Balat Child and Youth Center Works
In our Balat Child and Youth Center, which was opened in 2017, we provide psychosocial support and child protection services to children exposed to trauma. Within the scope of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program, we organize group sessions in the center to help children cope with difficult situations and establish safe relationships, and we offer individual therapy services to children in need. We also provide Positive Parenting Skills training, psycho-education support on trauma and child development to parents or caregivers.
Within the scope of the Child Protection Program, we provide protection services for children and adults and conduct consultancy and guidance activities for people who are deprived of their basic rights. You can find the types of volunteering in Balat Child and Youth Center below.
Welcoming Room Volunteer
School Support Group Volunteer
Group Sessions Volunteer
Parental Training Session Volunteer
Hospital Support Volunteer
Off-Center Activity or One-Time Psychosocial Support Activity Volunteer
Welcoming Room Volunteer
The Welcoming Room is an activity room that every child enrolled in the Balat Child and Youth Center can come and use for 30 minutes a day to have fun, relax and have a good time. There are different materials in the room for activities with children. Our volunteers, who choose this type of volunteering, accompany the children who will spend 30 minutes in the Welcoming Room, and carry out activities with the children with the available materials when necessary.
- The Welcoming Room volunteers are required to attend regularly for 12 weeks (3 months) on the days and time they choose, once a week.
- The Welcome Room is open 7 days a week. You can support with a single session on weekdays and two different sessions on weekends.
The Welcoming Room is open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 13.00-17.30, and on Saturday and Sunday between 10.00- 16.30 (Session 1) and 13.00-17.30 (Session 2).
School Support Group Volunteer
The School Support Group is a group work that helps children build relationships based on trust and develop their academic skills. In this type of volunteering, each volunteer is matched with a child. Volunteers continue to work with the same child every week in accordance with the specified day and time.
- It takes place every Monday or Friday, 11.00-13.00. Depending on the availability of the children and the center, the days and hours may change periodically. The information on the form is updated in case of changes in the day and time.
- Each volunteer is matched with one child and regularly participates in the activity for one semester of education (4 months).
- Throughout the term, support is given to the development of children’s academic, social and language skills.
- Feedback is received from the volunteers after each session. Towards the end of the term, an evaluation is made with all volunteers.
Group Sessions Volunteer
The Group Sessions we hold at our Balat Child and Youth Center are 10-week structured sessions, the content of which is created using art therapy methods and conducted by clinical psychologists. Students of the psychology department are mainly accepted to the sessions.
Sessions last one day a week, 2 hours a day for a total of 10 weeks.
The Group Sessions volunteers are expected to:
- Observe actively and report to clinical psychologists when needed
- Support the organization process
- Prepare pre-session materials
- Collect the materials after the session
- Provide translation support for Arabic speaking beneficiaries if needed.
When a new group is created, the date and time information will be given by the Volunteer Program team.
Parental Training Session Volunteer
Parental Training Session is the informative sessions we hold with families to improve the negative effects of trauma on children and improve learning with positive methods.
Parental training session volunteers are expected to:
- Support the organization process in the sessions
- Take care of the children of the parents participating in the training in another activity room
- Provide translation support for Arabic speaking beneficiaries if needed.
When a new session is created, the date and time information will be shared by the Volunteer Program team.
Hospital Support Volunteer
With the Hospital Support service we offer within the scope of our Child Protection Program, we support children and their families in accessing hospitals and health services.
Hospital Support volunteers are expected to:
- Meet the family whose appointment was made by the Child Protection Unit at the hospital and accompany the family throughout the process
- Provide Arabic-Turkish translation support, if needed.
There is no specific day and time, in case of need, volunteers from the general pool are informed and the suitable ones are placed for the assignment.
Off-Center Activity or One-Time Psychosocial Support Activity Volunteer
It covers the volunteering process for activities outside the center in order to realize social and cultural activities with children. It is a one-off volunteering type that lasts 5-6 hours on average. It is expected that the volunteers involved in this type of volunteerism have already volunteered in different areas of the center. For this type of volunteering, new volunteers who have not volunteered at the Maya Foundation are not preferred, our current volunteers are placed.
Off-Center Activity volunteers are expected to:
- Accompany children at the service
- Support different operations and coordination processes such as communicating with children and teams about arrival and departure times
- Accompany children throughout the day.
If you want to take part in Balat Child and Youth Center activities,
do not forget to mark this field on the application form!
OFFICE
Akat Mahallesi Öztürk Sokak No:3 34335
Akatlar Beşiktaş İstanbul Türkiye
Tel: +90 (531) 980 72 37 // +90 (212) 351 00 20
BALAT CHILD AND YOUTH CENTER
Fener Mahallesi Tevkii Cafer Mektebi Sokak No:24
Balat Fatih İstanbul Türkiye
Tel: +90 (212) 525 25 36
E-MAIL
info@mayavakfi.org
