Copyright © 2008 by the United Nations Development Programme in Turkey UN House, Birlik Mahallesi, 2. Cadde, No 11, Çankaya, Ankara All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retriaval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission. First published in March 2008 Printing: Desen Ofset A.Ş. Birlik Mah., 7. Cadde, 67. Sokak, No:2 Çankaya/Ankara Cover: Tasarımhane Layout: Tasarımhane For a list of any errors or ommissions found subsequent to printing, please visit our web site at www.undp.org.tr or www.youthpost.org TEAM FOR THE PREPARATION OF TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT Coordinator and Lead Author Aygen Aytaç Senior Consultant Sir Richard Jolly Authors Berivan Eliş, Dr. Kezban Çelik, Dr. Hakan Ercan, Dr. Ali Çarkoğlu Survey/Statistics Advisors Mehmet Ali Çalışkan, Ulaş Tol, Emrah Göker Translator and Sub-editor Canan Silay Outreach and Communications Mehmet Arslan (Knowledge Fair Organizer) Şirin Soyöz (Web Site Editor) The National Human Development Report is the product of a collective effort. The UN family in Turkey, specifically the Turkey Offices of UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, IOM, FAO, UNAIDS and UNHCR, provided detailed comments and advice throughout the research process. FOREWORD This Report is part of a series of UNDP’s contribute to the ongoing debate and wider Human Development Reports, national discussions on youth policy, education, and international. Human Development employment, and participation. It will also for a country means human progress for its highlight youth’s needs and aspirations on the people – enabling people to live long and national development agenda, augment our healthy lives, based on living with substantial ongoing activities and programmes, and help freedoms. It is thus defined as a process of promote an enabling policy environment for broadening opportunities and strengthening more action. human capabilities to enable people to make the choices they have reasons to value and to It is now the task and responsibility of policy enjoy their basic human rights. Capabilities makers -- and other adults in various positions can vary in form and content, though they throughout Turkey -- to listen to the voices of are also often closely interrelated. They youth, to trust what they hear and to explore include the enabling opportunities given by with young people how better to respond schooling, for example, or by the liberty and to the ideas presented. This can be a first the economic means to move freely and to step to empower the next generation with choose one’s abode. There are also important responsibilities and opportunities, and to ‘social’ freedoms, such as the capability to remove some of the obstacles which hold participate in the life of the community, to them back. join in public discussion and to participate in political decision-making…1 We extend our deep appreciation to all the contributors, from young people involved The National Human Development Report to the many state agencies and academics, 2008 on Youth in Turkey has used an for the extensive assistance and cooperation unorthodox approach in its preparation. provided in the preparation of a truly National Young people in Turkey have been involved Human Development Report. especially during the research. In addition, a comprehensive State of Youth Survey was carried out among more than 3,000 young individuals aged 15-24 in 12 different regions sampling the entire country and twenty eight focus groups were organized with youth and adults. Mahmood Ayub Turkey’s young men and women are its next UN Resident Coordinator and generation. They have skills and ambitions, UNDP Representative in Turkey vision and energy. But they need to be given opportunities to utilise these to the fullest. If this can be achieved, the county’s future will be assured and sustainable. As we reflect on how best this can be done, this Report analyses diverse aspects of the issue and suggests possible arenas for action. We are confident that the relevant assessments will TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT  i HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT / TURKEY 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Report was prepared by a core team led contributed to the Report with their ideas and by Aygen Aytaç, and comprising Berian Eliş, recommendations.2 Dr. Kezban Çelik, Dr. Hakan Ercan of Middle East Technical University and Dr. Ali Çarkoğlu Important additional contributions were also of Sabancı University, under the general made by Dr. Ayşe Hoşgör and Dr. Mustafa Şen guidance and supervision of Mahmood of Middle East Technical University, Professor Ayub, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Nazmi Bilir of Hacettepe University, Dr. Hilal Representative in Turkey. Özcebe of Hacettepe University, Seyhan Aydınlıgil of Middle East Technical University, Young people in Turkey have been actively Dr. Nilay Çabuk of Ankara University, Dr. involved in preparing and contributing at all Hakan Acar of Hacettepe University, Turkey stages of this report as well as learning from Offices of UNICEF, ILO, IOM, FAO, UNAIDS the techniques of conducting focus groups and UNHCR, and UNV Genea Office. and even organizing some themselves, with the guidance and supervision of Professor Yaşama Dair Foundation conducted the Esra Burcu of Hacettepe University. The quantitative survey and contributed to the evidence from the survey and from focus data appendix. Gökçe Pişkin, Cem Koray groups is used throughout the Report to Olgun and seeral members of Youth for explain the views and proposals of young Habitat Association, such as Derya Altun people, often in the form of direct quotations. Erdem, Ferhat Gök, Rukiye Parlas and Songül However, for confidentiality reasons, we have Kaya, gave extensive support during the not used the real names of the young people organization of focus group meetings in var- we quoted in the Report. In drawing on this ious parts of the country. GSM-Youth Services material we have relied on Dr. Kezban Çelik, Centre and British Council contributed to who has used her outstanding professional the establishment of an interactive web skills and experience in sociology to select site (www.youthpost.org) dedicated to views and quotations in ways which are Human Development and youth issues. representative of all the material. British Council, TUSİAD, Coca Cola, and UN Coordination Office in Turkey made financial Sir Richard Jolly, to whom the team is grateful contributions for the implementation of the without implication, advised the Report team project activities. Ankara World Trade Centre on how to write a Human Development mobilized all its facilities for us, including the Report throughout the process and helped venue for the organization of the ‘Knowledge the team to identify the main messages and Fair’ where the results of this Report were recommendations of the Report. Professor shared with young people. İlhan Tekeli of the Middle East Technical University advised on the content throughout The team undertook a wide range of the process. Extensive and excellent advice consultations for this Report, which included was also received from Üner Kırdar, Yusuf regular meetings with youth NGOs, youth Işık; and many others inside and outside the workers, government officials, private sector UNDP Turkey Office. organizations, youth experts, parents and youth themselves through one to one Members of Education Reform Initiatie in interviews, meetings and focus groups. Many Turkey revised the relevant chapters and young people also sent their contributions to TURKEY 2008 / HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT ii the web site of the Report. The team was assisted by Berkan Toros, Gökçe Yörükoğlu, Murat Çitilgülü, Ayşegül Özgan, İlkay Okdemir, Yeşim Sözeri, Mustafa Birbilen, Fulya Özerkan, and dozens of volunteers including Seda Atabay, Ozan Çakmak, Nazlan Ertan, Ali Fuat Sütlü, Yasemin Kök, İlknur Erdem, Fatma Hasçalık, Özge Gören, Melike Baykal, Burcu Şengül, Alper Şentürk, C. Emre Doğru, Nalan Koçak, Gökçe Erbatu, Gözde Özden, Gökşin Şahin, Huriye Segi Tokgöz, Hürrem Kara, Sinem Toprak, Onur Şentürk, Hüseyin Aktürk and Elif Ünal Arslan. Nuri Duman of the State Planning Organiza- tion, Çağrı Öner of the British Council, Mehmet Arslan, Şirin Soyöz and Öyküm Bağcı of the GSM-Youth Services Centre, Sezai Hazır of the Youth for Habitat, Perin Öztin and Akif Yeşilkaya of Bilkent University, and Obahan Obaoğlu from Ankara World Trade Centre were always ready to support different aspects of the project activities. Canan Silay translated the Report into Turkish and was one of the sub-editors. Tasarımhane Company designed the cover and page layouts of the Report. Özhan Önder and Alper Şen from Videa Film produced the TV documentary accompany- ing the National Human Development Re- port. UNDP Turkey Office wishes to thank all contributors. iii HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT / TURKEY 2008