In Turkey, internships are legally defined only through compulsory vocational training processes; internships outside of this framework are considered voluntary. This situation creates a serious gap regarding wages, social security, insurance, and labor rights. The Fair Internship Movement was designed to fill this gap.
Within the scope of the project, GoFor aims to:
• Produce information and policy regarding the experiences and rights of interns in Turkey,
• Prohibit unpaid internships,
• Build public support to organize internship processes based on rights.
Who is the target audience?
While the primary beneficiaries of the project are young interns, all young people who are likely to do internships in the job market, young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), youth organizations, and decision-makers are also among the direct or indirect target groups. In this context, the project plans to carry out rights-based capacity-building activities for interns, strengthen the advocacy capacities of youth organizations, and conduct advocacy focused on legislative changes targeting decision-makers.
How will the process progress?
The project, which brings together research, training, policy development, and advocacy activities, will start with preparatory and stakeholder meetings. The content will be strengthened with contributions from civil society organizations, trade unions, academics, youth organizations, and the European Youth Forum.
An Interns’ Forum, where young people in various fields can share their experiences, will be organized; trainings on internship and labor rights will be provided. The outputs of these activities will be compiled into an Intern Rights Handbook, and a digital communication campaign aiming to raise youth awareness of their rights will be launched.
In the next phase, the findings obtained within the scope of the project will be evaluated in roundtable meetings with experts and relevant stakeholders. Concrete policy recommendations regarding internship legislation will be developed, a policy document will be prepared, and advocacy and lobbying activities will be carried out towards trade unions, political parties, universities, NGOs, and decision-makers.
Click here for information about the Interns’ Rights Forum and to apply.