At this final meeting titled "Mother, Hear My Voice," we listened to the civic space stories of two mothers who have faced difficult struggles.
Our “Power Stories” meetings, which started with the question "Can we empower each other by listening to and telling stories?" concluded with the title "Mother, Hear My Voice." At the meeting, we first listened to Eray Özgüner from the Burak Özgüner Animal Rights Work Centre. She shared how she responded to the call of "Mom!" during the days when death and loss suddenly touched her life, and how she works for animal rights just as his son did. Eray Özgüner spoke about how she became an activist through tears and how she co-founded BurHak (Burak Özgüner Animal Rights Work Centre) with the Law for Life Initiative (Yaşam için Yasa İnisiyatifi). She conveyed to the audience how she found courage and strength while advocating for animal rights despite all the difficulties.
The other storyteller of "Mother, Hear My Voice," Nimet Sarıkaya, shared her journey of founding the Bionic Ear Hearing Impaired Association (Biyonik Kulaklı İşitme Engelliler Derneği) while thinking about what she could do for her child in his struggle with silence. She described how her work in the civic space touched the lives of other disadvantaged children, overcoming nearly impossible barriers with determination. Nimet Sarıkaya also inspired the audience by sharing her future plans as an advocate for children's and disabled people's rights, in addition to her current work.
What are Power Stories Meetings?
Power Stories is the name for our meetings where we tell and listen to our own stories. As civil society workers, volunteers, and enthusiasts, we gather together for storytelling. At "Power Stories," we listen firsthand to real stories emerging in various channels of the civic space, reflect on the storytellers' experiences, and discuss how we can move forward together on the challenging paths to change.
