Together in Konya

About this project

Together in Konya: One Team, Many Stories brought young people with and without a disability together in an international programme built around accessibility, cooperation and having a say.

From 22 August to 7 September 2025, 36 young participants and their support persons came together in Konya, Turkey. In total the group counted 55 people from Morocco, Turkey, the Netherlands and other countries. The project was carried out with the Turkish youth organisation Genç Kültür Gençlik Derneği, Volunteer in Morocco and TEBSA.

Seven participants had a visual or intellectual disability. The blind participants each had their own support person, and the participants with an intellectual disability were supported by regular staff from Al-Awael. These support persons had no other task, also not during the journey from Morocco to Turkey. At a dance performance, support persons described the stage while it was happening, so that participants who could not see everything could also follow the performance.

The programme consisted of inclusive games, creative workshops, cultural visits and evenings where participants shared their cultures with each other. The participants also helped shape the programme.

"The project gave me the confidence that maybe I could become a coach in future projects," said one participant.