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TURKEYNationalRefugeeYouthConsultation

SummaryReport14th–17thMay2016

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TableofContentsGlobalRefugeeYouthConsultations....................................................................................................3

Background........................................................................................................................................3

Objectivesanddesign........................................................................................................................3

TurkeyNationalConsultation...............................................................................................................4

ContextforrefugeesinTurkey...........................................................................................................4

NationalNGOPartner........................................................................................................................5

Groupdynamicsbetweenyouth........................................................................................................7

NationalConsultationStructure.........................................................................................................8

MainthemesfromTurkeyConsultation............................................................................................9

MainFindingsfromtheTurkeyConsultation...................................................................................10

Recommendations,SolutionsandCoreActions..............................................................................20

StakeholdersDialogue......................................................................................................................22

NextSteps/FutureAction....................................................................................................................24

Evaluations...........................................................................................................................................25

DailyYouthEvaluation.....................................................................................................................25

FinalParticipantEvaluation..............................................................................................................25

LessonsLearned...................................................................................................................................27

Conclusion............................................................................................................................................29

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GlobalRefugeeYouthConsultationsBackground

The Global Refugee Youth Consultations (GRYC) were launched in July 2015 at the UNHCR-NGOConsultations in Geneva. A joint initiative of UNHCR and the Women’s Refugee Commission,supported by the Youth and Adolescents in Emergencies Advocacy Group (YAE)1, the GRYC aresupported by a Coordinator, Project Officer, and Advisory Committee (consisting of national andinternationalNGOs,youthrepresentatives,andanindependentyouthexpert).RefugeeyouthareoftenleftoutofactivitiesandprogrammesorganisedbytheUN,NGOs,andotherorganisations.Youthhaveskills,capabilities,aspirations,andneedsthatoftengounrecognisedandare not understood. There is a need to reachout andhear from themabout the challenges theyface,theirvisions,andwhatsupporttheyneedtoshapepositivefutures.Theconsultationsprovidedopportunities for refugee youth to discuss issues that affect them with host country youth andrepresentatives from the United Nations, international NGOs, national NGOs, and otherorganisationsworkingwithyouthineachcountry.Theprocessaimedtoplaceyouthatthecentreofdecisionmakingprocesses that affect themand to recognise their potential. The target group forthisprojectwasyoungrefugeesthat fit theUnitedNationsdefinitionof“Youth”,which isallboysandgirls,youngwomen,andyoungmenbetweentheagesof15-24years.TheconsultationstookplacebetweenNovember2015andJune2016.Theyincludednational-levelconsultations inAfrica,theAmericas,Asia-Pacific,theMiddleEast,andNorthAfrica.The“NationalConsultations”wereledbynationalNGOsfromeachcountrywithUNHCRandaninternationalNGOpartner. Similar consultations were held with refugee youth in North America, Australasia, andEurope.Opportunitiestoparticipateinsmallerconsultationsandonlinewerealsoprovidedthrougha designated toolkit and a Facebook platform. The process culminated in a global consultation inGeneva in June 2016 and participation by young people in the 2016 annual UNHCR-NGOConsultations,theoverarchingthemeofwhichwasYouth.

Objectivesanddesign

UnderpinningthedesignofthenationalconsultationswerethefourcoreobjectivesoftheGRYC:

1. Tocreatestructuredspacesforyoungrefugeestohaveavoiceandengageinparticipatorydialoguewithotheryouthandrelevantstakeholdersat local,national,regional,andgloballevels;

2. Toimproveaccessforyoungrefugeestolocal,national,regional,andglobalyouthalliancesandnetworks;

3. Tofosterandsupportparticipation,leadership,andempowermentopportunitiesforyoungrefugees;and

1TheYouthandAdolescentsinEmergenciesAdvocacyGroup(YAEGroup)includesrepresentativesfrommorethan15humanitarianorganisationsthatarecommittedtoachievingbetteroutcomesforyoungpeopleinhumanitariansituations.

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4. To consolidate and channel the learning from the consultations into the development ofguidelines and policy recommendations on youth-inclusive programming, to improve thehumanitariansector’sunderstandingof,andworkwith,youngrefugees.

A participatory approach was used throughout. The session plans were developed by the GRYCCoordinator,inconsultationwithUNHCRandWRC.Theyweredesignedthroughacollaborativeanditerativeprocess,including:

• Anextensive reviewof literatureandothermaterials relating to consultationswithyouth,displacedpopulations,andparticipatoryresearchmethods, inordertolearnfrompreviousexperienceandtoadaptrelevantpre-existingmodels.2

• The active input of a group of young refugees and asylum seekers during a two-dayresidentialworkshopinMaltainOctober2015,organisedinpartnershipwithUNHCRMaltaandaMalteseNGO,OrganisationforFriendshipandDiversity(OFD).Thegroupconsistedofmales and females representing the full age rangeof the global consultations (15-24 yearolds),andfivecountries—Libya,Somalia,Mali,Eritrea,andPalestine.

• Input into the development of the session plans and the content of the nationalconsultationswasalsosought frommembersof theGRYCAdvisoryCommittee—inpersonwiththeRegionalLeadsrepresentingAfrica,AsiaPacific,andLatinAmericaduringatwo-daymeetinginGeneva,andbyemailandSkypewiththefullGRYCAdvisoryCommittee.3

• Afullpilotnationalconsultation inUgandathatprovidedanopportunityto learnfromtheparticipantsandadapttheapproachandsessionplansaccordingly.

TurkeyNationalConsultationContextforrefugeesinTurkey

TurkeyisasignatorytotheUNRefugeeConventionbutwithareservationthatitwillnotrecogniserefugees who are not from Europe. Before 2011, Turkey did not host a significant number ofrefugees. However, it nowhosts approximately 3million refugees,more refugees than any othercountry intheworld.This includes2.7.millionSyrianrefugees,who live in23camps inthesouth-easternregionsofthecountryandinurbanareasthroughoutTurkey,andapproximately280,0000other persons from Iran, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, who are seeking asylum or have beenrecognisedas refugees.4 TheGovernmentofTurkeymanages refugee registration;UNHCRplaysasupportroleandprovides livelihoodssupport,cash,orhealthassistanceonavery limitedbasis tohighly vulnerable individuals. Due to the influx of refugees, it has been challenging for thegovernmentandcivilsocietytokeeppace intermsofregistrationandprovisionofservices.Thereare different regimes in place for Syrians than there are and for Iraqis, Iranians, Afghans, andrefugeesofothernationalities.In2015anunprecedentednumberofpersonstransitedthroughand2Someexamplesofkeyresourcesaccessedinclude:YouthConsultationsforaPost-2015Framework:AToolkit.YouthinAction(2013);AKitofToolsforParticipatoryResearchandEvaluationwithChildren,YoungPeopleandAdults.SavetheChildrenNorway(2008);ListenandLearn:ParticipatoryAssessmentwithChildrenandAdolescents.UNHCR(2012);CommunityConsultationsUsingExtendedDialogueMethodology.UNHCR(2010-11);Post2015YouthEngagementEventPlanningKit.WorldVision(2012);ConsideringConsulting?AGuidetoMeaningfulConsultationwithYoungPeoplefromRefugeeandMigrantBackgrounds.TheCentreforMulticulturalYouthIssues(2007).3TheAdvisoryCommitteeRegionalLeadsinclude:AsiaPacificRefugeeRightsNetwork(APPRN)inAsiaPacific,NorwegianRefugeeConcil(NRC)andSavetheChildrenintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica(MENA),RETInternational(RET)inLatinAmerica,PlanInternationalandTerredesHommes(TdH)inEurope,VulnerableMinorsWorkingGroup(VMWG)ofRefugeeCouncilintheUSA(RCUSA)andWorldVisionInternattionalinAfrica.4http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/documents.php?page=1&view=grid&Language%5B%5D=1&Country%5B%5D=224andtheUNHCRTurkeyFactSheet(September2016)[downloadedasof03October2016].

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from Turkey to reach Greek islands, which presented a huge challenge for the government andUNHCR.Youthcompriseanestimated40-45percentoftherefugeepopulationcountrywideandaparticularly high percentage of Syrian refugees are youth. Turkey guarantees basic rights for allrefugees,includingfreeaccesstoprimaryandsecondaryeducationandhealthcareatthesamecostas for nationals. If they are accepted, refugees can attend tertiary education and pay the sametuition as do Turkish nationals. Nevertheless, the language barriers and ancillary costs associatedwitheducationandhealthcareareoftenprohibitivegivenrefugees’difficultiestoworkandearnaliving.

NationalNGOPartner

ThenationalNGO,RefugeeSupportCentre(RSC),organisedthenationalconsultationinTurkeywithclose cooperation and support from the regional lead organisation, Plan International (Plan), andwithextensivesupportfromUNHCRTurkey,theAssociationforSolidaritywithAsylumSeekersandMigrants (ASAM), and Save the Children. RSC, ASAM, Plan, and UNHCR Turkey supported theconsultationprocessduringpreparation,delivery,anddebrief.Theseorganisationsworkedtogethertocoordinatethelogistics,includingrecruitmentoffacilitatorsandinterpreters,selectionofyouth,planningforthestakeholders’meeting,andpreparationofmaterials.TheGRYCteam,includingtheGRYCConsultant,GRYCProjectOfficer,andaglobalrepresentativefromUNHCRinGeneva,workedwiththemcloselytoruntheconsultation.

Facilitators

Externalfacilitators,identifiedbyUNHCRTurkey,ASAM,andRefugeeSupportCentre,ledtheTurkeynational consultation and supported small group work. The lead facilitation team included afacilitator who led the GRYC national consultation in Jordan, another who worked with PlanInternationalinJordan,andathirdwhoworkedwithASAMinTurkey.Allthreehadpriorexperienceworking with young refugees. Four small group facilitation teams, each comprised of male andfemale facilitatorswho spoke either Turkish or Arabic, facilitated the small groups.Most of smallgroup facilitators were in their twenties, which helped the participants feel more at ease inexpressingthemselves.

Interpretersandtranslation

LanguageisamajorissueforrefugeesinTurkeyandtranslationprovedtobeasignificantchallengeattheTurkeyconsultation.MostoftherefugeeyouthspeakArabicorFarsiastheirmothertongueandsomespeakTurkishand/orEnglish.TheTurkishyouthspeakTurkishandsomeEnglish.Oneofthe difficulties with regard to translation/interpretation is that Farsi and Arabic could only betranslated from English or Turkish, which entailed double translation. The facilitation team andinterpretersadaptedandconductedthefacilitationinEnglishandArabicwithconsistentwhisperedinterpretationintoFarsiforthosewhoneededitandsomewhisperedinterpretationintoTurkishasneeded.

VenueandAccommodation

TheKoruHotelservedasthevenuefortheworkshopandaccommodationfortheparticipantsandthosefacilitatorswhodidnotliveinAnkara.LocatedinaresidentialneighbourhoodwithinAnkara,thehotelprovidedappropriatefacilities.

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Eveningsocialactivities

RSC organised activities each evening. In the first evening, the participantswent to amodern artmuseumandhaddinnerinawell-establishedparkthatisfrequentedbytheyoungpeopleinAnkara.Duringthesecondevening,participantsattendedanopen-airconcertbytheFrenchsingerIMANY.Theseactivitiesenabledthegrouptorelaxandhavefun,gettoknoweachotherbetter,andhavenewexperiences.

ApplicationandSelectionProcess

UNHCR Turkey office, ASAM and RSC disseminated the call for applications from refugee andnationalyouththroughtheirmorethan30fieldoffices.Theyreceivedatotalof55applicationsfromrefugeeyouthandeightapplicationsfromTurkishyouth.RepresentativesfromUNHCRTurkey,RSC,andPlanInternationaljointlyreviewedtheapplicationsandselectedparticipantsbasedontheGRYCselectioncriteriawhichincluded:

• Age(15-24yearsold);• Willingnessandabilitytoparticipateinaninteractive,participatoryfour-dayconsultation;• Proven experience as participants of an existing youth programme (for refugee youth) or

nationalyouthorganisation(forhost-countryyouth);• Opennesstoengageonrefugeeissues;and• Astatementofmotivation,whichincludeddetailsaboutwhytheapplicantwasinterestedin

beinginvolvedintheconsultation,whattheycouldcontribute,andwhattheyhopedwouldbetheresultsoftheconsultation.

The selection team tookparticular care to include an equal number ofmales and females and toensuretherepresentationofyouthfromallagegroups,nationalities,andethnicgroupsrepresentedamongst refugee population in Turkey. They alsomade an effort to ensure the participation andrepresentationofparticularly vulnerable groupsof refugees, suchaspersonswithadisability andmembersoftheLGBTIcommunity.

YouthParticipantProfiles

As a result of the selection process, 25 young people participated in the Turkey consultation. Asummaryoftheirdemographicdataisnotedbelow:

• 20refugeesandfiveTurkishparticipants;• Four of the refugee participantswere under 18, and three of thosewere unaccompanied

minorsresidinginstatefacilitiesforassistedliving;• 11Syrians,threeIraqis,threeAfghans,oneIranian,oneSomaliandoneEgyptianrefugee;• Refugee participants were in different living situations including camps, assisted-living

institutionsforunaccompaniedyouthundertheageof18,andurbancontexts;• 13werefemaleand12weremale;• Onerefugeewithadisability;• ThreemembersoftheLGBTIcommunity;• 16oftheparticipantswereininformaleducation,twowereinnon-formaleducation;• Ten had completed secondary education and nine had completed their undergraduate

degrees;• six worked either full-time (5) or part time (1), twowere looking for a job, and onewas

volunteering;and• Allweresingleandnonehadchildren.

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Aspartoftheapplicationform,participantswereaskedtostatetheirmotivationforapplyingtotakepartinthenationalconsultation.Someexamplesofparticipants’includedthefollowing:

• “Todiscusstheproblemfacingrefugeesthroughourlifeinasylumcountriesandhowtogetsuitablesolutions.Exchangeofdifferentideasandviews.”

• “Ihavedesiretohelpwhoneeditandearnnewexperiencesandtoknownewfriends.”• “Iamtryingtohelprefugeesandapproachingmoretotheirlocalproblems.”• “Youthistherealengineofthesocieties.”

Participants’expectationsoftheconsultation,asspecifiedintheapplicationforms,included:

• “Iwishwegetsolutionstotheproblemsthatwefaceasrefugeestudents.”• “IhopetoearnnewexperiencestoopenknowledgeprospectsandIhopetocontributethe

developmentofknowledgeandexperienceforothers.”• “Todeliverourvoiceandthevoiceoftherefugeesoftheworld.”• “Ihopetomeetpeoplewhofindtheirwayaftersufferingtobenefitfromtheirexperiences.I

wouldliketostartaconnectiongrouptofindbetteractivitiesandcooperationprojects.”• “I believe this consultationwill contribute to generating efficient solutions as it gives us a

chance toexplainour situation. I think Iwill feelbetterandwillbeable todevelopcopingmechanisms for the problems I experience, after meetingmy peers in different cities andhearingtheirideasaboutsolutionstoproblems.”

ParticipantsalsosharedtheirexpectationsfortheconsultationatthebeginningofDay1.Manyoftheyouthhadquitehighexpectations for theconsultationand the stakeholders’meeting.Asoneyouthsaid,“Iexpectthatthesefourdayswillbeallcomprehensiveandallowustoaddressasmanyproblems faced by refugees as possible and most importantly we will share our views withstakeholders on 17 May.” Other participants expressed additional expectations including thefollowing:

• “Deliveringourvoicetootherpartiesandtoothergenerations.”• “Spendingtimetogether.”• “LearningwhatrightsTurkishyouthshave.”• “FindingsolutionsforrefugeesinTurkey.”• “Raisingawarenessofhumanrights.”

GroupdynamicsbetweenyouthBringing together host community and refugee youth: One of the objectives of the nationalconsultationswastoprovideanopportunityforrefugeeandhost-countryyouthtomeet,exchangeideas,build friendshipsandalliances, andestablishnetworks. Itwashoped thatasa resultof theconsultations, refugeeandhost-country youthwould gain abetterunderstandingof the commonissuesthattheyface—asyouth—andthattherewouldbeopportunitiesforrefugeeyouthtoworkmore closelywith national youth organisations. The participantswere asked the question on dayone:“Whydidweinviterefugeeandnationalyouthtothisconsultation?”AyoungwomanrefugeefromSyrianotedthat“TheArabiccommunityinTurkeyisclosebuttheTurkishpeopledon’tknowuswell;thisismaybeourchancetochangethis.”ATurkishyouthsaid,“ToraiseawarenessofrefugeeissuesamongTurkishpeople…thereisdefinitelystigmatisation.”ArefugeefromSomalianoted,“TheTurkish community doesn’t know anything that is happening in Africa.” From first day, during anexerciseexploringperceptionsandfactsaboutrefugees,somemisconceptionsaboutrefugeeswere

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identifiedanddiscussedopenly,whichsetthetonefortherestoftheweekanddemonstratedthegroup’s willingness to open up and learn more about each other’s circumstances. As one youthnoted in theevaluation,“I learnedmanythings fromthe refugeeyouthabout the issues that theyface.” Another noted that from the consultation they learned, “Human beings of various racesvarious languagesandvariousbeliefscouldbehappyandhelpeachothersolveproblems.”Finally,anothercommentedon"thespiritofcooperationbetweentheyouth.”

The consultation also afforded a valuable opportunity for refugee and national youth to buildfriendshipsandalliancesacrossothersocialandculturalboundariesthatcandividepeople,suchasattitudesaboutsexualorientation,genderidentity,anddisability.

NationalConsultationStructure

TheNationalConsultationswererunwiththesamestructureforalllocationsandthisincludedtwocomponents. The first componentwas a three-day consultation that brought together 20 refugeeyouthand fivehost-countryyouth to identifyandanalyse theproblems thatyoung refugees face,develop potential solutions, build alliances and networks, and contribute to improvingworkwithyoung refugees globally. The second componentwas a half-day “stakeholders dialogue” atwhichparticipants shared theconsultationoutcomesandrecommendationswithkey local,national,andinternationalagenciesandorganisationsanddevelopednextstepsforthepost-consultationperiod.

DayOne• Gettingtoknoweachother,building

trust,andteambuilding• Identity• Youthparticipation

DayThree• Addressingtheissuesanddeveloping

solutions• Advocacy/Communicatingourmessages

andrecommendations• Stakeholderanalysis• Planningforthestakeholdersmeeting

DayTwo

• Identifyingandprioritisingissues• Analysingissuesandidentifyingcauses

andimpacts• Theroleofyouthinaddressingthe

issues

DayFour• Stakeholdersmeeting• Groupactionplanning—whatnextfor

thisgroup

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MainthemesfromTurkeyConsultationThe following is an overview and analysis of the key themes and issues that emerged during thisconsultation:

• Youth engagement and empowerment: During the course of the consultation manyparticipantsbecamemoreawareofhowyoungrefugeescouldtakeanactiveroleinaddressingthechallengesthatrefugeesface.Bydaythreethegroupwasabletogeneratealargenumberofwell-formulatedrecommendationsonhowyouthandstakeholderscouldworktogetheronspecific actions to address the problems that had been identified. In the evaluations, manyparticipantsnotedhowtheyhaddevelopedtheirabilitytoanalyse,speakoutandtakeactionabouttheproblemsthatyoungrefugeesface.Oneparticipantnotedtheirfavouritepartoftheconsultationas, “Evaluationof theproblemsand findingsolutions for theseproblemsandourroleasrefugeeyouthintheproposedplan

• Youth as connectors: During the consultations and in the evaluations, many participantscommentedonhowyouthcancommunicateandwork togetherdespitedifferencesandhowyouth can reach out to different ethnic or religious communities, thosewith different sexualorientationsor gender identities, and thosewhoaredifferently abled in a positiveway.As acouple of participants commented as part of the evaluation on Day 1, “I liked thecommunicationbetweendifferentnationalities...”and“Ilovedthediversityofyouth!”.

• Languagebarriers:Languageasanobstacletogetting information,accessingorsucceeding inschoolorotherlearningopportunities,andaccessingmedicalcareemergedstronglyasathemeinthisconsultation.

• Education:Youthhighlightedhowimportantaccesstoqualityeducationandotherformalandinformal learning opportunities are for young people. They emphasised that formany youngrefugees in Turkey language is a barrier to education. They stressed the importanceof beingabletoaccessgood-qualityTurkishlanguageclasses.Theyalsonotedthatthecostsassociatedwith education can be a barrier. Participants indicated that tertiary education is apreoccupation for many young refugees. They are particularly concerned about obtainingrecognitionoftheirexistingcredentials;theywanttobeabletochoosetheirareaofstudy;andtheyneedaccesstoscholarships.

• Difficulties in accessing refugee documentation: Along with education, this was the mostcommonly discussed issue in this group, and it generated much debate throughout theconsultation. Several of the Syrian refugees commented that they appreciated being able tolearn about the different registration process for non-Syrian refugees. Participants identifieddifficulties with registration as the cause of many other issues relating to access to basicservices,freedomofmovement,unemployment,andsecurity.

• Highcostofhealthcare:Thehighcostofhealthcare,duetoseveral“hiddencosts”,emergedasa priority for this group of youngrefugees. They explained that theclinics towhich refugeesare referredareoftenover-subscribed, promptingrefugeestoseekprivatecare,whichismoreexpensive. Inaddition,refugeesoften need to employ translators toaccompany them to doctors’ officesor the hospital. The cost ofmedication at pharmacies is also

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significantforrefugeeswhoareonlimitedbudgets.• GBVandearlymarriage:Refugeeshighlightedconcernsaboutearlymarriage forgirls froma

physicalandmentalhealthperspective,andwithrespecttoeducation.Oneofthesmallgroupschosetofocusontheissueastheydevelopedtheirsolutionstopresenttostakeholders.Youngpeople stressed the need for sensitisation and advocacy work in communities in order toprotect girls. This includes peer education, meetings with parents, community leaders andreligious leaders, and formal and informal learning opportunities to help focus girls ondevelopingthemselves.

• Theabilitytowork:Manyparticipantshighlightedtheimportanceofbeingabletoraiseissuesrelated to young refugees’ ability to work legally and under reasonable conditions as animportant issue.Asoneparticipantmentioned intheevaluations,“I foundaplatformwhere Icouldraisetheissueofemployment,whichisoneofthemostsignificantproblemsinTurkey.”

• Friendship, solidarity, and teamwork:Developing friendshipswas an important outcome forthisgroup.Duringformalandinformaldiscussions,participantstalkedabouttheimportanceoffeeling less isolated, meeting like-minded people, and feeling part of something bigger thanthemselves and their immediate communities. As one participant noted in the evaluation, “Ilikedtheteamworkandworkingwithpeoplefromdifferentcommunities. I liked learningfromoneanother.”Friendshipisanimportantoutcomeinitsownright.Itisalsoamajorcontributortothesustainabilityofthegoalsofthisconsultation.

MainFindingsfromtheTurkeyConsultation

Thefollowingsectionprovidesasummaryofthemainpointsthataroseineachsessionduringthefour-day consultation with refugee youth in Turkey. The structure of each exercise is describedfollowedbythemainfindings:

Perceptionsandfactsaboutrefugeesandyouth

Thisexerciseprovidedanopportunity for theparticipants todiscuss in small groups the factsandperceptionsassociatedwiththewords“refugee”and“youth”,withtheirideasrecordedonflipchartpaperandsharedwiththewholegroup.Thisexercisegenerateddiscussionanddebatebetweentheparticipants, and both national and refugee youth had the opportunity to consider each other’sperspectivesonyouthandrefugees.Asoneparticipantsaid,“Ourproblems is thatmisperceptionsarealreadyconsideredbythosewhoholdthemasfacts—sothiscreatesagapbetweenperceptionandreality.”Anothersaid,“Howdopeoplegettheperceptionthatrefugeesare jobstealers?Theygetitfromtheirperspectiveontheirexperience…TurksbelievethatSyriansstealjobs,buttherealityisthatTurkishemployersareemployingSyriansatverylowwages.”Participants agreed that other community members have a mix of contradictory perceptionsregardingyouth.Participantsnotedthatmanyoldercommunitymembersperceiveyouthfirstandforemostaspartofafamilyanddonotconsiderthemascapableindividuals.Theydonotperceivethatyoungpeoplecanmaketheirowndecisionsorgivethemtheopportunitytodoso.Participantsexpressedthatthere isageneralperceptionofyouthasbeinguneducated, irresponsible,careless,lazy, anddependenton technology. Participantsnoted that there is concern amongst their oldercommunitymembers that young people don’t accept traditional culture; some perceive them assinners whomakemistakes and as trouble makers who commit crimes.When a young person’ssexualorientation isdifferentthantheculturalnorm, it isviewedasabadhabitorevenamentalillness.On the positive side, youth are perceived as full of energy. They are envisioned as having

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solutionsforabrighterfuture.Someperceiveyouthasafreshnewgenerationthatshouldbefreeofthecontroloftheoldergeneration.Manyassumethatallyouthareexpertsattechnologyandsocialmedia.Infact,youthareambitiousandrecognisethemselvesasthegenerationofthefuturewithenergyandpower.Youthareactuallyadiversegroupwhoareoftenmoreopentochangeanddifferencesthan older people. Participants stressed that youth have dreams and the drive to realise them.Many, but not all young people are comfortablewith new communication technologies includingsocialmedia.Youthsometimesadheretotheircommunities’traditions,butmanydonotnecessarilyfeelboundbythem.Onediscussiongroupcommentedthatmanyyoungpeoplerecognisethattheyhavetherighttotheirownsexualorientation,althoughtheymaynotbeabletotalkaboutissuesofsexualorientationandreligionpublicly.Participants generally agreed that perceptions about refugees in Turkey are generally quitenegative. They are also sometimes contradictory. Participants noted that some Turkish nationalsthinkthatrefugeesfledtheircountriesbecausetheyaretraitorsorcowards.ParticipantsnotedthatinTurkeyandglobally,manyMuslimrefugeesareseenasterrorists.Someparticipantshighlightedthat there is a sense that refuges are peoplewho are “taking” the rights of the local population;somehow depriving host community nationals of jobs and economic opportunities. ParticipantsexplainedthatmanyTurkishnationalsperceiveallrefugeesarepoorandilliterate,withnoskillsorabilities. They areperceived asuseless, needy, anddependentonhumanitarian aid, bringingonlyproblemstothehostcountry.Peoplethinkofrefugeesasweak,helpless,andinneed,butnotasfullpersons.Participantswereclearintheirdiscussionthatinfactrefugeesarehumanbeingswithrights,buttheserightsarenotrealised.Asoneyoungrefugeeexplained,“Refugeeswerecitizensenjoyingtheirrights in their home countries, then theybecame victimsofwar, and fled their country.Now theywant to live in peace.” Another commented that Islam is the religion ofmany refugees, but hasnothingtodowithterrorism.Anotheryoungrefugeenoted,“Therealityisthatmanyrefugeeswanttowork legallyandusetheirskills tosupporttheir families,buttheyaredisadvantagedduetothelanguagebarrieranddifficultytoobtainworkpermitsortoaccesseducation.”Thegroupalsomadetheinterestingobservationthatinreality,“Manyrefugeescannotacceptthemselvesasrefugees.”

YouthParticipation

Thisexercisewasstructuredaroundasetofthreequestionswhichtheyoungpeoplevotedonandthendiscussed.Question 1: Should NGOs, UNHCR, or government line ministries listen/engage with youth indesigningandplanningtheirservicesandactivitiesforrefugeeyouth?AllparticipantsconsidereditimportantthatNGOs(22),UNHCR(24),andgovernmentlineministries(24) listen to and engagewith youth in designing and planning services and activities for refugeeyouth. One participant emphasised, “Youth are an essential part of the community.” Anothermentioned, “NGOsaredoingwell, they take careof our needs; on theother side thegovernmentmakesdecisionsaccordingtoitsinterests.”Oneparticipantnotedthattheseorganisations,“…shouldinvolveyouthmore—touseyouthenergy.”

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Question 2:Have you taken any steps to communicatewithNGOs,UNHCR, or government lineministriestotalkabouttheissuesyouface?About half the participants (12) voted that they had taken steps to communicate withUNHCR/NGOs/Government. A few commented on that they have had some communicationwithUNHCR.Oneparticipantnotedthatwhenheturned18hefoundoutthathewasnolongereligibleto live intheassisted-livingcentrewherehehadbeenaccommodatedasanunaccompaniedchild.Atthattime,hecontactedUNHCRandwasfrustratedwhentheUNHCROfficereiteratedthesamepolicy,thathenowhadtoliveindependently.Question3:DoyoufeelitiseasytointeractwithNGOs,UNHCR,orgovernmentlineministriestotalkaboutwhatyouface?Manyparticipants(11)votedthatitwaseasytocommunicateandinteractwithNGOs’,UNHCR,andgovernments,whiletenvotedthat itwasquiteeasyandfourvotedthat itwasnoteasy.Howevermost of the comments focused on NGOs. One participant expressed frustration that“Communication [withNGOs] iseasy,but there isno result.”Anotherparticipantnoted, “It isveryeasytoreachNGOs…butpeoplearenotgoingthere;peoplearefocusedoncertainservicesandtheyarenotinterestedinthepsychologicalsupportthatNGOsareoffering.”

YouthVisionsforParticipation

In the next stage of this session, the participants broke intosmall groups anddiscussed their ideas and visions for youthparticipationandthenpresentedtheseideasvisuallythroughposters. Many of the ideas focused on expression—how tocommunicate youth concerns and ideas. Participants talked about establishing youth or studentclubsoryouthbranchesunderpoliticalparties.Someparticipantsconsideredusingvideo,TV,socialmedia, or even the postal service to reach government authorities and service providers. Otherparticipantsspokeaboutusingart,theatre,ormusictoshareideas,raiseissuesandsendmessagestothebroadercommunity.Discussions inthedifferentgroupsalsofocusedonteamwork,andthevalueofbringingdiverseyoungpeopletogethertoworkonacommoncause.Theytalkedabouthowyouthcouldhaveastrongerandmoreeffectivevoiceiftheyworkedtogether.

• “Weneedtocollaborate;youthneedtocollaboratetogethernotwaitforNGOs.”• “Maybedrawyouthholdingagiantpencil.They[youth]areholdingit—thisisasymbolthatthey

areworkingtogetherforbettereducation.”• “The important thing should be different types of individual youth should be represented. The

differences—diversetypesofyouthshouldberepresented.SomeblocksareNGOassistance,butitcan’tbebuiltwithoutyouth.“

• “Wecoulddrawabigmarketfillitwithsmallpicturesofdifferentkindsofpeople.”One group focused on collaboration between youth and different organisations. They envisionedconstructing a building inwhich the stones symbolise theNGOs,UNHCR, and socialmedia as thefoundation;adepictionofacementmixershowstheimportanceofpeace,love,unity,andtrustasbeing the cement that holds thebuilding together. Theworkers are youthwhoneed the support

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fromNGOs,suchscholarships,volunteerwork,andaccesstosocialmedia.AnothergroupdepictedNGOsononesideandrefugeecommunitiesontheothersideandyouthasbeingthe“bridge”orthe“connectors”whoserveasthevoiceoftheircommunities.

Identificationandprioritisationofneedsandchallenges

Duringtheseconddayoftheconsultation,theyouthparticipantsworkedinsmallgroupstoidentifyanddiscusschallengesand issuesof importance to them.While thisexercise focusedprimarilyonthe “needs”and “issues” facedby refugeeyouth,national youthparticipantswereencouraged toparticipateandusethisexerciseasanopportunitytoaskquestions,learnmoreaboutthechallengesfacingtheirrefugeepeers,andidentifycommonalities.Throughthisexercise,participantsidentifiedthefollowingissues:• Access to quality education and other learning opportunities: Youth talked about the

difficulties that impede access and undermine the quality of education and learningopportunities.Theystressedthelanguagebarrierwhichimpedesaccesstoformaleducationandthe limitedavailabilityof language classes to allow refugees to learnTurkish. Theyalsonotedthat the poor education infrastructure and the poor attendance of teachers in some areasdiscouragedyoungrefugeesfromtryingtoattendschool.Theyemphasisedtheneedformoreworkshops and other informal learning opportunities to help young refugees stay busy anddevelopacademic, vocational and life skills. Theyalsohighlighted the lackof scholarshipsandthelimitedchoiceintermsofwhattostudyforthoseenrolledattheuniversitylevel(arefugeeyouthwhostudiedmechanicalengineeringinSyriareportedonlybeingallowedtostudyTurkishliterature in Turkey; another young refugeewho studied tobe a pharmacist in Syria reportedonlybeingallowedtostudymechanicalandcivilengineeringinTurkey).Finally,theyhighlightedrecognitionoftheirexistingstudiesandaccreditationasahugechallenge.

• Work/jobopportunities:Thelackofworkopportunitiesandthedifficultiesinvolvedinobtainingwork permits emerged as a huge issue. Participants emphasised young refugees’ need andwillingnesstoworkandstressedthatifyouthcan’tearnanyincome,theycannotcovercostsforhousing,food,medicalcare,oreducationalmaterials.

• Housing:Participantshighlightedfindingaffordablehousingasahugeissueformanyyouthandtheir familiesnot living in the camps.Participantsparticularlynoted thedifficulties associatedwith finding housing and support for unaccompanied youth because when they turn 18 and“age-out”,theyarenolongereligibletoliveinthegovernmentrunassisted-livingcentresanditisverydifficultforthemtofindsafehousingthattheycanafford.

• Accessibilityandcostofhealthcare:InTurkey,onceindividualsareregisteredanddocumentedasrefugees,theyhavetherighttoaccesshealthcareatthesamecostasnationals.However,intheeventthatrefugeesdon’thavesavingsoranincome,thesecostsareprohibitivelyexpensive.Furthermore, refugees must hire a translator to help translate with doctors, which is anadditional cost.Medication is also an expense that many young refugees and their familiescannotafford.

• Difficultytoattainlegalandpersonaldocuments:Participantsstressedthat itwasdifficultforyoung refugees to obtain refugee registration documents and other personal identificationdocuments, such as residencepermits orworkpermits. Refugeedocuments are necessary inordertoaccessservices.

• Freedomofmovementincludinginternalandinternationaltravelpermissions.Youngrefugeesnotedintensefrustrationthattheycouldnotobtaintraveldocuments.Oneparticipantwhoisa

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competitiveathletenoted,“AlthoughIhavewonseveralmedalsinTurkey,Ican’tparticipateininternationaleventsliketheOlympics…”AnotherparticipantnotedthathehadwonanErasmusscholarshiptostudyinWesternEurope,butcouldn’tacceptitbecausehecouldn’tobtaintraveldocuments.

The effort to identify needs and challenges sparked considerable discussion about the challengesthatyoungrefugeesface.Oneparticipantnoted,“Thebasicchallengewefacedwasdifferentiatingbetweentheissuesandneedsforallyouthandthoserelevantforrefugeeyouths.”

Prioritisation

After identifying the core issues faced by refugeeyouth in Turkey, participants were asked to work insmall groups to prioritise the top nine issues theyfaced,throughanexercisecalled“DiamondRanking”.This activity is designed to encourage debate anddeeperanalysisoftheissuesandtoteachparticipantsabout the importance of reaching consensus andcompromise. Most of the participants found theexercise relatively easy “because we deal with theseissues on a daily basis.” Another commented that itwas “Easy in a team, but not by yourself.” Someparticipants found it difficult because all the issuesdiscussed are significant problems for refugee youth.Asoneparticipantnoted,“Theyareallpriorities.”Thetopfiveissuesprioritisedbytheparticipantswere:

1. Personal documentation, including residencepermits,workpermits,andtravelpermits;

2. Financialdifficultiesandlackofworkopportunities;3. Languages,includinglanguageasabarriertoeducationtheneedforlanguagecourses,and

accesstoeducation;4. Education, including quality of education and

scholarshipstoaccesseducation;and5. Psychosocialcounselling.

Otherissuesthatrankedhighwerehousing,healthcare,socialintegration.AnalysingproblemsusingproblemtreesIn a followon exercise, each group selectedoneof their topthree priority issues and used problem trees to analyse therootcausesofeachissueanditsimpactsinmoredepth.Eachsmallgroupworkedononeofthefollowingproblems:

• Lackofdocumentation;• Difficultieswitheducationduetolanguagebarriers;• Lackofpsychosocialguidance;and

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• Healthservicesaretooexpensivetoaccess.

Each group first analysed the problemand then developed acreativewaytoexpresstheirideas.

Group 1 focused on refugees’ difficulties in registering as arefugeeandobtainingpersonalidentificationandotherlegaland personal documents. They identified the mass influx ofrefugeesdue to theconflict inSyria,whichoverwhelmed theadministrative process as a root cause. They also note thatrefugees sometimes lack information about the registrationprocessanddon’tknowwhereorhowtoapply.Alsorefugeesthemselvesareoftenmissingsomeorallof theirdocuments,duetotheconflictandtheirflight,whichalsoslowsdowntheprocess.Finally,somepeoplearetryingtodeceiveauthoritiesbymaking fakeapplicationsandthatslowsdowntheprocessforlegitimateasylumseekersandfeedsthemisperceptionofthegovernment.

The group also analysed the multiple impacts of this problem, which are related and complex.Withoutregistrationandpersonaldocumentation,refugeesarenotabletowork,accesseducationandhealth services,oropenabankaccount.Withoutpersonaldocumentation, theydon’thavealegal statuswithin Turkey and they can’t obtain birth certificates,which leaves children at risk ofstatelessness. Without documents, young refugees can’t obtaintravel documents, so their travel is restricted both within andbeyondTurkey,whichlimitstheirabilitytotakeadvantageofanyopportunities to participate in workshops or conferences. Thegroup considered using different approaches to express thisproblem including apoem, apantomime showing thedifficultiescausedbylackofdocumentation,oraplayreflectingtheproblemsrelated todocumentation.Finally, thegroupdecided tocombinetheseelementsanddevelopadramathatincludedreadingofthepoemwrittenbyoneoftheparticipants.

Group 2 focused on difficulties in education due to languagebarriers. They identifiedmultiple causes including the challengesfaced by young refugees in learning Turkish because they can’ttake language courses until they have obtained refugeedocuments. In addition, there is a common perception amongstyoung refugees that the free language coursesofferedareoftenlow quality, while private Turkish classes are too expensive formostrefugeestoattend.Participantsexplainedthattheyarenotable to access education in their own native language, but theyarenotabletospeakTurkishwellenoughtoattendTurkishschoolor university, so they are effectively obstructed from accessingeducation. Others commented that some young refugees speakenoughTurkishtoattendschool,buttextbooksandmaterialsare

“Iamarefugee

Iamahumanbeing

Iaminthecornersofeverywhere

Iamahousewithoutaddress

Iwassentencedbylife

Warscatteredmeeverywhere

Othercountriescollectedme

I’mleftwithoutidentityand

Aprisonwithoutwalls

I’monthesideofthings

I’mabuildingwithnostructure

I’mcuffedinajungleinhabitedbyhumans,

beingbornlikestreetcatsnotlikehumanbeings”

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all in Turkish, and many don’t have a good enough command of Turkish to read the books andmaterials.

Thegrouphighlightedtheimpactsofdifficulties ineducationduetolanguagebarriers.Theynotedthat not being able to access education results in refugees being unable to develop academic,vocational, or professional skills andqualifications. Even for thosewho are able to attend school,difficultywiththelanguagecanresultindifficultyunderstandingthecoursematerials,beingunabletounderstandsocialandscientific terminology,anddifficulty in realising theiracademicpotential.The group decided to use drama to express their ideas. Theyworked on a skit depicting a youngrefugee recently enrolled in Turkish school who cannot speak Turkish, making it difficult for therefugee to communicate with students and teachers. At the end, this same student becomes animportantscientistbecauseshewasabletogetappropriateTurkishlanguagecoursesandcontinuehereducation.

Group3focusedonlackofpsychosocialguidance.Participantscommentedthateveryonemayneeda psychosocial counselling at some point in their lives, but people affected by conflict needpsychologicalsupportmoreurgently.Participantsidentifiedseveralfactorsthatmakeitdifficultforrefugeestoaccessthepsychosocialhelpandsupportthattheyneed.Theynotedthatthereisalackof information or publicity about existing psychosocial services and sometimes the places whererefugeescouldaccessinformationarefarawayfromwheretheylive.Participantsnotedthatthereisaninsufficientnumberofpsychosocialcounsellors,andthereisasensethatexistingservicesexpectrefugeeswhoneedsupporttocometothem,but infactthere isaneedformuchmoreoutreach.They also identified the language barrier, which makes it hard for young people to access acounsellor towhom they can talk in theirown language. Finally, theynoted thatpeople, those inneedofhelpandothers,arenotgivingprioritytotheseissues.

Thegroup identifiedseveral impactsof thisproblem.Participantscommented thatnotaddressingpsychosocial distress fuels a general lack of awareness and trust. They also pointed out thatpsychosocialdistresscanleadtodepression,isolation,andasenseofhelplessness,allofwhichcancontribute to young people getting involved in negative activities. This group discussed differentwaystoportraytheabsenceofsupportandhelpforpsychosocialproblems.Theydecidedtostageabordercrossingscenariotoshowhowtheyneedforpsychosocialsupport isconnectedwithotherissues.

Group 4 focused on analysing thehigh cost of health services. They explained that even thoughrefugeesareentitledtobasichealthcareatdesignatedclinicsforthesamefeesasTurkishcitizens,many of them have no way to pay thesefees because they are not able to work.Participants noted that refugees need towait for long time to get an appointmentfor health services at designated clinics,which may cause them to miss work orschool. The delays are due in part to apractice of referring all refugees to aspecificdoctor’sofficeorclinic,whichthenbecomes overwhelmed by the caseload,resulting in long waits. Participants also

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notedtheneedforinterpreterstotranslatewithindoctors’offices,clinics,andhospitals.Asaresultofthesefactors,refugeesgotoprivatedoctorstoaccessmedicalcaremorequickly,butatacost.Insomecases,theytraveltoanothercityinsearchofbetterandfastercare.Refugeesalsohavetopayformedications,andfortranslators,whichisexpensive.Theimpactsofthehighcostofhealthcareincludemissingworkorschooltogotothedoctorortakeafamilymembertothedoctor,spendinglimitedfinancialresources,andworryingaboutpersonalhealth,orthehealthofafamilymember.Thegroupdevelopedaskittodepictingthehiddencostsofhealthcareforrefugees.

Findingmoresolutionstopriorityissues

Afterdiscussingandanalysingtheproblems,the“WorldCafé”exercisewasusedtoencourageyouthto brainstorm creative solutions to the problems they face. Four issues were selected from thediamond ranking exercise, which although not ranked in the top three, were the focus of muchdiscussionanddebate.Theseincluded:

1. Expensiveaccommodation;2. Lackofemploymentopportunitiesforyoungrefugees;3. Earlymarriage;and4. Nosupportforscholarships.

After brainstorming solutions, youth were then asked to consider what role youth could take inmakingthesesolutionsareality.Thegroupshadveryanimateddiscussionsfocusedonclarifyingtheproblems,brainstormingsolutions,andconsideringhowyouthcouldbeengaged inrealisingthosesolutions.Group 1 worked on finding solutions for expensive accommodation. Youth noted that it isimportant toconsideraccommodation foryouth livingontheirown,butalso foryouth livingwiththeir families. For youth on their own, they suggested that local families could take in youngrefugees, that the government could provide some cash for rent for refugee youth, or that hostcommunitiescouldprovidealternativeaccommodation.Turkishyouthnoted thatTurkishstudentshave thesameproblemsas refugeestudentsas regardsdifficulty to findaffordablehousing.Theysuggestedthatthefocusshouldbeonenablingrefugeestudentstoaccesstoworkinordertocoverrent. Considering youth on their own as well as youth living with their families, the group alsoemphasisedtheimportanceofhavingacontracttoregulatetherentalagreements.Theyproposedsome policy approaches that the government could take, including mortgage support to enablerefugeestobuypropertywithsubsidisedloansorimposingrentcontroltolimittheincreaseinrentsorallowrefugeestoliveforfreeindormitories.

Intermsofhowyouthcouldworkonsolutionstoaddressexpensivehousing,participantsproposedthatyouthshouldformacommittee,undertakeanassessmentofyoungrefugeesinneedofhousingdocumentthisinadatabase,andthenusethatinformationtoaddresstheproblemsofhousingandrent to government and other organisations. They noted that youth could use social media andpublic media to highlight the difficulties that young refugees and their families face. They alsosuggestedprovidingaserviceviasocialmediatoconnectthoseinneedofhousingwiththosewhohaveproperties thatrefugeescould live in.TheyalsodiscussedthatyoungrefugeestogetherwithTurkish youth could form a construction company to access loans and employ young refugee torefurbishabandonedbuildingorbuildnewhousingforyoungrefugees.Finally,theyhadtheideaofinvolvingyoungmulti-lingualrefugeesasmediatorsbetweenhouseownersandtenantstoaddressproblemsrelatedtohighrentsandleaseagreements.

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Group2:workedonfindingsolutionstothe problem of “Lack of employmentopportunities – for young refugees”.They looked at actions that thegovernment authorities could take toaddress the lack of employmentopportunities for young refugees,including allowing young refugees toworkwithoutworkpermits,preventingabuse of youth and employers in termof payment, providing incentives forbusinesses to hire refugees, andmonitoring and penalising employerswho abuse foreigners. They alsosuggested joint initiatives involvinggovernment, non-governmental agencies, andbusinesses tohelp refugees findwork, andpreventabuse. They proposed creating job centres specialised in receiving young refugees’ resumes andreferringthemtoworkopportunities.

ParticipantsproposedthatyouthcouldusesocialmediatoformlegalaidsocietiesinordertohelpyoungrefugeesbeawareoftheirrightsandresponsibilitieswithregardtoemploymentlawsandregulationsinTurkey.TheystressedthatyoungrefugeesshouldencourageotheryoungrefugeestoactivelylookforworkbytranslatingtheirCVstoTurkishandsendingthemtoalldifferentkindsofhumanitarianorganisationsandprivatesectorbusinesses.Theyproposedthatyouthcouldestablishyouthcommitteestosupportyoungrefugeestofindemployment.Suchacommitteecouldcommunicatewithorganisationstopublicizeyoungrefugees’skills;establishaninternetplatformtoshareinformationaboutjobopeningsandemploymentlaw;runahotlinetoidentifyanddocumentcasesofemploymentabuseandinjusticeinvolvingyoungrefugees;andgenerallyactasatypeofclearinghousetoreceiverefugees’applicationsorcurriculumvitae(CVs)anddisseminatethemtopotentialemployers.

Group3workedonfindingsolutionsto“EarlyMarriage”.ThegroupagreedthatNGOsandUNHCRhavearesponsibilitytoraiseawarenessabouttherisksofearlymarriageandtofollowuponearlymarriagecaseswhilethegovernmenthastheresponsibilitytoissueandenforcerulesandlaws.Participantsnotedthatthereisaneedforeducationandcounsellingsessionsatschoolsandsocialcentrestohelpyoungrefugees,especiallygirlsandyoungwomenandtheirparents,tounderstandtherisksofearlymarriage.Suchcounsellingsessionsshouldhighlight:whyitisbetterforgirlstomarrywhentheyareolder,thattheyhavetherightnottobeforcedintomarriage,andhowtoreportearlymarriagetothepolice.TheseservicesneedtobecoupledwithahotlinetothegovernmentandUNHCRforreportingearlymarriagecasesandseekingassistance.Participantsalsoagreedontheneedtoreachouttothereligiouspeoplewhoareperformingthemarriagestoexplaintothemthatitisillegal.ParticipantsalsonotedthatitwouldbegoodtoreachoutwitheducationandawarenessraisingthroughTVandsocialmedia,particularlytoconservativefamilieswhoarelesslikelytoallowtheirchildrentoattendawarenessraisingsessions.Theyalsoproposedopeningyouthcentresforsothatyoungrefugeeshaveaplacetogoandconstructiveactivitiestokeepthembusy.

Youth had great suggestions as towhat youth themselves could do to discourage earlymarriage.They suggested using different forums, including TV talk show hosts, street performance art,posters,andbanners.They suggested trying to involve successful young leadersandcelebrities to

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grab the attention of young people and inspirethem not to get married, but also doing streetperformances and making banners with keymessages discouraging early or forced marriage.Whatever the format, they suggested that the keymessagesshouldfocusonthenegativephysicalandemotionalimpactsofearlyandforcedmarriageforyoung people, including high divorce rates andinterruptededucation.

Group4workedonfindingsolutionstotheproblemof “no support for scholarships”. Participantsdiscussed the perception in Turkey that youngrefugees are not educated, don’t need to beeducated and are not able to integrate intouniversities.Theyexpressedfrustrationthatthereisnot a wider recognition of young refugees’academic capacities and desire to study.Participants suggested holding public events andusing billboards, brochures, and social media tohighlight young refugees’ talents, their drive tostudy, and the difficulties that they face, and toexplainhowtheyneedfinancialassistancetorealisetheireducation.ThegroupsuggestedformingayouthgroupandfacilitatinganinformationexchangebetweenrefugeeyouthandUNHCR,NGOs,thegovernment, Turkish citizens, and business people to share locally specific information aboutpossible sources of financial assistance. They also suggested that the government developprogrammes together with private sector business so that they can support scholarships. Finally,theysuggestedthatUNHCRshouldhelpyoungrefugeestoaccessonlineeducationresources.

Indebriefingwithparticipantsabouttheexercisestoidentifyandanalyseproblemsandtodevelopsolutions, one participant commented that it was easier to identify problems than to developsolutions.Anotherparticipantcommentedthatshe likedworkingonsolutionsbecause itgavehermorehopethantalkingaboutproblems.

SolutionStoryboards

Participantsworkedingroupsthroughstoryboardstodevelopmorefocusedanddetailedsolutionsfortheproblemstheyhadearlieranalysedusingtheproblemtrees.Group1developedastoryboardonhowtoaddresstheissueof“documentationforrefugees”.Theysuggestedformingayouthnetworktoreachouttopeoplewhodon’thavedocumentsinordertohelpthemunderstandtheimportanceofregisteringwiththegovernmentasrefugeesandinformingthemhowtoregisterandobtainrefugeedocuments.Theynotedthateffectiveoutreachcouldincludeprovidinginformationinfrontofregistrationbuildingsandalsogoingtorefugeehomestoexplainthattheymustobtainrefugeedocumentsinordertoaccesshealthcareandeducation.TheysuggestedthatitwouldbeimportantfortheyouthtoworktogetherwithUNHCR,DGMM,thepoliceandNGOsforthoseorganisationstorecognisetheyouthvolunteersaslegitimateprovidersofinformation.Thegroupnotedthatinformingyoungrefugeeswhereandhowtoregisterasrefugees,wouldmakeiteasierandquickerforyoungrefugeestoregisterandobtainrefugeeandotherpersonalidentificationdocumentation.

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Group2identifiedthattheproblemof“difficultiesineducationduetolanguagebarriers”couldbesolvedbeatwo-prongedapproach:1)Translationofresourcesand2)Teachingstudentsintheirnativelanguage.Theyproposedthatyouthcouldtakeanactiveroleinsupportingthesesolutionsbydoingtranslations,teachingTurkishtoothers,andaskingTurkishfriendsforhelpwiththelanguage.TheyidentifiedsupportthattheywouldneedfromtheMinistryofEducation,universityrectors,schoolmastersandteachers,municipalauthorities,UNHCR,andNGOS,includingeditingandproofreadingtranslatedmaterials,andprovidingmorebooksindifferentlanguages.Thegroupfeltthattheimpactofsolvingtheproblemofthelanguagebarrierineducationwouldbesignificantandwouldincludeenablingyoungrefugeestobegoodstudents,graduate,andbecomeprofessionalswiththecapacitytocontributetosocietyinTurkeyandalsointheirhomecountrieswhentheyreturn.Asoneyoungwomancommented,“WecanreallyhelpTurkeyifwearesuccessfulandwecanalsohelpourowncountrieswhenwegoback.”

Group3workedonfindingsolutionstotheproblemofa“lackofpsychosocialguidance”foryoungrefugees.TheyproposedthatyouthcouldworkwithUNHCR,government,andNGOstocreate“meetingpoints”foryoungrefugeesandnationalyouth.Thesemeetingpointscouldemploymulti-lingualrefugeeandnationalyouthtodirectyoungrefugeestotheservicesthattheyneed.ThemeetingpointscouldprovidespaceforgovernmentservicesandNGOstoofferlegalandpsychologicalassistance.Thesemeetingpointscouldhaveapositiveimpactbyhelpingyouthto:understandtheirrights,accesstheinformationandservicesthattheyneed,andconnectwithotheryoungpeople.

Group4developedastoryboardtomapouthowtoaddressthe“limitedaccesstohealthcaredueto high costs”. The group suggested that NGOs, government authorities from the Ministry ofEducation,andbusinessesshouldsupportTurkishlanguagecoursestohelpyoungrefugeestolearnTurkish. Young refugees with Turkish language skills could form a network of young people tovolunteerorworkforsmallfeesastranslatorstohelprefugeesaccesshealthcare.TheywouldneedtocoordinateandhavesupportfromauthoritieslikeMinistryofHealthandlocalclinicsorhospitalsinordertobeincontactwiththosewhoneedassistance.Theimpactofthissolutionwouldbethatyoungrefugeeswouldlearnnewskillsthatcouldeventuallyhelpthemfindwork.Atthesametime,they would feel useful and engaged to be able to help other community members to accesshealthcare.

Recommendations, Solutions and CoreActions

Recommendations: "We the youthrecommend that stakeholdersworkwithusto….”

During the four-day consultation, youth wereencouragedintheirbreaksandthroughformal

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activities to consider what recommendations theywouldmaketoaglobalaudiencethatwould improvethe lives of young refugees. A graffiti-style wallprovided the informal space to record theirrecommendations at any point during theconsultation.Onthethirdday,participantshadaveryproductive and focused brainstorming session andproduced more than 200 recommendations thatarticulated how youth could work together withspecific stakeholders to tackle the problems thatyoung refugees face. Another important outcome of

this brainstorming session was that youth came up with recommendations for important andcomplexissuesthathadnotpreviouslybeenraisedaspartofthegroupdiscussion.Theseincluded:protectionconcernsandsupportforunaccompaniedchildrenlivinginstate-supportedgrouphomes,supportforpersonswithdisabilities,andpreventionofrecruitmentintoterroristorganisations.Eachofthebrainstorminggroupssharedtheirideaswiththefullgroupandthenparticipantsusedstickydotstovotefortheirtopfivechoices.Thetopthreerecommendationsthatreceivedthemostvoteswerethefollowing:With regard to concernsabout radical groups recruitingyoung refugees,youth recommend thattheMinistry of Education, NGOs and other organisationswork with youth to enlighten refugeeyouthaboutpotentialexploitationbyradicalgroupsandhelpthemtofindconstructiveactivitiesonwhich to focus their energy. The young people emphasised that the best weapons againstradicalisationaregoodhealthcare,goodeducation,andsomethingtodo.Theystressedthatwhileyoung refugees can’t always catch up in school, they can go to vocational training, participate inotherinformallearningopportunities,andbeinvolvedinyouthactivities.Theystressedthatstayingbusy with constructive activities can prevent recruitment. Young refugees emphasised “We theyouthshouldbetheoneswhoenlightentherefugeeyouthaboutthisexploitation.”Withregardtothelanguagebarrierineducation,youthrecommendthattheMinistryofEducationandpublishersworkwithandsupportyouthtotranslatebooksandsourcesfromTurkishtootherlanguagessothatrefugeestudentscanunderstandandstudy.With regard to travel documents, youth recommend to Turkish Government to give temporarytravel documents to young refugees who are successful in sports, academics, and the arts toenablethemtotraveltointernationalcompetitionsorotherevents.The other recommendations that received the most support have been noted below, groupedthematicallyasfollows.Withregardtohealth,youthrecommendtoministryofficials toallowyoungrefugeestoserveastranslators inhospitals andgovernmentoffices. Theyalso recommend that theMinistryofHealthprovide vaccinations for refugee children andwomenat clinics near towhere refugees are living,notingthatbecauseparentshavetogotoofartoreachclinicswherevaccinationsareoffered,theyhave stopped vaccinating their children. Finally, youth also recommended that young refugeesshouldbeprovidedwithsexualeducationcourses,healthcounsellingservicesspecific torefugees,andpsychologicalassistance.With regard todocumentation, youth recommend that thegovernmentaccelerate theprocessesforyoungrefugees toobtainrefugeedocumentationandotherpersonal identificationand for the

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government to support refugees to be able to have temporary travel documents. They alsorecommendedthatuniversitystudentsshouldhavetherighttonaturalisationasTurkishcitizens.With regard to the language barrier, youth recommend: “Give us the chance to learn Turkishthroughfreelanguagecoursesandwewillbemorethanhappytobepartofsolutionfor languageproblembetweenlocalsandrefugees.”ParticipantsrecommendedthatyoungrefugeescouldworktogetherwithTurkish youth toorganise languageexchange courses inwhichyoungpeoplewouldteach each other their languages. They also proposed that the Ministry of Education and NGOsestablishfreeorverylowcostlanguageclassesthroughoutthecountry.Withregardtoeducation,youthrecommendthattheMinistryofEducationworkwithbusinessesand young refugees to support scholarships, loans, and subsidised or free dormitories. They alsoproposed that the same actors establish youth learning centres to provide short-term vocationalcourses informal learning opportunities and also support activities like drawing, sports, andperformingartstogiveyoungpeoplesomethingconstructivetodo.Theysuggestthatyouthcouldconducthomevisitstorefugeefamiliestoinvolvethemintheyouthlearningcentres.Withregardtoworkopportunities,youthrecommendthattheMinistryofLabourandtheprivatesectorworkwith youth to providework permits, particularly for skilled and qualified refugees infields inwhich there is a demand likemedicine and engineering. They also recommendprovidingwork permits for young refugees, particularly for humanitarian work with NGOs or governmentoffices. They also proposed that the government provide tax breaks or subsidies for privatebusinessesthathirerefugees.

With regard to protection concerns and access to psychosocial support, youth recommend toUNHCR and NGOs to reach out and identify refugees in need of information about psychosocialservicesandtoaddressprotection issues likechildabuseandearlyor forcedmarriage.Youthalsoproposed establishing social support centres for young refugees with special attention paid topersonswithdisabilitiesorotherswhomaybevulnerableorinriskysituations.Withregardtochallenges forunaccompaniedyouth,youthrecommendmoreregularmonitoringof the government’s assisted-living centres where young refugees under the age of 18 areaccommodated.Theyalsosuggestedprovidingmoreeducationalopportunities,particularlytolearnTurkish, for those young people so that they have something constructive to do. Finally, theyhighlighted concerns about how access to support and housing ends abruptly for young peoplewhentheyturn18andrecommendedallowingolderyouthtostayattheassisted-livingcentresuntiltheyare21andsupportingthemtolearnTurkish.Participants commented that it was satisfying to develop these recommendations. As one youngpersoncommented,“Theactivitiesandteamworkmakemethinkdeeply.ThisisthefirsttimeItrytofocusonalltheproblemsthatIfaceasarefugeeyouthandthesolutionsforeachofthem.”

StakeholdersDialogue

TheStakeholdersDialoguetookplaceonthemorningofthefourthday.Themeetingwasattendedby31stakeholdersfrom23organisationsandgovernmentagencies,including:

• Min.ofFamilyandSocialProtection• Min.ofInterior• UNHCRTurkey

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• UNDP• UNICEF• Intern.MedicalCorps• HumanResourceDevelopmentFoundation• WomenandYouthEntrepreneurshipCentre• CommunityVolunteersFoundation• EmbassyofDenmark• EmbassyofIreland• EmbassyoftheUSA(BPRM)• UNFPA• ICMC• IOM• EmbassyofSwitzerland• MotherandEducationFoundation• ASAM• RSC• UNHCR

StakeholdersDialogueobjectivesandstructure

Theobjectivesofthestakeholdersdialoguewere:• Toshareyouthexperiences,ideas,andrecommendations;• Toinfluenceothersandgainsupportforyouthideas;• Toshowcasetheimportanceofinvolvingyouthinplanninganddecisionmaking;and• Tobuildpartnerships.

Four youthparticipants opened themeetingwith awelcome speechoutlining thepurposeof theconsultation and providing an explanation of the previous three days, using the flipcharts andimagesthathadbeenproducedtoexplaintheactivities.

Grouppresentations

Working in their groups, the youth had developed creative presentations to showcase the issuestheyhadbeenanalysingand toexplain theactionsyouthcould take tobringabout solutionsandtheir recommendations forwhat stakeholders coulddo to support and supplement theseactions.Thetopicsselectedincluded:

1. Lack of documentation: This group developed a skitwith percussion accompaniment andusedtherefrain“Iamarefugee;Iexist”tohighlighttheimportanceofdocumentation.

2. Difficultiesineducationduetolanguagebarriers:Thisgroupdevelopedaskittoshowthedifficultiesofthelanguagebarrierandtosuggesthowyouthcouldbepartofthesolution.

3. Earlymarriageandtheneedforpsychosocialguidance:Thisgroupcreatedavideotoserveas a background while group members each spoke about a different aspect of earlymarriage.

4. Healthservicesaretooexpensivetoaccess:Thisgroupputonaskittoshowthedifferenthiddencostsofhealthcareforrefugeesincludingtranslation,goingtoprivateclinicsduetoovercrowding,andthecostofprescriptions.

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Roundtablediscussionswithstakeholders

Afterthepresentations,roundtablediscussionsaffordedyouthandstakeholderstheopportunitytoengage inmore focusedconversations.Thispartof the stakeholdersdialoguewas structuredasa“WorldCafé”and involvedparticipants rotating fromone table toanother toenable theyouth toengagewith different stakeholders. Many of the youthtook the opportunity to express themselves and askdirect, and often challenging, questions of thestakeholders or to bring issues of concern to theirattention.Someofthemaintopicsdiscussedincluded:

• Monitoring and support for unaccompanied childrenlivinginstaterungrouphomes.Oneparticipantwhois himself an unaccompanied child had documentedprotectionconcernsforunaccompaniedchildrenandwasabletosharethemalongwithrecommendationsforhowtobetteraddressthem;

• Threatsrelatedtorecruitmentofyoungrefugeesintoradicalgroups;• Theneedforaccesstopsychosocialsupport;• Thechallengesrelatedtoaccessingeducation,includinglanguagebarriersandcostandtheneed

formorescholarships;• Lackofcapacitybuildingandleadershipopportunitiesforyouth;and• The need for economic empowerment opportunities for families, and barriers to accessing

employment.

RecommendationsandOpenDiscussion

Spacewasthenprovidedforan“openmic”session.Thisinvolvedactiveengagementbetweenyouthandstakeholders,andwaschairedbytwoyoungpeoplewithsupportofthefacilitationteam.Thissessionallowedanyoneintheroomtospeakinresponsetowhattheyhadheardordiscussedduringthemorning,withafocusonconcretesuggestionsandactionstoensuresustainableoutcomesfromthemeeting.Oneyoungwomanwhohasbeenactivelyworkingtopreventrecruitmentofyouthintoterrorist organisations spoke passionately and effectively about this issue. Another young refugeeexpressedtheneedformorescholarships.

Several participants specifically noted in the evaluations that the stakeholders dialogue was ahighlightoftheconsultationandthattheyreallyappreciatedtheopportunitytopresenttheissuesand challenges facing young refugees directly to government andNGO actors. A few participantsexpressedfrustrationwiththeformat.Onepersonnotedthattheywerenotabletoaddressspecificissues,suchasregistration,directlytothosewiththepowertosolvethem.Anotherexpressedthathehadhopedformorespecificandaction-orientedcommitmentsfromthestakeholders.

NextSteps/FutureActionDuringthefinaldebriefmeetingwithyouthondayfourandintheirfinalwrittenevaluationforms,many of the participants expressed an interest in future engagement. They suggested creating aFacebookpage for thegroup, startingaWhatsAppgroup to stay in touch,andsettingupaSkypegrouptomeetregularlyandhelpeachothertodeveloptheiradvocacyskills.Theyouthagreedtoworktogetherontheidentifiedsolutions.Afewoftheparticipantswholiveinthecampsproposed

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that they facilitate similar consultations in the camps and thenshareoutcomeswithinternationalandnationalNGOs.Theyalsoproposed setting up a youth assembly involving refugee youthandTurkishyouth.

Evaluations DailyYouthEvaluationEvaluation toolswere used at the end of the first two days tocapture ideas, learning, and recommendations from theparticipants.At theendofdayone,participantswereasked toindicatewhat theyenjoyed,what theydidnotenjoy,andwhattheywould recommend for the next day by sharing commentsanonymouslyonapreparedflipchartsheet.Theresultsshowedthatthemajorityofparticipantshadenjoyedthedayintermsoftheactivities, the topics, the interactionsandgroupdynamics, and theopportunity to self-reflect.The negative comments focused on the challenges related to translation. Constructiverecommendations includedbetter timemanagement,more time todiscuss issues, andmorehelpwithtranslation.Attheendofdaytwo,participantswereaskedtoshareonewordtodescribetheday. Examples of the responses included: fun, consuming, useful, productive, interesting, great,beautiful,effective,good,shining,andproductive.

FinalParticipantEvaluationAt the endof day four, participants had theopportunity to comment on the extent towhich theconsultation had contributed to the intended GRYC outcomes, to share their opinions about theconsultation process and outcomes, and to recommend changes for future consultations. Formswereprovided inEnglish,with interpretersavailable tosupport thenon-Englishspeakingyouth toensure that they felt comfortable and confident in expressing themselves. The results of theevaluation,includingcomments,arenotedbelow.GRYCOutcome1:Throughmyparticipation in this consultation, I had theopportunity to identifyand discuss issues that are important to me and my community, and to develop and suggestsolutions.

• Completelyagree–12participants• Mostlyagree–8participants• Partiallyagree–1participant

“ThroughthisprocessImanagedtoexpressallmythoughtsandmyproblems…”

GRYCOutcome2:Throughmyparticipationinthisconsultation,Ihavedevelopedandimprovedmyleadershipandadvocacyskills.

• Completelyagree–11participants• Mostlyagree–7participants• Partiallyagree–1participant• Donotagree–1participant

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“Through this process, I managed to develop my skills… and develop of myself in terms ofpresentationandleadership.”“In this consultation, I learned leadership skills, analysing the problems, finding solutions, socialcommunicationwithothers.”

GRYCOutcome3:Throughmyparticipationinthisconsultation, IammoreawareoforganisationsthatIcanengagewithatalocalandnationallevel.

• Completelyagree–11participants• Mostlyagree–4participants• Partiallyagree–6participants

“ThroughmyparticipationinthisconsultationInowknowwhichorganisationsIamlookingforandwhichorganisationscanhelpme.”

“Oneoftheissuesthattheyoungrefugeefaceisbeingindarkabouttheorganisationsthattheycanseek support from. I believe that this part must be longer and more comprehensive to clarifyexpectations”.

GRYC Outcome 4: Through my participation in this consultation, I have more opportunities todeveloprelationshipswithyouthgroupsandorganisationslocally,nationally,andglobally.

• Completelyagree–10participants• Mostlyagree–5participants• Partiallyagree–6participants

“Wecancreatea‘youthassembly’.Welearnedhowtocontacttheorganisationsthatmaysupportthisidea.”

GRYC Outcome 5: Through my participation in this consultation, I understand more about theexperiencesofotherrefugeeyouthandnationalyouth.

• Completelyagree–13participants• Mostlyagree–6participants• Partiallyagree–2participants

“Thiswillhelptheyouthtounderstandthatthesearenotonlytheirproblemsandthattheyarenotaloneinthispath.”

Doyoufeelthatyouhavebeenlistenedtoatthisconsultation?

Basedontheevaluationresponses,itappearsthatmostparticipantsfeltthattheywerelistenedto.

• “Ibelievewecouldmakeourvoicesheardduringtheconsultation.”• “Yes.Theyouthwerepresentedthisopportunityatthestakeholdersmeeting.”• “Yes, we communicated to the concerned authorities directly and talked about

ourproblems.”

Whatspecificideasdoyouhaveforactionbasedonyourinvolvementinthisconsultation?

Participantshadanumberofsuggestionsforspecificfollow-upactions.

• “Participationinvoluntarycampaignstoeducaterefugeesaboutthedifferentproblems.”

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• “Establishing a centre to benefit more fromacademic refugees. Setting up a group ofyoungvolunteers.”

• “Yes, Iwanttoteach languagewithforeignersand do interpretation for hospitals for sickrefugeesforfree.”

• “Makethesamemeetingsbutonthecitylevelinordertodiscusstherelatedproblemstothecity.”

Didthisconsultationmeetyourexpectations?Pleaseexplainyouranswer:

Based on the evaluation responses, it appears thatsomeoftheparticipantswouldhaveappreciatedmoreinformationabouttheconsultation,howevermostfeltthatitmetorexceededtheirexpectations.

• “Yes,IdeliveredmyvoicetoallandIfoundsolutions.”• “Yes,itwascompleteinthesideofinformationandexercises.”• “Absolutely,itwasafunlearningexperience.”

Whatlearningareyoutakingawayfromthisconsultation?

Based on the evaluation responses, it seems that the consultation succeeded in supportingparticipants to make new friends, to analyse and speak out about the problems facing youngrefugees,tolearnadvocacyskills,andtobeinvolvedinsolutionsasevidencedinthequotessharedbelow.

• “Iamtakingawaytheinformationabouthowanumberofinstitutionsfunctionandhowwecancontactthem.”

• “IlearnedthatweyouthhavearoletosolveourproblemsandIcanbepartofthesolution.”• “Howtocommunicateourproblemsandgeneratesolutionswithdifferentstakeholders.”• “Humanbeingsofvariousraces,variouslanguages,andvariousbeliefscouldbehappyand

helpsolveeachother’sproblems.”• “I learneda lotaboutself-confidence, takingtheresponsibility,not losingthehope, feeling

theothersandtheabilitytomakedecisions.”• “First, thework of community spirit. Second,workingwith different people, refugeeswith

differentcountries.”

LessonsLearnedThisconsultationinTurkeywasthelastconsultationplannedinthisseriesofconsultationsorganisedbyUNHCR andWRC. The lessons from this consultation informed theGlobal Consultation (whichtook place inGeneva during June 2016), andwill also feed into guidance and tools developed tosupportfutureconsultations.BelowisasummaryofthemainstrengthsandchallengesencounteredinTurkey.

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Challenges

Translation was a significantchallenge throughout theconsultation. In theevaluations,several participants commentedthat theyhad some frustrationsrelatedtocommunicatingacrossthelanguagebarriersandwouldhave appreciated simultaneoustranslation. Unfortunately, simultaneous translation wasnot feasible because it would have been cumbersomeand prohibitively expensive to incorporate it into thesmallgroupworkandplenarysessions.Ensuringthatkeyexplanations were translated into relevant languagessloweddowntheprocess,leavinglesstimeforgroupstoworkontheexercises.Asaresult,someparticipantsfeltrushed. However, facilitators and organisers put a hugeeffortintotryingtoaddressthetranslationissues.Astheconsultation progressed and the facilitators and theparticipants themselves became more aware of thelanguage abilities and needs of individuals within thegroup,thetranslationproceededmuchmoresmoothly.

Managingexpectationsbeforeandaftertheconsultationisvery important. In theevaluation,oneyouthnoted,“Itwouldhavebeenuseful tohaveabetterbriefing before the actual consultation.” Another participant mentioned, “We could have beeninformedmoreabouttheupcomingactivities.”Someyouthmayhavearrivedwithexpectationsthatthe problems identified could be solved quickly by others. One participant mentioned that they“expected andwanted the consultation itself to bemore solutions- and results-oriented.” Instead,theconsultationfocusedonhowyouthcouldbeempoweredtoactivelyengageinordertobepartof the solution themselves. However, some participants seemed to really grow in theirunderstandingofhowtocopewiththeproblemsthatrefugeeyouthface.Asoneparticipantnoted,“Irealisedthatthesolutionsforsomeofproblemsaretimeconsuminganddifficult,thusIneedtobepatientandmyexpectationsshouldcopewiththereality.”

Finally, this was quite a serious and sophisticated group, many of whom are studying at theuniversity level. Some of the participants noted that they were not keen on the energisers andgamesthatwerepartofthefacilitationmethodology.

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Strengths

Acommittedandversatileteamwascrucialinmakingtheconsultationasuccess.Thecoordinationamongsttheorganisersandthefacilitatorswasstraightforward.Thewillingnessofthefacilitatorstoworkbilinguallycontributedtomanagingthechallengesoftranslation.

UNHCRTurkeyandtheNGOsthatorganized theconsultationbrought togetheradiversegroupofrefugee and national youth, both geographically and in terms of issues of their interests andexpertise. The participantswere vocal and effective in raising their issues of interest. Activists onLGBTI issueshighlightedtheneedfor inclusionandacceptanceofdifferentsexualorientationsandgenderidentities.Likewise,theyouthwithavisibledisabilitydemonstratedbyexampleandviahiscommentstheimportanceofensuringservicesandsupportfordifferentlyabledyouth.Youthwhowere knowledgeable and active onwomen’s issues and sexual and gender based violence (SGBV)were outspoken as advocates in this regard. One of the unaccompanied young refugees haddocumented some protection concerns for unaccompanied youth and raised these issues to theattention of his peers and the stakeholders. Finally, a young woman who has been an active inaddressingrecruitmentofrefugeeyouthintoradicalgroupsraisedthisissue,whichissensitive,andwhichsparkedconstructivediscussionamongsttheyouth.

Thestakeholdersdialogueincludedamixofactorswhowereinterestedandresponsivetowhattheyouthhad to say.Theyoungpeopledidanexcellent job inusing creativeapproaches tohighlightandpresentsomeofthechallengesthatyoungrefugeesface,butalsotoshowcasehowyouthcanbeinvolvedinthesolutions.Asnotedabove,manyoftheyouthcitedthestakeholdersdialogueasahighlight of the consultation. This group was particularly adept at generating and formulatingrealistic recommendations for how youth and stakeholders could work together to take positiveactiontoaddresstheproblemsandissuesidentified.

ConclusionThisconsultationbrought togetheradeterminedanddynamicgroupofyouth,manyofwhomarealreadyactivelyinvolvedintheircommunities.Alloftheparticipantsdemonstratedakeendesiretolearnfromeachotherandtoworktogether, regardlessofnationality,abilities/disabilities,gender,sexual orientation or other factors, to make their solutions a reality. That desire to make andmaintain connections will be crucial to ensuring that the momentum of this consultation issustained. Their intensive work over the four days generated many innovative ideas andrecommendationstoaddresstheissuesthatconcernthemmost.Thenewconnectionsmadewithkeyindividualsandorganisationsasaresultofthestakeholdersdialogue,canprovidepotentialfornewapproaches.This consultationhighlighted the importanceofproviding spaceandopportunityfor refugeeyouth toshare theirexperiences,voice theiropinionsand ideas,andbe recognisedasactiveandcrucialpartners.

At the time of this consultation, Turkey continues to cope with an unprecedented number ofrefugees. This consultation highlighted the value of investing in youth and recognising theirpotential as positive role models who can promote tolerance and civic engagement in theircommunities.