydın University, Oya Büşra Öztürk and Sude Öztürk from İstinye University, Tuğçe Bulut and Züleyha Çite from Marmara University, Hatice Özdemir from Nişantaşı University, Gökçe Naz Erkötüz from Sabancı University, Rümeysa Turan from Yeditepe University, and Sude Turan from Çamlıca Girls’ High School, the ChangEquality Ambassadors who supported our project and broadening the scope of gender equality awareness through their voluntary participations.
ChangEquality Ambassadors' Feedbacks
We were expecting the ChangEquality Ambassadors to play ChangEquality in Work game in their close circles to reach a total of 100 people. Immediately after the practical training, they performed activities with participations beyond targets, and played the game with 121 participants.
Following the events, our ambassadors gave feedbacks with formal event assessment reports along with attendance sheets and photographs. They conveyed not only numeric data but also their observations and emotions.
Oya Büşra Öztürk: “At first, they approached with prejudice, but then we talked for about one and a half hour. I never thought it would influence so much, I was so happy.”
Sude Turan: “They concluded that the origin of these inequalities is the family and that the inequalities can be solved through the training to be given within the family and in the educational institutions thereafter.”
Tuğçe Bulut: “A friend said I feel sorry for what women have to go through at their workplaces, as women, let’s start businesses and show men how we work without making discrimination”
Züleyha Çite: “The participants with whom I played the game seemed to be eager and friendly. As they played the game, they found it productive and realistic, they even told that they wanted play it in their groups of friends. Frankly, I was delighted to see my peers who embraced such a sense of equality and who had faith in knowledge.”
As permanent representatives of our project, the ChangEquality Ambassadors keep on creating gender equality awareness by the ChangEquality game to be played both at their schools and in their immediate circles
