Disabled residents are gaining vocational skills and strengthening their participation in social life through workshops run by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality at Sümerpark Shared Living Space.
The Department of Disability and Elderly Services continues its work to increase disabled residents’ participation in community life. As part of these efforts, participants receive training in different fields at workshops run under the Directorate of Disability Services, gaining new skills while spending time in a social environment.
Development supported through handicrafts
Various courses are being offered to support disabled residents’ physical and motor development, strengthen them psychologically and socially, and help them gain economic and vocational skills. The training sessions, delivered by expert instructors, are held at Sümerpark Shared Living Space.
Through the courses, participants experience the joy of turning an idea into a tangible product. By creating items such as jewellery or painted boxes, they strengthen their sense of “I can do this” and gain self-confidence.
Courses reduce social isolation
The workshops increase disabled people’s participation in social life, while communication within the group setting also helps prevent social isolation.
30 trainees benefit from the workshops
Around 30 participants attending the workshops carry out activities in fields such as decorative handicrafts, jewellery design, wood painting and macramé. Disabled participants, who experience the joy of producing through the items they create, are taking an important step towards acquiring a vocation.
“We attach importance to our students’ socialisation”
Workshop instructor Arife Avcı shared the following information about the activities: “We have around 30 students in our workshop. Our students are picked up from their homes by shuttle services in the morning and brought to the centre. Here, they have breakfast and benefit from meal services during the day. We carry out activities in areas such as decorative handicrafts, jewellery design, wood painting and macramé. Our aim is to develop our students’ psychomotor and fine motor skills, reveal their talents and support their socialisation. We aim to increase their motivation by giving some of the products they make back to them as gifts.”
“Being here is very valuable for us”
Participants benefiting from the workshop also expressed their satisfaction with the services provided. Rojda Solmaz, one of the participants, said she had been attending the workshop for more than two years: “I make jewellery, handicrafts and leather products. I continue to learn new things. The warm and friendly environment contributes to our socialisation. Being here is very valuable for us.”
Another trainee, Mensure Taruk, said she attended the workshop on certain days of the week: “Making friends and producing wood-painted and leather items is very enjoyable for me.”
