BALÇOVA MUNICIPALITY

Balçova Municipality located by the cost of Aegean Sea in city of Izmir in Turkey .Izmir is the third most populated city in Turkey with 4 million inhabitants and Balçova is one of the 8 districts of Izmir with 78.200 inhabitants. Its economy based on tourism (especially international health tourism due to existence of geothermal resources), Balçova Municipality offers a various population based sustainable services; 1. Services and Projects concerning promoting healthy environment, inhabitants and urban development: * We built Balçova Sport Center with the slogan of «free sport for everyone for every age». Every year 6500 resident benefit from Balçova Sport Center for free. * We are realizing summer camps from 8 to 13 ages. Every year 450 children benefit from Balçova Summer Camps for free. * We constituted for the first time in Turkey “Balcova District Disabled Map” where 450 disable lives. We aimed to determinate handicapped type and its dissipation. * By light of this map to build Balçova Disabled Center in order to support to handicapped inhabitants to provide them accessible, livable, healthy environment and involve them to participate social and economic life. * We are designated in March 2016 to WHO European Healthy Cities Network Phase VI (). We presented our abstract “Regional approach to healthy ageing in Balçova” in Annual Business and Technical Conference held in Pécs, Hungary at March 2017. Realized Projects Examples: * Balcova Municipality launched «The Heart of Balcova Project» in partnership with Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine Public Health Department for healthier life, and healthy aging of residents in 2007. Health and heart screenings were performed to 36.200 residents who were 30 years and older. First time in Turkey, within Balcova Municipality, Smoking Cessation Center was founded. Totally 2,980 people applied to Smoking Cessation Center and 623 people have quitted smoking so far. * We are entitled to get grant from CFCU(CENTRAL FINANCE AND CONTRACTS UNIT) for call for proposal “Promotion of the Civil Society Dialogue Between European Union and Turkey” in order to realize our project “To develop good and sustainable governance between Rion Municipality and Balçova Municipality” *We get into partnership with Balçova Sport Club Association to realize the project “We are all equal”. The project entitled to get grant from Sivil Düşün EU Program (was launched by the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey towards the end of 2012 to support civil society). * We get into partnership with Balçova Women Cooperative to realize the project “BAL-KAD food Production Atelier”. Woman-Friendly Cities program of United Nations Population Fund. * We are supporting and participating every year to civic movement LET’S Do IT World Cleanup Day. * Triple P - Positive Parenting Program realized in 2012 in partnership with Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In the scoop of project, during all year round positive parenting educations were given to 2500 parents who have children between 0-18 years of age.