Çigdemim neighbourhood association in Turkey: What the Big Society can achieve without any government funding

Introduction

The neighbourhood Çigdem (about 15,800 inhabitants) in the South of Ankara has become a watchword for the 'Big Society' in Turkey. Being a highly successful neighbourhood association with an ever growing membership and a strong record of social inclusion activities, it has not only become a model for younger neighbourhood association start-ups in Turkey but also provides many lessons for government and civic activists in other countries.

So let us invite you into the library of the association where the board members hosted a warm reception for Elke Löffler and the UNDP team when they visited the office of the association.

Asuman Selcuk provided Governance International with this case study on 10 December 2010.