The Advisory Board meeting we held as the Vicdan Foundation on Friday evening, July 5, witnessed important discussions on social conscience and sensitivity. We held a productive meeting under the leadership of our Foundation President Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, with the participation of the foundation board members and advisory board members.
There was an in-depth exchange of views on the insensitivity of society towards refugees and minorities. In particular, the insensitivity of the religious segment towards Palestine and refugees was addressed in a striking manner.
The foundation’s current conscience studies and projects were also evaluated in detail. Ümit Aktaş and Şanar Yurdatapan emphasized the social impact of these studies and suggested new areas to focus on in order to be more productive. Areas such as LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and conscientious objection were among the topics suggested to be included in our foundation’s field of work. The exemplary behaviors of the week project was seen as an important step in creating and encouraging positive examples in society.
The importance of investigating the reasons for the insensitivity of society on certain issues was emphasized. Abdülbaki Erdoğmuş emphasized the deficiencies in the field of social psychology and stated that universities should conduct more research on these issues. It was stated that providing society with accurate information is of critical importance in making conscientious decisions.
The view that society should be informed about disadvantaged groups and awareness should be increased was also widely accepted. It was stated that misperceptions about Roma people should be corrected and that society should be more conscious of these issues. Günal Kurşun stated that providing society with accurate information on this issue is of critical importance in making conscientious decisions.
In the discussions held on the development of the foundation's purpose and vision, it was suggested that groups that were marginalized by the state be added to the social media purpose statement and that reason and science be included in the vision statement. Muammer Bilgiç stated that the foundation's areas of work should be expanded and that animal rights and environmental issues should also be addressed.
Ways to create an agenda to increase social awareness were also discussed. It was stated that the parliament, media and social media should be used effectively. Yücel Tutal emphasized the importance of bringing the views of academics and experts to the agenda.
At the meeting, Şanar Yurdatapan also stated that it would be more appropriate for the foundation to focus its limited resources on specific areas of work rather than trying to do many things at once. Abdülbaki Erdoğmuş and Günal Kurşun emphasized that the foundation should be careful to stay out of the realm of politics and law and that it would be beneficial for each topic it addresses to focus only on the aspects related to conscience. Hasan Herken drew attention to the importance of the foundation visiting authorized persons and institutions to remind them of the dimension of conscience. Yücel Tutal stated that it was critical for the foundation to produce the information that conscience needs in its work.
In conclusion, the Conscience Foundation Advisory Board meeting hosted important discussions on social conscience and sensitivity. The importance of our projects aimed at creating awareness in society, defending the rights of disadvantaged groups and encouraging conscientious behavior was revealed once again. The results of this meeting will play an important role in guiding our foundation's future projects.
As the Vicdan Foundation, we will continue our efforts to strengthen social awareness and conscience with determination. We will continue our efforts for a just and equal world that embraces all segments of society.
At a time when the basic human values of society are eroding, when cruelty and heartlessness dominate the masses, when rights of others and human rights are disregarded, and when communication and interaction areas between individuals and groups have disappeared, we, as the Vicdan Foundation, have also understood the accuracy of our determination to create an oasis where human values are kept alive and where everyone in need can take shelter.
Our commitment to transparency, openness and accountability further enhances the importance of the Advisory Board to us. We would like to thank our Advisory Board members for giving us their valuable time and sharing their views with us to enlighten our path.
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