INNOVATIVE YOUTH COLLECTIVE

Innovative Youth Collective is an informal youth initiative founded on 3 January 2024 by five active youth workers from different disciplines, with the aim of developing, producing, and writing projects. The members first met during the “Youth Climate” project in Gaziantep, organized in collaboration with the Ankara Governorship and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and initiated a creativity- and development-oriented collaboration that led to the establishment of Innovative Youth Collective to carry out project writing activities. The team is composed of environmentally conscious, responsible, innovative, and productive individuals, aiming to create an ecosystem that addresses youth issues from a youth perspective and seeks solution-oriented approaches. Activities focus on encouraging young people to participate in local youth initiatives and public institution activities, while equipping them with project-writing skills. Vision: To create a collective impact network where young people can develop innovative solutions to environmental, social, and economic challenges, while promoting sustainability, digitalization, and inclusivity. Objectives: • To strengthen young people’s capacity in project writing, leadership, and creativity through local and international collaborations. • To promote circular economy, recycling, reuse, and digital sustainability practices. • To conduct projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 17) that generate tangible societal benefits. In its activities, Innovative Youth Collective prioritizes the use of reusable materials instead of single use plastics, minimizes printed materials, and enhances visibility and outreach through digital tools. All work is carried out in line with principles of reducing environmental impact, conserving natural resources, and ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. Project: • European Solidarity Corps (ESC30) – Coordinator (2024–2025) Tracing Fabric Anew: Textile Waste from a Youth Perspective! Kumaşın Yeniden İzi: Gençlik Perspektifinden Atık! In Mersin, it has been identified that textile companies lack knowledge and viable solutions regarding the management of increasing textile waste, leading them to resort to incineration. To address this issue, solution-oriented activities have been implemented with young people aged 18–29, including workshops, online conferences via Microsoft Teams, summits, competitions, company meetings, and hands-on training sessions. As one of Türkiye’s industrial cities, Mersin has shown strong interest in the project from various textile firms.