From September 12-17, 2023 the Gümüşlük Academy Foundation hosted a special 5-day Summer School aimed at young people from earthquake regions, including those with immigrant backgrounds. This meaningful event, titled the “Living Together Art Camp” , brought together 20 young individuals from Samandağ and Gaziantep around the healing power of art.
The camp was brought to life through the contributions of GAR, Collective Coordination , Bodrum Municipality , and Melek Art Bodrum. Gülay Uğur Göksel, Özgür İlke Şanlıer and Gülben Eşberk were the coordinators of this project.
The Camp’s Objectives
The camp was designed to support participants in their post-trauma processes and help them discover the power of co-creation. The primary goals were:
- To create a safe space for university students from different backgrounds (immigrant and non-immigrant) to interact and heal.
- To encourage artists, teachers, and students to think and create together on themes of trust, solidarity, home, and living together.
- To enable participants to rediscover trauma-coping mechanisms and to increase their self-esteem, self-confidence, and feelings of courage.
Program Details and Facilitating Team
The intensive and multi-faceted program offered participants both a physical and a mental journey:
- Starting the Day (08:30): The day began energetically with Qigong sessions led by Hale İrtem.
- Art Therapy (09:30 – 12:00): Art therapy sessions were held under the guidance of Ezgi İçöz and Derya Dinç.
- Workshop Activities (13:00 – 17:30): Afternoons were dedicated to workshops focusing on different artistic disciplines:
- Painting: Murat İrtem
- Ecoprint: Özgür Savaş
- Film: Mert Eşberk
- Evening Gatherings (17:30 – 19:30): Participants engaged in village activities, artist talks, and dance studio sessions.
- Dialogue Workshops (19:30 onwards): Following dinner, in-depth dialogue workshops were held on the main themes of the camp and the day.
Dialogues, Themes, and Reflections
One of the most significant outcomes of the camp was the dialogue sessions, where young people shared their thoughts freely. These sessions explored concepts such as “Home-Homelessness” , “Shame-Courage” , and “Knowledge-Game”.
Striking themes and statements that emerged from the conversations included:
- Society and External Perception: Participants expressed feeling unheard on a societal level: “We can’t dream in this country” , “They don’t hear my voice anyway”.
- Hopelessness and Reality: Statements reflected the depth of the challenges they face: “There is hope for life, of course, but no hope for change” , “I am living, but I feel like I’m dead” , “We come together at every disaster”.
- Borders and Structures: Both physical and social boundaries were questioned: “There are borders in our daily lives too” , “The People’s Council is a dream”.
- Exhibition: The exhibition held at the end of the camp addressed themes that questioned social perceptions.
