Sharing What We Learn
Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion Project Notes || November, 2025
November was a month of shared experience within the SEECO community. The preparation and establishment phases that shaped the early period of the project are now giving way to trainings, hands-on activities, and visible results. As the work carried out in the centers and facilities progresses, the need to share these experiences and learn from one another grows as well.
During this month’s gatherings, teams from different provinces asked each other the same questions: What did we do well? Where did we struggle, and where did we grow stronger?
A method learned in one center inspired another city; a step toward success taken by one entrepreneur encouraged someone else. At the community meetings, grant-supported entrepreneurs, facility and center implementers, and the project team had the opportunity to evaluate the impact of their work and learn from each other.
November reminded us once again that a project grows through a community that exchanges experiences.
And this is exactly what is happening within SEECO; with each experience we share, the path we walk together becomes a little clearer.
What Happened in the Field in November?
SEECO Community Inspiration Talks
As part of our Inspirational Entrepreneur Talks series, in November we hosted Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu, the founder of Puduhepa and Her Sisters. A social entrepreneur herself, Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu has created employment for 97 women through her initiative, and the income from the social enterprise supports the education of 155 girls. She shared her experiences transitioning from the corporate sector to founding her enterprise in 2018, touching on topics such as team building, establishing institutional memory, community building, and marketing strategies.
Facility & Center Exchange Meetings
Within this new series designed to enable experience sharing among our 88 operational facilities and centers, we held two meetings in November. In the first session, DOĞAKA, and in the second, three projects from the Çukurova Development Agency region shared their center activities and lessons learned. These meetings also explored collaboration opportunities among centers, while grant beneficiaries gained the chance to follow this component of the SEECO project and stay informed about centers and facilities in nearby regions.
SEECO Project Team & World Bank Mission Meetings
Following meetings in Ankara, we visited grant beneficiaries and the facilities and centers established under the project in Diyarbakır and Mardin to assess progress in the field.
Accompanied by the Karacadağ Development Agency and the Dicle Development Agency, our field visits included:
In Diyarbakır: Hanımeller Livelihood Facility, Decorative Stone Processing Social Entrepreneurship Center, and Dicle Innovative Young Entrepreneurs Support Center.
In Mardin: Gluten-Free Products Livelihood Facility, E-Sports Social Entrepreneurship Center, and the Social Entrepreneurship Incubation Center.
These visits provided an opportunity to observe the impact of ongoing work in the region firsthand.
Madalyon Game Jam Digital Game Development Event
The Digital Game Development Academy, established under our project, is organizing the Madalyon Game Jam Digital Game Development Event at the Mehmet Arıkan Social Entrepreneurship Center which was also launched with SEECO support. The event will take place in partnership with Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University and Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality between 5–7 December 2025.
Kahramanmaraş SOGEM – Technopark Collaboration and Trainings
SOGEM, which works to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation, enhance social innovation capacity, and establish a sustainable platform for joint work, held an important information and consultation meeting hosted by Kahramanmaraş Technopark. The meeting covered potential collaborative projects, support mechanisms for young entrepreneurs, and new opportunities to strengthen regional cooperation.
Additionally, the center organized an Artificial Intelligence Training for participants seeking to adapt to digital transformation processes. The training was delivered by the Head of the Software Engineering Department of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University between 3–5 November.
Cooking Competition: Urfa is Looking for Its Chef
At the Haliliye Gastronomy Training Center established with SEECO Project support, the “Urfa is Looking for Its Chef” cooking competition is being held to preserve local flavors and contribute to gastronomic tourism. The competition, which will take place in December, aims to promote the rich cuisine of Şanlıurfa, protect traditional culinary heritage, and add value to gastronomy tourism. Participants will prepare traditional Urfa dishes before a jury, and winners will receive various awards.
Increasing Women’s Participation in Economic Life Through Agricultural Production Project
A new facility has become operational in the Karacadağ Development Agency region: the Increasing Women’s Participation in Economic Life Through Agricultural Production Project.
The facility plans to provide practical and theoretical training to 100 women, equipping them with comprehensive knowledge and skills in greenhouse cultivation, food drying, and packaging. The aim is to support women in establishing their own businesses and to ensure that women who previously had to migrate for seasonal agricultural work can instead work in their hometowns using the skills they acquire.
Mardin: Agricultural Technologies Shared-Use Center & Ecological Agriculture School Project
Within the “Agricultural Technologies Shared-Use Center and Ecological Agriculture School Project” run by the Ömerli Agriculture Directorate, farmers received trainings on Food Hygiene and Production, Occupational Health and Safety, and the Use of Agricultural Tools and Machinery.
Mardin: Software Entrepreneurship and E-Sports Center Youth Office Project
Within the “Mardin Software Entrepreneurship and E-Sports Center Youth Office Project” run by the Mardin Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, young people received trainings in 3D MAX, Object-Oriented Coding, Design, E-Sports Literacy, Digital Skills, and Artificial Intelligence.
Two Major Achievements from Adana R&D and Social Entrepreneurship Center Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries of the Adana R&D and Social Entrepreneurship Center achieved significant success at the Roborave Germany Robotics Competition held last week in Lörrach, Germany. The robotics team “Adana,” formed by three young beneficiaries, won first place in the line-following robot category—completing all rounds in the shortest time among competitors from Mexico, Greece, Switzerland, and Germany.
Two women entrepreneurs from the same center also reached the finals of the “My Idea, My Future” competition, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB). Their robotic glove project, designed to support the daily lives of individuals with disabilities, successfully passed the jury evaluation thanks to its technological and social-impact-oriented approach.
Pastry, Barista, and Beauty Workshops in Mersin
Trainings continue at the Beauty Workshop, Pastry Workshop, and Barista Workshop established in the Erdemli district of Mersin under SEECO, aiming to strengthen the vocational skills of women and young people.
As we witness the project’s impact in the field, we understand even more clearly that a project becomes sustainable through a community that shares its work and learns collectively. With each meeting, each training session, and each facility, the experiences emerging along the way make this journey more meaningful and stronger. The collective effort rising from cities across Anatolia reminds us that progress grows when shared, learning accelerates when exchanged, and our light expands when we walk together.
As the SEECO community, we continue to move forward on the same path, sharing, learning, and growing together.