Hrant Dink Foundation and Gyumri ''Youth Initiative Centre'' NGO (YIC) are proud to announce the selection results of the 6th round of the
Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant.

Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant continues to increase direct contacts and to promote cooperation between the peoples of the two neighbouring countries.
 
In its sixth round, the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant is jointly administered by the Hrant Dink Foundation and the Gyumri ‘‘Youth Initiative Centre” NGO (YIC) thanks to the financial assistance of the British Embassy Ankara and British Embassy Yerevan.

Launched by the Hrant Dink Foundation in March 2014 and financed by the European Union within the framework of the programme “Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process”; the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant has previously launched five open calls, receiving more than 850 applications from different cities and regions of both countries, and supporting the travels of more than 210 individuals from March 2014 to June 2015.
 
Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant beneficiaries continue to share their experiences and impressions about the neighbouring country through the Beyond Borders website.

In the sixth round of the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant, we received a total of 162 applications from both countries. 79 applications, which were in full compliance with the technical requirements mentioned in the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant Regulations, were submitted to the independent Selection Committee. These applications were carefully assessed by the committee in accordance with the selection criteria and priorities mentioned in the regulations.
 
We are delighted to announce that the Hrant Dink Foundation and Gyumri ‘‘Youth Initiative Centre’’ NGO will be offering support in the form of a travel grant to a total of 32 individuals, for their visits to the neighbouring country with specific purpose and programme mentioned in their submitted application forms.
 
Mr. Oral Gerek from Gaziantep, member of the Kamera Sokak Video Activism Collective, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to extend the network of his collective and to start a video campaign on social media aiming at reconciling the neighbouring societies.
 
Ms. Mine Bek, Mr. Metin Bayrak, Ms. Özlem Şendeniz and Mr. Hasan Gedik from Istanbul, Ankara, Iğdır and İçel (Mersin), members of the Shared Memory organisation, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to collect ethnographic data through interviews in an effort to study what people living at the shadow of the closed border think about each other today.
 
Mr. Mehmet Ragıp Zık from Istanbul will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to do research for his PhD on cross-country analysis of activist experience in contemporary social movements.
 
Ms. Çiğdem Kirazlar and Mr. Veysi Yılmaz, high school teachers from Istanbul and Şanlıurfa, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Vanadzor to create an environment for educators and the young generation to know each other personally, through workshops and drama activities.
 
Mr. Serdar Önal - film director from Istanbul - will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to shoot a documentary film about the fate of an Armenian woman named Derdo who escaped the Genocide.
 
Mr. Erol Karakaya - photography director from Istanbul -  will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Bagaran village to work on the preparations and shootings of the documentary project ''A Drop of Water'' about the life in border villages across the sealed Turkey-Armenia border.
 
Ms. Deniz Açıkbaş and Mr. Gökhan Kılınç from Ankara and Denizli, members of the Pamukkale Youth and Environment Association, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit the town of Ararat for their short documentary project on overcoming the prejudices among Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
 
Ms. Sona Kocharyan and Ms. Marine Kocharyan from Yerevan will be will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Istanbul for the preparations and shootings of their documentary project ‘‘Murat’’ about the story of a young Armenian from Istanbul and his identity crisis.  
 
Ms. Neval Ancar from Muş, member of the Muş Women’s Association, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan and Gyumri to meet youth and women organisations and to discuss joint project ideas.
 
Ms. Ceyda Steele from Istanbul will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to research how Ottoman-Armenian female writers and activists used the agency of power to expand their political, physical and literary spaces.
 
Mr. Hacı Orman  - film director from Istanbul -  will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to take part in the International Golden Apricot Film Festival for the screening of his short film ''Homo Politicus'' about the historic meeting between a German theologian and Ottoman war minister in the early days of the Genocide.
 
Ms. Nilay Özok Gündoğan – a historian from Mardin - will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to meet her historian colleagues for her research about the Armenians originating from the town of Palu.
 
Ms. Anahit Arakelyan and Mr. Arzuman Harutyunyan, members of the Association of Audio-Visual Reporters NGO in Yerevan, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Istanbul to build cooperation with the Human Resource Development Foundation in tackling trafficking issues.
 
Mr. Cüneyt Cebenoyan – a journalist from Istanbul-  will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Gyumri for the preparations and shooting of his documentary about the traumas of the earthquake-hit city of Gyumri.
 
Mr. Murat Uçaner – a researcher from Gaziantep - will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to make research for his prospective book on Aintab Armenians in various libraries and archives in Yerevan.
 
Ms.Tebessüm Yılmaz and Mr. Bilhan Gözcü from Istanbul, members of the Men Talk organisation, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to build a visual archive of street art in Yerevan.
 
Mr. Nihat Özdal from Gaziantep will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Dilijan to start a Cittaslow membership process in Armenia.
 
Mr. İbrahim Yiğit, Mr. Ufuk Aktaş and Mr. Rojhat Taşçı from Eskişehir, members of Grup Teşi, will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to make research about the Armenian music and Gomidas Vartaped.
 
Mr. Azat Zana Gündoğan – an urban sociologist from Mardin - will be supported with the Turkey –Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan for his comparative research on urban gentrification, the role of history and historically built environment in "marketing" Mardin and Yerevan.
 
Ms. Hera İskenderoğlu from Istanbul will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Yerevan to take part in a pedagogical conference about the main problems of teaching Armenian language and culture in diaspora.
 
Mr. Ara Gegorgyan and Ms. Armida Alvandyan from Yerevan will be supported with the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant to visit Izmir to act in the first ever Monodrama Festival in Turkey.

For your questions, you can contact the project coordinators Müge Yamanyılmaz [email protected]  and Anush Babajanyan [email protected].

Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant Selection Committee Members
Anahit Minassian
Dikran Altun
Gayane Mkrtchyan
Feray Salman
İbrahim Betil
Nelli Minasyan