TOBB Turkey Creative Industries Council, in collaboration with Netflix, Theatre Cooperative, and Needs Map, is launching the “Renkli Hayaller Sahnesi” project to bring together earthquake-affected children with the healing power of art. Within the scope of the project, theater plays, workshops, concerts, and film screenings will be organized every day.

The details of the project, which was launched with the slogan “BirlikteDüşlüyoruz” (We Dream Together), were shared today at a press conference attended by TOBB Turkey Creative Industries President Ata Kavame, Netflix Turkey, Middle East and Africa Public Relations Director Pelin Mavili, Theatre Cooperative Board Chairman Yesim Ozsoy, and Needs Map Executive Director Evren Aydogan.

ISTANBUL, April 18, 2023 – Turkey Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Council’s Creative Industries Council, Netflix, Theatre Cooperative, and Needs Map are joining forces to support children in the earthquake-affected areas. The “Renkli Hayaller Sahnesi” project, implemented in collaboration with four institutions, will begin on April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, and will continue for two months.

Tents will be set up in Hatay and Kahramanmaras for the “Renkli Hayaller Sahnesi” project, which is launched with the slogan “BirlikteDüşlüyoruz”. Among the activities that will be held six days a week within the scope of the project, different theater plays, workshops, drama studies, concerts, street performances, film, and documentary screenings, which have been examined and approved by expert psychologists, will be included.

They United Their Forces for Children

The organization and support of the project, which is the intersection point of art and art economy for the creative industries, will be carried out by the Theatre Cooperative, established by more than 70 private theaters, with the organizational power and support of the Turkey Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Council’s Creative Industries Council. The leading entertainment service, Netflix, will provide the project’s funding and also provide the film and documentary content to be shown. Needs Map, which has been working in the field since the first day, will identify the needs in the region and provide operational support for the project.

Speaking at the press conference held in Istanbul on Tuesday, April 18, to share the project with the public, Ata Kavame, President of the Turkey Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Council’s Creative Industries Council, said, “We know that dreaming, working to achieve your dreams, and thus regaining hope and nurturing hope are the most important steps for the healing of people of all ages.

We want colorful dreams, stories that will broaden their horizons, and exciting ideas to replace the losses of our children who have experienced great pains. We want to inspire children and bring back the sparkle in their curious eyes. We want to focus their minds on a future where they can dream.

April 23rd is a day dedicated to children all over the world and it was the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who presented this vision almost a century ago. Once again, starting from the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day on April 23rd, with the awareness and responsibility that the most valuable treasure of a country is its children, we will be there for our children of the future, just as Atatürk pointed out.

Pelin Mavili, the Public Relations Director for Netflix Turkey, Middle East, and North Africa, highlighted the importance of the creative industry working together to heal the wounds of our country’s recent disaster. Mavili continued her words as follows: “We believe in the healing and unifying power of art and creative activities. With the ‘Colorful Dreams Stage’ project, we hope to make a small contribution to both the present and the future of the children in the earthquake zone.”

Yeşim Özsoy, the Chairman of the Theater Cooperative Board, said: “The theater, which is one of the fundamental building blocks of cultural and artistic life, has always been a great driving force in healing society’s wounds during times of crisis. In this project, we set out to create colorful streets, beautiful dreams in our minds, and scenes and spaces that could benefit our children with the collective power of theater, music, and cinema. I would like to express our gratitude to Netflix and the TOBB Creative Industries Council, who supported us in realizing our Colorful Dreams Stage project, and to the Need Map, who was with us in the field. Despite all the difficulties, we are excited to create smiles on our children’s faces and offer them unforgettable experiences. As Aristotle said, ‘hope is the awakening of the dream,’ and art is the highest form of hope.

The Implementation Director of the Needs Map, Evren Aydoğan, said, “When the Theater Cooperative first shared the idea of ​​creating a project for children in earthquake zones, we welcomed it with enthusiasm. From the moment of the earthquake, we continue to meet the needs in the affected areas with all our coordination networks. At the same time, we continue to work with the right stakeholders and project partners as the Needs Map, analyzing the existing and emerging needs in the regions, and targeting social benefit with our cooperative structure and collective perspective.”

Aydoğan continued, “In this project, which prioritizes renewal and development in the regions, and which overlaps with our strategic plans in this period, it is also valuable for us that the Theater Cooperative aims to make a difference with a permanent artistic touch, not just a temporary one. We have started planning the process and our work with our logistics and communication network in Hatay and Maraş regions. As a stakeholder in this valuable project that will last for 2 months in 2 cities, we are happy to be a part of many stories together.”

Source: (BYZHA) Beyaz Haber Ajansı.