Change report released: What did citizens want to change in 2023? Which struggles were won?
The Change.org Turkey 2023 Change Report has been released. According to the report, over 8 million signatures were collected for petitions this year, and 85 campaigns achieved success. The campaign launched against the decision to move universities to online education until the end of the term following the February 6 earthquakes became the most signed campaign of the year with 293,580 signatures. With the transition to face-to-face education in April, the desired outcome of the campaign was achieved.
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Change.org Turkey, a social change platform where the public has been expressing their demands for change in various fields in Turkey for 11 years, has released its 2023 Change Report.
The report, which includes information such as campaigns that achieved success in 2023, the most signed campaigns, and the distribution of campaigns by areas of struggle, reflects the year's good news as well as the needs and problems of the public.
According to the report, a total of 85 campaigns were successfully concluded on Change.org Turkey in 2023, and 8 million signatures were collected.
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' STRUGGLE MARKED THE YEAR
The most signed campaign in 2023 was the campaign titled "Don't Touch My University" with 293,580 signatures. The campaign was launched against the decision to continue university education online until the end of the term following the February 6 earthquakes. Following the intense reaction from university students and the petition, face-to-face education was resumed in April, and the campaign was successfully concluded.
The cancellation of a school project planned for a flood zone, the reinstatement of teacher Emine who was unfairly dismissed, Sinem, a patient with Sucrase-Isomaltase deficiency, getting access to her medication, the rejection of the Kaş marina zoning plan, the ban on hunting in Çanakkale following a fire, and the Turkish Language Association (TDK) removing the sexist meanings of 4 words from the dictionary after hearing women's voices were among the other important campaigns that achieved success.
Change.org Turkey Country Director Didem Korkut says, "This report is a valuable resource because it bears witness to 2023 through the eyes of the public. Every campaign is a voice, every signature is an echo."
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHANGE.ORG TURKEY 2023 CHANGE REPORT:
Change.org Turkey 2023 in numbers
* The data on signature counts is based on the period between December 1, 2022, and December 1, 2023.
- Number of campaigns launched: 9,413
- Number of campaigns declared successful: 85
- Total number of signatures collected for campaigns: 8,050,857
- Number of people who signed in 2023: 1,811,307
MOST SIGNED CAMPAIGN: "DON'T TOUCH MY UNIVERSITY"
Following the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, the "Don't touch my university" campaign, launched by students to make their voices heard after universities switched to remote education and KYK dormitories were allocated to those affected by the earthquake, became the most signed campaign of 2023. The campaign, initiated by Serra Başol, was supported by nearly 300 thousand signatures and achieved success, leading to the cancellation of the online education decision.
503 CAMPAIGNS AND 1,109,125 SIGNATURES AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
Following the February 6 earthquakes, 503 campaigns were launched focusing on issues such as healing the wounds of earthquake survivors, punishing those responsible, and preventing similar disasters from happening again. The most signed campaign in this area was the one demanding that all those responsible be punished.
MOST CAMPAIGNS IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION
In addition to the most signed campaign of 2023 being in the field of education, the highest number of campaigns overall were also launched in the field of education. The number of campaigns in this area was 640. Campaigns launched by university students against university administrations, concerns created by decisions such as appointing imams to schools, and campaigns aimed at improving the quality of education were effective in this high number.
MOST SIGNATURES FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS
In 2023, the highest total number of signatures were collected for campaigns launched in the field of animal rights. The number of signatures collected for animal rights was 1,238,928. Animal rights violations occurring across the country and incidents in shelters were among the reasons why many people signed in this area.
MOST SUCCESS IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
In 2023, the change demanded in 14 campaigns in the field of environment and climate was realized, and the environment sector became the area where the most success was achieved. Local struggles strengthened by petitions and the support provided to these struggles by both local and national non-governmental organizations contributed to the increase in success in this area.