The “Children's Voice: Life After the Earthquake” International Symposium and Exhibition, organized in partnership with Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Save The Children Turkey, was held. A research project was carried out to understand the experiences and perspectives of children aged 5-10 living in tent and container cities affected by the February 6 earthquake. An exhibition consisting of photographs taken by children was opened to visitors.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Children affected by the earthquake react differently according to their age groups. Especially children aged 0-6 are directly affected by the attitudes of their parents or caregivers.” Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör: “This project will make a great contribution to society. To touch a child is to touch humanity.” Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer: “More than 6 million children were affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquake. Considering that such disasters may occur frequently, we must create environments that minimize negative impacts.”
Save The Children Head of Communication and Media Didem Alkan İlhan: “We gave children cameras to enable them to tell their experiences.” Prof. Dr. Lucy Bassett from the University of Virginia: “Children severely affected by the earthquake had the opportunity to express their pain and experiences.” UNICEF Head of Communication Sema Hosta: “When we give children a camera, a tool, we see what they can express.”
The “Children's Voice: Life After the Earthquake” International Symposium and Exhibition, organized in partnership with Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication New Media and Communication Department, Faculty of Health Sciences Child Development Department, Human-Centered Communication Application and Research Center (İLİMER), and Save The Children Turkey, was held at the Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall on the South Campus.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Faculty of Health Sciences Child Development Department Head Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer, Faculty of Communication Journalism Department Head Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, Faculty of Communication New Media and Communication Department Head Assoc. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, Faculty of Communication New Media and Communication (English) Department Head Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan, Save The Children Head of Communication and Media Didem Alkan İlhan, Prof. Dr. Lucy Bassett from the University of Virginia, UNICEF Head of Communication Sema Hosta, project team members, academics, and students attended the symposium.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “Children affected by the earthquake react differently according to their age groups”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who participated in the symposium with a video message, stated that with this project, they aim to increase children's resilience against negative experiences.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “This project, which evaluates life after the earthquake from the children's perspective, is very important for establishing healthy communication with children. I thank everyone who contributed to this project and touched children in the field. Children affected by the earthquake react differently according to their age groups. Especially children aged 0-6 are directly affected by the attitudes of their parents or caregivers. Children in this age group experience fewer traumatic effects as long as they are not left alone and their caregivers adopt reassuring attitudes. School-age and adolescent children, on the other hand, can gain opportunities to learn and grow from traumas. In this process, they can experience a developmental process called post-traumatic growth, where they strengthen by making sense of what they have experienced. In this project, we aim to help children develop a healthy stance by increasing their resilience against negative experiences.”
Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör: “To touch a child is to touch humanity”
Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, in her speech at the symposium, stated that making children's voices heard carries great meaning, and expressed the following:
“When children are mentioned, it touches a very sensitive point for me. This project will make a great contribution to society. To touch a child is to touch humanity. As Üsküdar Üniversitesi, in addition to our educational and scientific services, we see it as our duty to contribute to society. Universities are not only educational and scientific institutions but also institutions with great responsibilities towards society. Academicians are also the intellectual leaders of society. Therefore, contributing to society through social responsibility projects is one of the primary missions of universities. We are determined to progress in line with this mission. While children's happiness makes us happy, their sorrows affect us equally. Because the world starts with children. Happier, healthier growing children mean a more peaceful and harmonious world. Such touches are sacred and serve an important purpose. I congratulate all experts who contributed to the project and all institutions with whom we collaborate. Children are our future; every effort we make for them is part of our endeavor to turn the dream of a better world into reality.”
Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer: “With this project, we aim to be the voice of children”
Speaking at the symposium, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Child Development Department Head Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer emphasized that with this project, children's voices must be heard to ensure they live in better conditions.
Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer noted that in this symposium, they aimed to look at life after the earthquake from the children's perspective and make their voices heard, continuing as follows:
“Crises such as natural disasters and wars disrupt people's lives and affect children the most. Such negative experiences impact children more deeply. Therefore, we need to manage the process well by taking permanent and positive measures. More than 6 million children were affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquake. Considering that such disasters may occur frequently, we must create environments that minimize negative impacts. The disaster process is handled in three stages: The first stage is survival and meeting basic needs. The second stage is returning to normal. The third stage is 'doing better,' which means not just returning to the past but building stronger and safer structures. We must now move to this final stage and ensure that children live in better conditions. Listening to children and making their voices heard is a beginning for building a stronger society. With this project, we aim to be the voice of children.”
Didem Alkan İlhan: “They were the heroes of this process; we only provided support”
Save The Children Head of Communication and Media Didem Alkan İlhan, in her speech at the symposium, stated, “We are here to understand life after the earthquake from the children's perspective. This symposium is very valuable for seeing children's viewpoints. We gave children cameras, enabling them to tell their experiences. As a result, children's sense of responsibility and self-confidence increased, and their photography skills developed. This project enabled children affected by the earthquake to participate in social life and created sustainable communication beyond meeting immediate needs. This project also allowed children to see that they could improve their living conditions. They were the heroes of this process; we only provided support.”
Prof. Dr. Lucy Bassett: “They had the opportunity to express their own pain and experiences”
Prof. Dr. Lucy Bassett from the University of Virginia, who attended the symposium, stated, “I am happy to be here from America. There are three main reasons why we are carrying out this project. Firstly, we brought together a very valuable team. It was a wonderful experience to work with all the project team members who guided us, and all the participants who brought us together with the children and enabled us to collect data from them. My project team here and the team from Üsküdar Üniversitesi were very creative and intelligent. We used the 'Children's Voice' method as a new approach in the project, and this was made possible thanks to them. Secondly, I am very excited about using a new methodology in this project. This method has strong potential to allow us to hear children's voices. Thirdly, this method enabled children to actively and effectively participate in the work. Children severely affected by the earthquake had the opportunity to express their own pain and experiences.”
Sema Hosta: “Each one has a trauma and a story”
UNICEF Head of Communication Sema Hosta stated that the symposium was a study that took critical steps in a very important period, saying, “Everyone here knows how important children's voices are. When we give children a camera, a tool, we see what they can express. After earthquakes, when we talk about losses, we mostly talk about numbers. We say '50 thousand people died,' but in reality, each one had an identity. Mothers, fathers, neighbors, and children...”
Hosta also explained that children were among these losses and that the effects on these children still continue, saying, “On the 8th day after the earthquake, we were able to open our child-friendly centers. We came from Ankara and established the centers. A child expressed, ‘I feel the fear of the earthquake under my hands and feet.’ This is not something to be forgotten. Another child had asked his mother to put his bed on the floor on the night of the earthquake. He was able to survive thanks to this but remained under the rubble for 28 hours. Healing the wounds of the earthquake will not be easy. Each one has a trauma and a story. Our work will not end; we will not forget our children. We must give these children more voice and support.”
Panel session held
Following the opening speeches, the panel session commenced. The panel was chaired by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin. Prof. Dr. Lucy Bassett, a faculty member from the University of Virginia, gave a presentation on the project's definition. Save The Children Turkey Communication Specialist Ayşe Nur Gençalp provided information on the project's implementation.
A research project was carried out to understand the experiences and perspectives of children aged 5-10 living in tent and container cities affected by the February 6 earthquake. In this project, the 'Photovoice' technique was used for children to express their experiences. Through the photographs they took, children revealed what kind of life they desired.
Photographs analyzed and interpreted
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication New Media and Communication Department Head Assoc. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication New Media and Communication (English) Department Head Assoc. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan performed the interpretation and analysis of the photographs taken by children.
They mostly photographed the sky, flowers, and animals…
Themes such as ‘Sky’, ‘Flowers’, ‘Bicycles’, ‘Art’, ‘Family Bonds, Friends, and Animals’, ‘Having a Say Over Conditions’, ‘Longing for Home and Familiar Places’, and ‘Trees and Green Areas’ were most prominent in the children's photographs.
In photos with the ‘Sky’ theme, concepts like escape, hope, and freedom were interpreted as prominent. In this context, it was suggested that activities such as sky-gazing events and kite festivals could improve children's well-being. In photos with the ‘Flower’ theme, an effort to find inner peace was expressed. In this context, it was emphasized that activities such as tree-planting events and garden workshops could be beneficial for children's psychology.
Establishment of art workshops for children recommended
In photos with the ‘Bicycle’ theme, children were observed to draw attention to movement and freedom. In this context, it was discussed that bicycle paths could be built for children. In photos with the ‘Art’ theme, creativity and self-expression efforts were seen. In this context, it was stated that establishing art workshops for children and increasing environments decorated with artworks could help children feel better.
In photos with the ‘Family Bonds, Friends, and Animals’ theme, feelings of love and togetherness came to the forefront. In this context, it was emphasized that children's bonds with each other could be strengthened through games and collective activities. Based on photos with the ‘Having a Say Over Conditions’ theme, it was suggested that children's views should be taken into account when designing container cities and containers.
In photos with the ‘Longing for Home and Familiar Places’ theme, a sense of loss was observed to be prominent. In this context, it was emphasized that therapies and group activities could be beneficial. In photos with the ‘Trees and Green Areas’ theme, connection with nature and a sense of relaxation were observed to be prominent. In this context, it was discussed that tree and flower planting activities could be beneficial.
Findings also evaluated from a child development perspective
At the end of the panel, Assist. Prof. Dr. Demet Gülaldı and Res. Asst. Seher Sav from Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Child Development Department also evaluated the findings from a child development perspective.
The symposium concluded with a group photo session after participants' questions were answered. Afterwards, the "Life After the Earthquake Through Children's Eyes" photography exhibition in the lobby area was visited. The exhibition, consisting of photographs taken by earthquake-affected children, attracted great interest. The exhibition, featuring 25 photographs, will be open for a week.