The health of a community profoundly affects the well-being of its members. Healthy communities are those that can offer a safe and inclusive environment and provide support to all its members. Adverse events and crisis situations can negatively affect a community, leaving its members with little to no resources to rebuild and move on.
Speaking on the topic of well-being in communities going through crisis at this year’s NEPC Primary Colors of Education conference is Kemal Vural Tarlan, researcher and documentary photographer based in Gaziantep.
Kemal Vural Tarlan is a lecturer, journalist, activist and photographer conducting cultural and anthropological research emphasizing social cohesion and immigration theories on Syrian refugees and the Dom communities living in Turkey. He is currently acting as general coordinator of Kırkayak Kültür, a non-profit organization that works with disadvantaged groups, refugees and migrants in order to contribute to social cohesion and a culture of coexistence. His articles and photographs were featured in numerous international congresses and exhibitions.
The migrant crisis that has been affecting the world since 2015 has left millions of people displaced, with around 40% of them being children under the age of 181. Mr. Tarlan has devoted considerable time documenting the lives of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Turkey. The well-being of people living in these communities has been jeopardized due to poor living conditions, economic difficulties and social discrimination. About a third of Syrian refugees in Turkey are school-age children, most of whom have been completely deprived of their right to education and forced to work on the streets to survive. Mr. Tarlan’s keynote will address how the well-being of children living in such communities can be improved and protected.
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