Theme: Future is common(s)

Commons indicates all natural gifts and human artifacts that belong equally to all of us such as air, oceans, forests and wildlife as well as libraries, public spaces, scientific research and creative works. Recently, the word has gained a new meaning “as a new way of looking at the world, one that opens up the competitive, mechanistic, profit-centric mindset that has ruled Western civilization since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, with a more humanistic, environmentally aware and holistic world view”

This new understanding of commons reveals itself as social and political movement in two different gatherings. On the one hand, citizens assemble more eagerly and frequently to protect the natural and social commons in the form of protest movements or associative initiatives. On the other hand, commons has also become a paradigm of new collective gatherings that offer new ways of social organization, creation and socialization.

This new socio-economic phenomenon goes beyond the simple dichotomy between the state and the market and offers a new combination of both of these by paving the way to individual endeavors within more collective contexts as they are neither motivated by personal profit nor subsidized by public funds.

In the TEDx Event we propose, we plan to share experiences on these new grounds of commons from Turkey and abroad with the hope of inspiring many others.

Divan Mersin
Gazi Mustafa Kemal Bulvarı No:612
Yenişehir
Mersin, Mersin, 33160
Turkey

Agah Aydın

Psychiatrist

Agah Aydın graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine and worked as a research assistant for two years in the clinics of Biochemistry and Chest Diseases. He specialized in psychiatry in Bakırköy Mazhar Osman Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital. He is working as a supportive psychotherapy trainer and freelance physician in İstanbul. He has been a member of the "Turkish Psychiatric Association" (TPD) "Central Board Member" and "Scientific Meetings Regulation Executive Committee" for two years between 2009-2011. He served as a member of the TPD regulatory board in six national conventions and he is a member of the scientific committee of the World Psychiatric Association Thematic Conference organized by World Psychiatric Association and TPD. Several magazines published his stories and essays, also he is currently writing in Psikart and Psikesinema.

Arşaluys Kayır

Psychologist

Arşaluys Kayır, a professor of Applied Psychology, is a retired professor at Istanbul University Psychiatry Department. Kayır is currently continuing her group psychotherapy and education activities in the same department voluntarily. She is one of the pioneers in the field of sexual treatments. The last 30 years of her professional life have been in the field of psychotherapy of sexual life and close relationship problems. By combining the sexual therapy method with the group therapy method, Kayır improved the education hospital model to a large group of patients. Kayir has been providing national and international education and work groups in the field of sexuality and psychocoding, giving national and international conferences on sexuality and sexual problems and treatments since the 1980s. Almost all of the over her national and international publications are in the field of sexuality, women's sexuality and therapy group processes and especially vaginismus causes and treatment.

Artunç Kocabalkan

Finance and Communication Advisor

After studying mechanical engineering, Kocabalkan started his banking career in 1994. Kocabalkan worked in treasuries departments of various banks and brokerage houses. In 2000 with the founding of CNBC-e, Kocabalkan entered to the media industry. He worked for CNBC-e as deputy chief editor and anchor-man for 12 years. Kocabalkan received his M.Sc. degree in Economics and Finance and Ph.D. degree in Banking. Kocabalkan established Istanbul Financial Center Initiative (IFC-I) in the beginning of 2013 and has been working as the Chairman of IFC-I since establishment and writing macro-economic reports for individual companies since then. He has numerous articles published in newspapers. He also publishes his comments on both domestic and global macro-economic environment via YouTube channel of his Finanstrend TV. In addition, Kocabalkan has been participating in CnnTurk TV programs as a commentator every week since September 2016 following completing his TV programs in NTV in 2016.

Burak Törün

Newscaster

Burak Törün was born in Istanbul and graduated from Eskişehir Anadolu University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. After his radio programs in Eskişehir, he worked at Channel E as a newscaster in 1996. He worked at BRT, Star TV and ATV. Törün, who has experience as a news reporter as well as newscaster, has been a newscaster in CNN TURK since December, 2006. He worked as a lecturer at Nisantasi University and Istanbul Aydin University. He gives seminars and conferences about communication in universities around Turkey. He gives lectures at Istanbul Media Academy and Istanbul Career Academy. Also, he is a life coach. During his university years, he performed theater and music studies. Törün, likes to read books on metaphysics and parapsychology, and studies on these subjects. He is a fan of Fenerbahçe. Among the hobbies of Törün are playing guitar, cooking and serving his guests.

Çağla Aykın Kuriş

Psychologist

Çağla Aykın Kuriş graduated from Mersin University Psychology Department in 2005. She had an internship on Performance and Motivation in Anatolian Glass Industry Human Resources Education Unit in 2002-2003. Between 2003-2004, she worked as an assistant in Traffic Psychology at AV-KA Psychotechnical Center. After completing her education, she worked in family counseling and individual and group therapy areas for disabled individuals in various rehabilitation centers affiliated to the Ministry of Family and Social Policy and Ministry of National Education. Kuriş continued to work for the children and the family in a consulting company in 2008, while at the same time voluntarily participated in social projects. Psychologist Çağla Aykın Kuriş is currently working as a consultant at the Boğaziçi Family Counseling Center.

Can Kazaz

Musician

Can Kazaz, the notable name in the last years of the independent music scene, firstly known as "MC Recep" for his political parody music. Kazaz who conducts academic studies in fields such as acoustic ecology and new music composition, bringing his own songs with the increasing number of listeners in concerts. After three years as an academician at Istanbul Bilgi University Music Department, he settled in a canyon in Çanakkale and returned to rural life. He continues to work on restorative farming practices as well as musician.

Ezgi Biçer Uçar

Senior Manager

Ezgi Biçer Uçar graduated from Galatasaray University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of International Relations in 2005, she completed her post-graduate degree in Institute of Politic Sciences Aix-en-Provence, Department of Comparative Politics in France. She started working at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. She carried out her duty as a Coordinator in Presidency of the ASCAME until 2011. Along with the creation of new projects aimed at enhancing the Association. Starting to work as Advisor to the President in Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 2011, she not only worked as an advisor in terms of active participation of Mersin CCI in ASCAME, but she also carried out the duty of representation of the Chamber abroad. She has been carrying on her duty in Mersin CCI as Vice Secretary-General since 2015. Mrs. Biçer Uçar speaks Turkish, English and French. She is married and has a son.

Hakan Gürsu

Industrial Designer

Hakan Gürsu is an award-winning industrial designer and educator working at the intersection of design, technology and innovation. Designnobis, the design and innovation company he founded in 2006, was selected among Turkey’s Top 40 Entrepreneur Companies and has won over 170 design awards throughout 10 years. Dr. Gürsu contributed to several national and international conferences as a lecturer on innovation, creativity and design. Ranging from boats, toys and furniture to electrical devices, his environmentally friendly and visionary projects are introducing unusual solutions to common problems. His book “Innovation” that reflects upon his experience on the area was published in 2014. Consecutively, he was honored as “Designer of the Year” by International Association of Designers in Milano. Hakan Gürsu continues his works at Designnobis product design center and trains design students at METU industrial design department.

Iraz Candaş

Permaculture Designer

Iraz Candaş attended a PRI (Permaculture Research Institute) Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course, instructed by Mustafa F. Bakır, with the organization of PRI Turkey on August 2012. With the reference of Bakır, the founder chairman of PRI Turkey, has completed an internship program at PRI Australia. During this internship, she specialized on diverse subjects such as, “PDC Teacher Training”, “Earthworks”, and “Permaculture Urban Landscape Design”. On September, 2013, she started the design and application process for “Kızıltepe Permaculture”, a permaculture education, application and living site project in rural Turkey. She attained an “instructor” position in PRI Turkey on January, 2014. Candaş has finished “Introduction to Keyline Design” course with Owen Hablutzel in May 2014. October, 2017 onwards, as well as being assigned as the chairwoman of PRI Turkey, of which she was already a board member, she continues her professional permaculture design and consultancy practice.

Melih Aşanlı

Ecological Designer

Melih Aşanlı was born in Istanbul and graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts. He focused on design, materials and arts and he concentrated almost all his work on these subjects. Since the studenthood, he has done decoration works with traditional techniques. He worked on restorations of old works such as mosques and churches. He designed and produced products such as sculpture, furniture, accessories for various companies and individuals. He married to Kübra Köprülüoğlu who is a designer like himself and they set up a design firm together and moved from Istanbul. Due to lack of technical knowledge about ecological architecture, he decided started to hold his first notes with the intention of writing a blog and gathered all the information he needed for three years. Blog idea turned into the book over time and the first comprehensive local study in Turkey was completed. He continues to pursue new experiences in his own countryside with his family.

Nazlı Çevik Azazi

Storytelling

Nazli Çevik Azazi, who was one of the founders of the Seiba International Storytelling Center, is a storyteller, trainer, theater and dance pedagogue. Azazi is awarded the "Thrilling Fairy Tale and Legend Award" in Germany in 2017 and has been conducting national and international studies to interpret story telling as a forgotten art in Turkey. She is the organizer and artistic director of Turkey's first international fairy tale festival "International Festival of Sirince 2013". Azazi is founder and instructor of 'Famanin Evi Storytelling Community' which operates between 2014-2016, also the founder of the association named "Anlat Bana" which operates in the same years. Azazi who has been living in Istanbul since 2013, tells stories, teaches and makes international projects for children and adults in festivals, theaters, schools and different institutions in Turkey and Europe. She continues to work for the recollection, development and internationalization of storytelling in Turkey.

Ömer Madra

Writer

1968: Graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science 1970/1982: Lecturer at Ankara University 1982/1994: Editorship of reviews and magazines: Milliyet, Şehir, Gergedan, Arredamento 1990: Editor in chief of the Sunday supplement of the daily Güneş 1999/2000: Columnist in the daily Yeni Binyıl 1995/Present: Açık Radyo (Open Radio); participated in the founding of, editor-in-chief of, and programmer: Açık Gazete (Open Newspaper), Cuma Adlı Adamlar (Men Called Friday), Açık Yeşil (Light Green), Gezi Parkı: Reports and Commentary 1996/2010: Lecturer at Bilgi University 2009/2010: Lecturer at Istanbul University •The European Convention on Human Rights and the Right of Individual Application: 1980, Ankara •Migrant Workers and International Law: 1985, Ankara •Romanımla Sana Bir Ses…(Novel): 1991, Istanbul •Against the Wind: 1996, Against the Wind II: 2001, Against the Current: 2002, Istanbul •Global Warming and the Climate Crisis/Why We Can’t Wait(with Ümit Şahin): 2007

Sinan Canan

Writer

Sinan Canan was born in Ankara in 1972. He graduated from Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology. He has a masters degree in Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology-Embryology, and completed his Ph.D. in Department of Physiology. He organizes general audience-oriented conferences and programs about Chaos theory, Complexity, Fractal Geometry, Learning, Mind and Brain, Neuroscience Mental Performance, Creativity and Human Brain, Art and Neuroscience, Neuroscience, etc. across the country. He is author of 4 books and he is the chairman of the scientific committee at [n]Beyin. Besides being a faculty member in Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Üsküdar, Department of Psychology, he is the Head of Master Program in Neuropsurgery. He continues his personal and institutional education studies with Brain Education and Consultancy Company opened in Istanbul in 2017.

Taşkıner Ketenci

Associate/Philosophy

A primary school that includes three different schools and five different teachers. The high school that starts in Bursa, continues in Adana, then again in Bursa, in four years in total. Hacettepe University Department of Philosophy in 1989-1993. Master degree at Hacettepe University Department of Philosophy in 1993-1997, Ph.D in Philosophy at Hacettepe University: 1997-2004. A brief summary from 2004-2017: Assistant professor in 2005, associate professor in 2009, professor in 2014. I read alot, I wrote alot such as Kant, enlightenment and ethics. I worked on Nazi medicine, Marquis de Sade for a long time. I am now reading witch-witchcraft. I have an important job when you look at me from the outside: A professor. If they ask me, i am a person who reads books and writes alot and tell my stories to young people. Besides, stay among us, the outsiders think I'm a professor, I'm still a student I just extended my school a little.

Ulaş Bayraktar

Social Science Merchant

Ulaş Bayraktar was born in Trabzon in 1975 and graduated from Tarsus American High School in 1993. Bayraktar completed his M.Sc. and Ph.D. study at the Paris Institute of Political Studies after his graduation from Galatasaray University Public Administration Department. After being exported from Mersin University where he worked as associate professor until April 2017, became a co-founder of Kültürhane and began to pursue social science activities with his artisan identitiy. Thus, he is working to put into practice of common politics which he was interested in for a long time in theory.