TEDXVEFAWOMEN

Sponsored by TÜRGEV, TEDxVefaWomen was held on December 15, 2019, at the Bağlarbaşı Congress and Culture Center under the theme “Shine Your Courage.” The event aimed to share the inspiring stories of academic, artistic, and entrepreneurial women from all across Turkey whose lives are filled with creativity and determination, with the hope of spreading courage and honoring their efforts.

One of the First “TEDxWomen” Events in Turkey

TÜRGEV, which strives to support every step taken toward increasing the visibility of women and girls in public life, sponsored TEDxVefaWomen, one of the first TEDx events in Turkey organized under the “Women” theme. TEDx is a global platform for sharing "ideas worth spreading" and is open to everyone with a story to tell.

Hosted at the Bağlarbaşı Congress and Culture Center, the event featured women from across Turkey who have made significant contributions in their respective fields.

The speakers included:

• Writer, screenwriter, and storyteller Beyza Akyüz

• Founder of Hevsel Bahçesi brand Şehadet Çitil

• Village teacher Derya Çok

• Mental health counselor Pınar Kobaş Sıçrar

• President of Afşar Bala’m Women’s Cooperative Figen Ar

• Co-founder of SchoolX Ayşe Seyyide Kaptaner

• Academic Yaylagül Ceran Karataş

• Composer, pianist, and interior architect Büşra Kayıkçı

• Co-founder of Assalam Foundation Nazan Yalçınkaya

• Art historian Başak Burcu Eke

• Opera singer Funda Güllü

• General Manager of Usturlab Sümeyye Ceylan

• CEO of Biolive and President of the Turkish Youth Clubs Confederation Duygu Yılmaz

• Volunteer from the Play Studies – OÇA Solidarity Network Efruze Esra Alptekin

Each talk shared a common purpose: to help women express their existing courage and amplify their powerful actions and voices in alignment with the event’s theme.

“Women Can Be the Heroes of Inspiring Stories”

Inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s words,

“We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains,”

TÜRGEV Chairwoman Dr. Fatmanur Altun shared her thoughts on the event:

“A significant part of our work focuses on girls. As a foundation dedicated to girls’ education, we wanted to take part in such a meaningful event.”