Berfin Süslü and Merve Naz İbili
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Gaziantep, a city rich in cultural and historical heritage, has long faced challenges regarding equal access to educational and artistic opportunities for children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Inspired by this issue, we implemented the project “Equality with Colors” to provide these children with equal opportunities to explore, develop, and express their artistic potential.
Over a six-month period, we reached 98 socioeconomically disadvantaged children who had been attending visual arts classes at a youth-center affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. We selected these children through a fair and inclusive process in collaboration with youth center staff and local volunteers.
The main goal of our project was to use art as a tool to reduce educational inequality, support personal development, and promote social inclusion. To achieve this, we organized regular workshops focusing on various artistic techniques, including painting, watercolor, marbling (ebru), mask and puppet making. We carried out these workshops at the youth center, facilitated by experienced volunteers and local mentors. Each artistic activity was carefully designed not only to nurture creativity but also to improve the children’s fine motor skills, critical thinking abilities, and self-expression.
Throughout the workshops, the children created numerous artworks, which we exhibited the results in the local community centre. The exhibition helped us to make the children’s talents visible, raising awareness about educational inequality, and encouraging community engagement. We invited local media, families, educators, stakeholders, and the general public to attend the event.
During the exhibition, we have held a fundraising campaign to make the visitors contribute to the sustainability of the project so that we can expand our initiative. In that way, we were able to continue our activities and create a long-term strategy. The project objectives were :
- To provide socioeconomically disadvantaged children living in Gaziantep’s underserved neighbourhoods with equal access to artistic education and creative expression opportunities
- To promote the personal and social development of these children by using art as a medium to enhance their creativity, critical thinking, self-confidence, and fine motor skills
- To raise awareness among the local community about the importance of equal educational opportunities and the transformative power of art in the lives of disadvantaged children
We believe that our project has effectively demonstrated the transformative power of art in fostering educational equity and social inclusion among disadvantaged children in Gaziantep. By engaging 98 children in structured and creative visual arts workshops, the project not only enhanced their artistic skills and personal development but also brought visibility to their potential through a public exhibition. It helped us to raise the awareness about the issues of the children with lack of resources and created a possibility for them to present their art and aspirations.
