ALİKEV was founded in the name of Ali İsmail Korkmaz, whom we lost on 10 July 2013 during the Gezi resistance, and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. During this time, the Ali İsmail Korkmaz Foundation, which has put its signature to countless stories, has given hope to many young people and touched many lives. It has built a strong community that recognizes the importance of active participation in social welfare. Through various programs and events, it has provided a dynamic environment for young people to participate in meaningful activities and volunteer work for social change. On the anniversary of Ali İsmail's death, we spoke to the one who made his dreams come true, ALİKEV.
How did ALİKEV's journey begin?
ALİKEV's journey actually began when Ali İsmail Korkmaz was just 17 years old. When he was still in high school, he and his friends organized activities such as donating books to village schools, collecting blue caps for the disabled and visiting nursing homes. He wanted to continue these activities and mobilize young people for the good of society. In his diary, he described this as, "The reason I write these pieces is (...) to bring young people working for society to certain places, to formalize the team, and to gain recognition."
Throughout his life, Ali İsmail continued to think and act for society. He demonstrated this during the peaceful protests in June 2013, also known as the Gezi Resistance. However, during this peaceful protest, Ali İsmail was taken from us at the age of 19. After losing Ali İsmail, his family saw his words as a legacy and founded ALİKEV to support young people in all areas of life and to keep Ali İsmail's dreams alive.
So what do you do at ALİKEV to support young people?
ALİKEV financially supports an average of 250 students every year through the Ali İsmail Korkmaz Scholarship Program and encourages them to familiarize themselves with civil society. To date, 634 students, 405 women and 229 men, have benefited from the scholarship program. As part of the Dream Ambassadors Program, horizontal learning environments were provided to young people aged 18-30 in Hatay and Istanbul, supporting their social and cultural development. The program introduced them to volunteerism and educated them about human rights. To date, ALİKEV has had a total of 581 Dream Ambassadors, including 347 women, 232 men, and 2 non-binary individuals.
The Young Artist Fund, which was set up to increase interest in art and support young artists, helps young people to develop their creative potential freely. This fund has provided young people with both financial support and programs such as workshops and group exhibitions at the end of the semester. To date, 74 young people, 47 women and 27 men, have benefited from this program. The 5th exhibition of the young artists supported by the Young Artist Fund will be held in November at Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları in Istanbul.
We also work on developing media literacy and critical thinking through the "What Would Young People Say?" project. As part of this project, we organize workshops and interviews. Through these activities, young people have the opportunity to improve their media production skills and make their voices heard. Forty-one young people, 29 women and 12 men, have benefited from the "What would young people say?" project.
As far as we know, ALİKEV is not only active in Turkey. You also had a project in Africa. Can you tell us about that too?
Yes, we have carried Ali İsmail's dreams to different continents as well. We implemented the Sister Village Project in the village of Sare Jiburu in Gambia, which has a population of 557. As part of this project, we provided the village with access to basic necessities such as a water well, a women's garden, a mill, solar energy and electricity and tried to improve the living conditions of the villagers.
Finally, we would like to ask you to tell us about the Hatay Peace Run.
Every year on his birthday and the anniversary of his death, memorial concerts and the Hatay Peace Run are organized to keep the memory of Ali İsmail alive and to pass on his ideals to future generations. We started the run in 2018, but due to the pandemic and the earthquake, we have been able to organize it three times so far. Almost 2000 runners from different provinces of Turkey set out on the thousand-year-old streets of Antakya to keep the memory of Ali Ismail alive. Due to the earthquake, we experienced last year, we have been organizing the event virtually for the past two years. These events raise the awareness of the participants by reminding them of the spirit and struggle of Ali Ismail.
Today, after 10 years of effort, with the support of thousands of donors and volunteers, we have managed to reach thousands of young people across Turkey. And we continue to touch the lives of many young people and work for a more egalitarian and just world that Ali İsmail dreamed of. ALİKEV believes in the power of young people and we carry out our activities for social peace with their participation.