Hasan Oğuzhan Aytaç
General Coordinator
hasanoguzhan.aytac@go-for.org
He was born in Ankara in 1994 and studied Philosophy at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. He has many years of experience in the field of youth rights, working with civil society organizations and as an expert. Alongside his role at GoFor, he serves as a co-representative for Türkiye at the European Youth Forum.
Ezgi Gedik
Program Manager
ezgi.gedik@go-for.org
She completed the METU/SUNY undergraduate program in Global Politics and International Relations, a path that led her to a life shaped between the United States and Ankara. She later continued her studies in the Master’s program in Media and Cultural Studies at METU. In 2014, she began working as a project coordinator at the Tepebaşı Municipality Youth Center. Within the FKPW program, jointly carried out by GIZ and Engagement Global, she contributed as a local expert, supporting collaboration between sister municipalities.
Mustafa Onur Kaygısız
Local Youth Policy Program Coordinator
mustafaonur.kaygisiz@go-for.org
He was born in Mersin in 1991. After moving to Eskişehir for his studies, his journey into volunteering began with training in creative drama and continued as he became involved in youth work. During this time, he volunteered at the Tepebaşı Municipality Youth Centers and, in 2014, was elected as the first Chair of the Executive Board of the Tepebaşı Youth Council, which was established under the district’s City Council. After serving in this role for a year and a half, he began working professionally at the Tepebaşı Municipality Youth Centers, the place where his engagement with youth work had first taken shape. Today, he works closely with organizations active in the youth field, taking on roles in consultancy, training, mentoring, facilitation, and design.
Barış Azar
Financial Coordinator
baris.azar@go-for.org
He was born in Izmir in 1995. After completing his undergraduate degree in Art History at Ege University, he continued his education in the Women’s Studies Master’s program at Dokuz Eylül University. Since 2012, he has been actively involved in student and youth organizing in Izmir. He carried out work within the Konak City Council and the Izmir City Council. Between 2014 and 2019, he was part of the İzmir Pride Committee. In 2016, he was among the founders of the Genç LGBTI+ Association. From 2019 to 2021, he worked at Genç LGBTI+ as a Project Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator. In 2022 and 2023, he worked as the Finance and Administrative Affairs Coordinator at the Kırmızı Şemsiye Association.
Berfin Atlı
Gender Equality and Advocacy Coordinator
berfin.atli@go-for.org
She was born in Diyarbakır. She is a feminist sociologist, researcher, and human rights advocate working on gender equality, feminist politics, narrative studies, anti gender movements, Kurdish studies, LGBTI+ rights, confronting the past, torture, and memory.She studied Sociology at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, completing both her undergraduate and graduate degrees with honors. She continues to take part in various grassroots movements. She carries out projects within different civil society organizations, developing rights based and political approaches. She worked as the Oral History Coordinator at the Memory Museum, affiliated with the New York based Research Institute on Turkey, documenting human rights violations during the 1980 military coup. She also took on the role of Culture, Arts, and Academic Studies Coordinator at SPoD, where she addressed anti gender movements from a feminist queer perspective and organized exhibitions, panels, publications, and advocacy activities. She has publications across print and digital platforms.
Erkan Çıvak
Communications and Media Coordinator
erkan.civak@go-for.org
He was born in Istanbul in 1996. He completed her undergraduate degree in Statistics at Ege University with honors. Since 2014, he has contributed to different advocacy efforts in the area of LGBTI+ rights. He volunteered for two years in the Sustainable Development Goals and Youth Rights Project. Throughout his university years, he worked on different projects in the fields of communication and design. Drawing on this experience, he began working as Communications Coordinator at the Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association in 2021. During his two year tenure, he took part in the “Türkiye Buna Hazır” communication campaign, which received the SES Women of the Year Award.
Cansu Ceylan
Association and Capacity Building Officer
cansu.ceylan@go-for.org
She completed her degree in Sociology at Boğaziçi University in 2020. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as an editor and writer for Genç Hayat, the youth supplement of Evrensel newspaper. At the same time, she completed an internship at the Education Reform Initiative. In 2021, she worked as a field assistant on the research project “Violence Against Women: Women’s Experiences, Institutions, and Spaces,” conducted by Dissensus Research in collaboration with the Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation.She completed her master’s thesis in the Cultural Studies Program at Sabancı University in 2023, titled “Different Faces of Breakdown: Young Women’s Experiences of Uncertainty and Narratives of Future(lessness). In her thesis, she focused on young women’s everyday experiences of neoliberal uncertainty, their narratives of future and futurelessness, emotions, and coping strategies within the context of increasing social violence and deepening economic crisis in Turkiye.
Celal Can Bilgiç
Global Relations and Policy Officer
celalcan.bilgic@go-for.org
He completed his undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations at Middle East Technical University in 2020, graduating with honors. This was followed by a master’s degree in International Development at the London School of Economics, which he completed in 2021 with high distinction. During this period, his research focused on the intersections between activism and social movements, and the pursuit of fair and sustainable progressive change in economic, political, and social development. He also worked as a Research Intern at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Drawing on his academic background, he began to take part in work that translates knowledge into practice and creates positive outcomes.
Rojda Öncel
Administrative Assistant
rojda.oncel@go-for.org
She completed her degree in Psychological Counseling and Guidance at Mersin University with honors. Since 2017, she has been engaged in rights based advocacy within civil society organizations. She has been volunteering with Pembe Hayat KuirFest since 2018. She completed a volunteer internship at the Kırmızı Şemsiye Association in 2020 and has been continuing her volunteer work at Alikev since 2021. She began working at the Sağlıkta Genç Yaklaşımlar Association as an Administrative Assistant and later continued her role as Center Coordinator at the Hatay Youth Center. She currently serves as a board member of the same association. Alongside this, she carries out work in the field of mental health, with a focus on migration, grief, and trauma.
Duygu Sedef
Communications Officer
duygu.sedef@go-for.org
She was born in Ankara in 1999. She completed her undergraduate studies in Communication and Politics at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. During her university years, she served as Vice President of the Turkish Society and as Communications Officer for the Student Sustainability Board. She worked on digital media, youth participation, sustainability, and equality based communication. Through her volunteer work with Oxfam and her participation in the Youth Station Fellowship program, she gained experience in the fields of social justice, youth rights, sustainability, and civic engagement.