Board of Directors

Hülya Elifnur Çetin

Co-Chair of the Board

elifhulyanur.cetin@go-for.org

Doğaya Dönüş Derneği

She was born in Istanbul in 2005. She is a first year student in the Department of Environmental Engineering at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa. Since 2019, she has contributed to several civil society organizations, including Doğaya Dönüş Association, Hayal Gücü Merkezi, Stellar Lab, Bilim Virüsü, Roots&Shoots, and WWF. She has delivered courses on astronomy and climate activism at Zcommunity and 21st Academy. She served as the Istanbul Provincial Representative for PlatformZ, which carries out local youth work. In 2020, she graduated from the 4th cohort of Bilim Virüsü, and between 2020 and 2022, she worked as a writer for Spektrum Magazine.

E. Ersel Erbaş

Co-Chair of the Board

emreersel.erbas@go-for.org

Gençlik Servisleri Merkezi

He was born in Ankara in 1992. He is a communication scholar and a civil society professional. He completed his undergraduate studies in Communication Sciences at Çukurova University with honors. He carried out educational projects in Berlin with Alex TV and Freie University Berlin. During this period, he developed a strong focus within Communication Sciences, particularly on the Culture Industry. He worked as a facilitator with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), carrying out refugee focused work in the Syrian border region during the most intense years of the Syrian civil war. It was during this time that he began working more closely on youth and volunteering. In 2016, he started working professionally in youth work as the Volunteer Programs and Communications Coordinator at the Gençlik Servisleri Merkezi (GSM), one of the founding organizations of GoFor. He currently serves as a board member of the ALLIANCE of European Voluntary Service Organizations and represents GSM within CCIVS (Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service) and SCI (Service Civil International).

Efşan Bolat

Board Secretary

efsan.bolat@go-for.org

Genç LGBTİ+ Derneği

She was born in İzmir in 1999. She graduated from the Department of Psychology at Middle East Technical University in 2022. During her university years, she became involved in student activism and joined the LGBTI+ movement, volunteering with civil society organizations working in this field. After graduating, she returned to İzmir and began working professionally at the Genç  LGBTI+ Association. At the association, she organized trainings for mental health professionals on working with LGBTI+ clients and took part in projects that included psychosocial work aimed at empowering local LGBTI+ communities. She continues her professional and volunteer work at the association and with other initiatives.

Cem Pekbalıkcı

Board Treasurer

cem.pekbalikci@go-for.org

Romanlar Gençlik Eğitim Kültür ve Yardımlaşma Derneği

He was born in İzmir in 1994. He completed his primary education at Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Primary School and his high school education at Izmir Motor Vocational High School. In 2013, he began his undergraduate studies in the Justice program at Anadolu University and is currently continuing his education. He has been actively working for the development of the Roma community. He has served on the board of the Roma Youth Education, Culture, and Solidarity Association, founded in 2010. In 2011, he was among the founders of the Aegean Roma Associations Platform and moderated all of the platform’s meetings. He is also one of the founders of the İzmir Roma Youth Network. In order to strengthen this network, he connected with youth networks in other provinces, which led to the founding of the Turkish Roma Youth (TRY) network. Through this work, he contributed to the empowerment of Roma individuals across Turkey’s seven regions, supporting their participation in decision making processes. Since 2013, he has been working at the Konak Municipality Directorate of Women and Family Services.

Şeval Akbuğa

Board Member

seval.akbuga@go-for.org

Sivil Gençlik ve Kültür Derneği

She was born in Bingöl in 2002. She is a fourth year student in the Department of Social Work at Bingöl University. She became involved with youth organizations in 2021. For the past two years, she has been contributing to youth work at the Sivil Gençlik ve Kültür Association. In 2023, she took on the role of Provincial Representative of the association.

Previous Terms

Yağmur Bayındır | Co-Chair of the Board
Sosyal Ekonomik Kültürel Kalkınmayı Destekleme Derneği

Cem Pekbalıkcı | Co-Chair of the Board
Romanlar Gençlik Eğitim Kültür ve Yardımlaşma Derneği

Defne Tuzcuoğlu | Board Secretary
Anlayış için Gençlik Derneği

Buse Özbey | Board Treasurer
Ali İsmail Korkmaz Vakfı

E. Ersel Erbaş | Board Member
Gençlik Servisleri Merkezi

Yağmur Bayındır | Co-Chair of the Board
Sosyal Ekonomik Kültürel Kalkınmayı Destekleme Derneği

Darya Kızılboğa | Co-Chair of the Board
Bir Kadın Bir Hayat Derneği

Muhittin Alp | Board Secretary
Akdeniz Gençlik Derneği

Şükrü Yaylagülü | Board Treasurer
Rönesans Enstitüsü Derneği

Şamil Şimşek | Board Member
Sağlıkta Genç Yaklaşımlar Derneği

Baran Çağlar Çetinkaya | Co-Chair of the Board
Kaos GL Derneği

Darya Kızılboğa | Co-Chair of the Board
Bir Kadın Bir Hayat Derneği

Yücel Kasapoğlu | Board Secretary
AFS Gönüllüleri Derneği

Aydın Altunatmaz | Board Treasurer
Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı

Derya Çok | Board Member
Diyarbakır Çevre ve Kalkınma Derneği

Nurdan Terzioğlu | Chair of the Board
Sosyal Ekonomik Kültürel Kalkınmayı Destekleme Derneği

M. Burak Demircan | Vice Chair of the Board
Rönesans Enstitüsü Derneği

Baran Çağlar Çetinkaya | Board Secretary
Kaos Gey ve Lezbiyen Kültürel Araştırmalar ve Dayanışma Derneği

Murat Malo | Board Treasurer
Yaygın Eğitim Merkezi Derneği

Mahmut Küpeli | Board Member
Taşev Eğitim Kültür ve Gençlik Derneği

Skip to content