YANYANA (SIDE BY SIDE): PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT PROJECT FOR SYRIAN CHILDREN
YanYana (Side by side) – The Psychosocial Support Project for Syrian Children is carried out by the Individual Human and Mental Health İZ Association, in cooperation with the YUVA Association and Oyun Terapileri (Game Therapies) Association, and with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIHDR). Project activities started on February 1, 2017 and will continue for 18 months in the province of Istanbul, Turkey.
Since the academic year 2014-2015, Syrian refugee children have been attending formal education at elementary and secondary school level in Turkey. However, they do not speak Turkish, which causes communication difficulties for them at school. Social exclusion, lack of psychosocial support, and lagging in learning lead to greater psychological problems in these children who are already struggling against post-migration trauma and war trauma. Teachers, trying to adapt to this new situation, want to ensure in-class participation of the Syrian children, and they need resources and bilingual materials to ensure psychosocial support to these children. Therapists also need support while working with these traumatized refugee children.
The YanYana (Side by side) Project, developed with the purpose of solving all these problems, aims at eliminating discrimination and xenophobia towards the Syrian refugee children as much as possible. For this purpose, psychosocial support programs are carried out for the people and institutions working with Syrian refugee children. Sustainable tools and methods such as bilingual box games and group therapy models are used in order to create effective and sustainable change.
Needs Analysis
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Needs Analysis
Within the scope of the project, a needs analysis study based on ethnographic and qualitative research methods was conducted to determine the needs of Syrian refugee children, their teachers, classmates, and school administrators in primary schools. Click to read the study report.
YanYana (Side by side) Box Game
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YanYana (Side by side) Box Game
YanYana (Side by side) Box Game is an innovative educational tool which was developed as bilingual specifically for this project. It is designed under the guidance of psychologists and pedagogues, based on the purpose of creating a communication and inclusion tool for children. YanYana (Side by side) Box Game’s target group is Turkish and Syrian children who will play it under the supervision of teachers in scope of the Psychosocial Support Program.
Psychosocial Support Program for Schools
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Psychosocial Support Program for Schools
The YanYana (Side by Side) Psychosocial Support Program will be implemented for 4000 students in Istanbul. The program, consisting of interactive activities focused on anti-discrimination and inclusion, also includes the YanYana (Side by Side) box game. 120 teachers who will run the program will participate in the Training of Trainers and be subject to regular supervision during 10-week program.
Group Therapy Programs for NGOs
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Group Therapy Programs for NGOs
600 Syrian children will participate in regular group therapy for 10 weeks within the scope of the Yanyana (Side by side) Group Therapy Program which was developed for Syrian children suffering trauma. 30 therapists who will run the program will attend a 3-day practitioner training in October and they will be subject to regular supervision during the program. The program was developed on the basis of psychodrama, gaming therapy, art therapy and EMDR techniques.
Advocacy
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Advocacy
A national conference and a press meeting will be held in 2018 within the scope of the YanYana (Side by Side) Project. Through these meetings and social media, project outputs will be delivered to wider segments, which will serve for the purpose of raising public awareness.
