Turkey

Another newcomer in 2008 was dance4life Turkey, with the head office based in Ankara. In this pilot year the Turkish team managed to do the heart connection tour in colleges around Ankara, Istanbul and Polatli. The dance4life Turkey team has established good contacts with the colleges, partners and media. The responses from students have been very encouraging and promises an exciting future for the dance4life project in Turkey.

The event on the 29th of November was held in one of the colleges in Ankara, where 300 agents of change were challenged to dance4life! The event was hosted by NTV’s news program. Producer and newscaster Defne Sarisoy and various Turkish DJs, the popular rock band Dort X Dort and hip hop group Lyric Fora will entertain the audience.

UNFPA, our NCO in Turkey, has recently conducted the first Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights survey (ever!) amongst youth in Turkey. The actual level of HIV prevalence is estimated to be much higher than the official low numbers indicate. This lack of official data is explained by the fact that few people get themselves tested due to lack of knowledge and fear of stigmatisation, which is high in Turkey.

Gokhan, the coordinator of dance4life Turkey explains how there is a big need to raise HIV awareness in Turkey: “In Turkey everyone ignores the issue of HIV and AIDS. With 25% of the population between 10-24, it is very important for youth to take responsibility. dance4life will be a good starting point to strengthen the position of young people with regards to HIV and AIDS in Turkey. dance4life will greatly contribute to creating a connection between Turkish youth and their peers internationally.”

Do you want to contact dance4life international about dance4life Turkey?

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