Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The details of the project, which set out with the slogan #BirlikteDüşlüyoruz, were shared today at a press conference attended by TOBB Türkiye Creative Industries President Ata Kavame, Netflix Türkiye, Middle East and Africa Public Relations Director Pelin Mavili, Theater Cooperative Chairman Yeşim Özsoy and Needs Map Executive Director Evren Aydoğan.

Special tents will be set up in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş for the ‘Colorful Dreams Stage’, which sets out with the slogan #BirlikteDüşlüyoruz. The activities of the project, which will be carried out six days a week, will include different theater plays, workshops, drama studies, concerts, street performances, film and documentary screenings examined and approved by expert psychologists.

- Joining forces for children

Organized with the organizational power and support of the Creative Industries Council of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, which is the intersection point of art and art economy for creative industries, the project will be designed and executed by the Theater Cooperative, which was established with the power of more than 70 private theaters. Netflix, the leading entertainment service, will finance the project as well as provide the film and documentary content to be screened. The Needs Map, which has been working in the field since the first day, will identify the needs in the region for the project and provide operational support.

- TOBB Türkiye Creative Industries Council President Ata Kavame

TOBB Türkiye Creative Industries Council President Ata Kavame said at a press conference held in İstanbul on Tuesday, April 18, to share the project with the public:

“We know that dreaming, working to achieve their dreams, that is, to hope again, to nurture hope, is the most important step for the healing of people of all ages.

We want the losses of our young children who have suffered great pain to be replaced by colorful dreams, stories that will open their horizons and ideas that will excite them. We want to inspire children, to bring back curious sparkling eyes. We want to focus their minds on a future where they can dream.

It is a day gifted to the children of the world by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, who put forward this vision almost a century ago. As he once again pointed out, with the awareness and responsibility that the most valuable treasure of a country is its children, we will be there for our future and our children, starting from April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.”

- Netflix Türkiye, Middle East and North Africa Public Relations Director Pelin Mavili

Netflix Türkiye, Middle East and North Africa Public Relations Director Pelin Mavili drew attention to the importance of the creative sector joining forces to heal the wounds of the disaster our country is experiencing. Mavili continued his words as follows: “We believe in the healing, 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 our children in the earthquake region.”

- Theater Cooperative Chairman Yeşim Özsoy

Yeşim Özsoy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Theater Cooperative, said: “Theater, which constitutes the basic building blocks of culture and art life, has always been a great driving force to heal the wounds of society in times of crisis. In this project, with the combined power of theater, music and cinema, we set out to create as much color as we can in our streets, beautiful dreams in our minds and stages and spaces that can benefit our children. I would like to express our gratitude to Netflix and TOBB Creative Industries Council for supporting us in realizing our Colorful Dreams Stage project, which emerged with the joint decision and participation of our theaters, and to the Needs Map that is with us in the field. Despite all the difficulties, we are excited to put a smile 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 state of hope.’”

- Needs Map Executive Director Evren Aydoğan

Evren Aydoğan, Executive Director of Needs Map, said, “When the Theater Cooperative first shared the idea of doing a project for children in earthquake regions, we welcomed it with excitement. Since the first moment of the earthquake, we continue to meet the needs in the affected areas with all our coordination networks. On the other hand, by analyzing the existing and emerging needs in the regions, we continue to work with our cooperative structure and collective perspective as the Needs Map to target social benefit with the right stakeholders and project partners.” Aydoğan continued his words as follows. “This project is also valuable for us, which coincides with our strategic plans in this period when we prioritize renewal and development in the regions, and that the Theater Cooperative wants to make a difference with an artistic touch, not temporarily, but permanently. We started to work with planning the process with our logistics and communication network in Hatay and Maraş regions.As a stakeholder of this valuable project, which will last for 2 months in 2 provinces, we are happy to be a partner in many stories together.”