International Youth Activities Centre Association (IYACA)

International Youth Activities Centre Association (IYACA) was established in 2008 in order to encourage the participation of young people and youth workers in voluntary work, to make non-formal education valuable among young people, to carry out activities that support their personal development, and to contribute to the development of a participatory, self-confident, entrepreneurial and sensitive youth who can find solutions to the surrounding problems. IYACA aims to support young people and youth workers to gain volunteer awareness, to recognize and adopt the European Union idea and European values, and to have an international vision in their area of interest. In addition, IYACA supports individuals to become individuals with strong local network, developed global visions and able to transfer their achievements to the society. Other goals of IYACA are to contribute to the social, cultural, artistic, sports, scientific and professional development of young people, to increase their active participation in social and economic life, to participate in decision-making mechanisms, to develop sustainable youth policies, to support lifelong learning and labor market participation processes; to strengthen mutual understanding among young people, to develop solidarity and to promote tolerance. The target group of IYACA consists of the following individuals aged 13-40 years; •Low income individuals or young people from this family, •Members of minority groups or individuals from these families, •Individuals living far from areas and regions where social facilities are provided, •Individuals who have abandoned or had to leave their education life early, •Individuals who have to live with low social life standards, •Individuals who have been subjected to all kinds of violence or people who live in places where there is a high risk of violence, •Individuals who need continuous and high level guidance in order to develop their individual, cultural, social development and hard / soft skills, •Individuals with any other fewer opportunities didn’t mention above. Established with the slogan “Open space for young people and youth workers 24/7”; It provides opportunities for youth and youth workers to develop and implement their activities. These people are provided with professional support during the application process. The association has more than 150 active volunteers nationally. Environmental and climate problems, equal opportunities, gender equality, migration, democratic processes and youth participation, intercultural dialogue, life coaching and active aging, healthy life and sports, prevention of all forms of violence and hate speech events etc. are organized and / or these events are supported on local, national and international levels. In order to contribute to the development of youth policy in Turkey, collaborations and projects are carried out with non-governmental organizations, private sector organizations, public institutions, and international organizations.