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Vehbi Bayhan
Another important platform for young people’s participation in social and cultural life is
non-governmental organizations. However, rate of the members of non-governmental
organization is 4% in Turkey among the young people involved in a survey, “Status of
Youth” commissioned by UNDP (2008). About 46% of this rate consists of university stu-
dents or university graduates. Meeting new people, involving in new circles, recognizing
a variety of student clubs and voluntary work often take place in a university environment.
Universities provide the opportunity of social participation for young people to learn di-
rectly by experience and practice.
Liberating effect created by the participation and voluntary activities on youth is very
important. A young person involved in some activities of non-governmental organizations
(NGO) explains in the following lines how this type of activities changed his perspective:
“When you include the others into your communal social life, when you try to teach them
something, you learn, as well. You bear a tremendous responsibility. Since I started par-
ticipating in NGO activities, I’ve learned a lot for 2-3 years. I’ve learned to take responsi-
bility and live together with people in society” (UNDP, 2008: 80).
NGOs teach young people a lot about being more tolerant towards others and respecting
for diversity. “I always used to think that my truth was true. I could not tolerate different
perspectives in the past. Because, let’s say that I am of the opinion of A, when the one
supporting the opinion B explained his/her view I used to discuss ‘how come that you
are right, you think wrong’ but now I think that ‘I need to listen to him/her, as well’ and I
listen. He/she is also right in some points.” Another young explains the change he has
experienced in this way: “Formerly, ‘I used say that ‘I can’t share the table I sit with these
people around even for two minutes’. Now, I began to share even my life and I had lost my
prejudices against them” (UNDP, 2008: 81).
Although youth volunteerism in Turkey is usually perceived as an activity on which young
people come together to make use of their spare time and be a part of something during
the years of their higher education, it is much more than volunteerism. Especially for
young people volunteerism is a duplex way; while contributing to the personal develop-
ment of young people it also changes and has a positive impact on the society in which
they live. Cooperation in the society, better cultural understanding between different cul-
tures, more efficient use of social capital and resources, placement of the awareness of
the citizenship among people are all the processes that are accelerated and continued to
develop through volunteering (Bağcı, 2013: 48).
In a research titled as “Sociological Profile of the University Students”, for the question
“Have you ever participated in / Do you want to participate in any non-governmental
organizations (associations, foundations etc.)?” 14% of the sample answered “Yes, I par-
ticipated in”, 28% answered “Yes, I would like to participate in”, 40% answered “No, I ha-
ven’t participated in”, 19% “No I wouldn’t like to participate in” (Bayhan, 2012). In another
youth survey, it is understood from the answers that only 10% of the young people have
a non-governmental organization membership, and the rest 90% of youth don’t have an
organic bond with non-governmental organizations (Sencar and Yıldız, 2010: 161).
