Our Project: Being a Child in Era of Crisis

We don’t have to go too far back in time to notice the various changes that have taken place in our ever-changing world. For instance, we can look back just 8-10 years ago, when technology was not as widespread and advanced as it is today. Back then, children would either visit each other’s houses or go outside, playing hide-and-seek and board games with their friends from morning to night. Nowadays, however, children spend their days playing games on smart devices. There are neither children playing in the streets today nor a safe environment.

Admittedly, we have a point too. We were born in an era when technology offers such wonderful opportunities, but we were locked in our homes due to the pandemic during the best years of our lives. Schools closed, and we switched to distance education. We have witnessed earthquakes, forest fires, wars, and economic crises. While we could buy a lot of things for 10-20 TL when we were children, 2-3 items now cost around 100-150 TL, perhaps even more. Unlike our parents’ childhoods, almost every child today talks about the economy. Between family pressure, exam stress, and the education system, even the places we go to get education can sometimes feel like torture. Despite the fact that the future is in the hands of us children and young people, a future that is not very promising is being left to us. This project addresses these issues, among others, that we are facing. As the children’s advisory team within the project, we discuss these issues together and conduct research on a research question related to solving them.

Written by: Ece Sinem Çiftçi & Emre Pazarözyurt