The last of the volunteer trainings offered by Project Lift, the main psychosocial support program of Maya Vakfı since 2014, was held at Boğaziçi University. To date, the Foundation trained a total of 350 volunteers, including new participants who will be able to help therapists in the very important field of “psychosocial support”.
Of all the volunteers – with a vast majority aged between 18 and 24 – from various countries, 151 can actively work in the field at any moment. All the volunteers speak English, mostly English – Turkish, and 87 both Arabic and English, as well as limited Turkish. This creates a great opportunity in terms of providing psychosocial support for institutions working in the field with Middle Eastern refugees.
After applications for volunteering are received at regular intervals, groups complete their orientation and are then trained by clinicians. Available volunteers that successfully complete their training processes are tasked with supporting the clinical team in workshops as part of Project Lift. Volunteers who gain field experience during workshops then reinforce their social connections through bonding activities organised afterwards.
