We Are All In The Same Boat
Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion Project Notes || March, 2025
Even though we face storms from time to time, it is solidarity and hope that determine our direction. Recognizing that we are all in the same boat, we know that the struggle of one is the challenge of all, and the success of one is the hope of all.
In a world of increasing economic challenges, social inequalities, and environmental threats, our strongest foundation for survival and progress is to strengthen our local economy together. Strengthened by the labor of our entrepreneurs, the solidarity of cooperatives, the productivity of women, and the creativity of young people, the SEECO community produces together, heals together and grows together.
Each entrepreneur in our ecosystem is like an oar that strengthens our economy, each center is like a compass that keeps us going. This ship is a journey of hope that we steer together. And on this journey, we are working together for a more just, inclusive and strong local economy.
What Happened on the Ground in March?
General Status of Grants: 1,562 Grants from 20,000 Applications
Since 2023, nearly 20,000 people have applied for the Grant Program, which was carried out in 5 Development Agency regions under the first component of the project.
More than 4,000 people participated in training programs.
5,000 people submitted business plans.
1,562 entrepreneurs received grant support.
Grant payment processes are ongoing for entrepreneurs who benefited from the 2nd Call in Adana and Mersin, and the 2nd and 3rd Calls in Mardin. Grant processes in Çukurova and Dicle Development Agencies were actively carried out in March.
Activities in Social Entrepreneurship Centers Gained Momentum
Social Entrepreneurship Centers and Livelihood Facilities established under the second component of the project also gained significant momentum in March. Of the 92 projects with signed contracts, 40 became operational. The activities carried out in some of the centers that became operational are as follows:
🧁 One More Step to Healthy Living - Gluten Free Products Project
As part of the project that held in Mardin, a 2-week training program on the production and marketing of gluten-free products for celiac patients was launched. Trainings;
Gluten-free product recipes
Production techniques
Food safety
It covers topics such as e-commerce, marketing and service management.
🛠️ Silk Road Gaziantep Digital Manufacturing Livelihood Facility (GESOB)
In the facility, which started its activities with the aim of expanding digital production processes:
Digital skills of enterprises in the manufacturing sector are supported.
Through vocational training, especially the employment of young people is targeted.
Silk Road Gaziantep Digiimalat Livelihood Facility
💡 İpekyolu Young Social Entrepreneurship Center
Aiming to increase the number of social enterprises in Gaziantep, spread the entrepreneurship culture and strengthen the ecosystem, the activities carried out at the center offer tools that will enable young people to develop their business ideas and transform these ideas into sustainable business models.
The Center hosted an important training program with the participation of young entrepreneurs and academics on 27 February 2025. The training was given by TÜBİTAK expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melih Yıldırım.
Participants attended day-long sessions;
TUBITAK support programs,
New methods in academic research,
Strategies to be followed in project funding,
Effective budget planning,
Risk analysis and management,
He worked on critical topics such as artificial intelligence-supported project writing.
With such activities, GİBTÜ Social Entrepreneurship Center encourages young people to see entrepreneurship as a career option while making them the subject of regional development. In the coming period, the Center will continue to support young people with similar activities and increase social impact-oriented projects.
📌 5th Steering Committee Held
The fifth meeting of the Steering Committee, which is an important part of the governance processes of the SEECO Project, was held in March at the Ankara Development Agency office with face-to-face and online participation.
The meeting was attended by many stakeholder organizations such as Ahmet Şimşek, Director General of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Directorate of Migration Management, General Directorate on the Status of Women, General Directorate of Agricultural Reform. The current status of the project was evaluated; ideas were exchanged to strengthen the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and produce sustainable solutions.
The following topics in particular came to the forefront during the meeting:
The impact of grant programs on the ground,
Sustainability and functionality of the centers,
Community building process and expanding the network of beneficiaries,
Gains in the integration of youth and women into economic life.
The SEECO Project committee meeting, which adopted a transparency, accountability and multi-stakeholder governance approach, once again demonstrated that SEECO is a strong partnership model based on inter-institutional trust. Participants emphasized their determination to strengthen the common vision and establish a sustainable social entrepreneurship model.
💬 Stronger Together
The SEECO Project is all about producing together, learning together and growing stronger together. Every activity throughout March reinforced these shared values. As long as we remember that we are all in the same boat together, we can safely navigate even the roughest waters.