On Thursday January 26, 2012, Ms. Gokce Tuyluoglu, Executive Director for Open Society Foundation visited Turkish Cultural Center New York. Ms. Tuyluoglu talked about the mission and vision of Open Society Foundation.
Ms. Tuyluoglu elaborated on the foundations of their organization.
The open society is a concept, first brought forward by Henri Bergson, and then developed and popularized by Karl Popper, especially by his theory on epistemology, which constitutes a basis for the open society idea. According to Popper’s view, since our perception of reality is imperfect, one should not insist on singular and absolute truth and hence no one should have the monopoly of truth. If singular and absolute truth is non-existent, then people have to respect differences in opinions. Open society is a concept which acknowledges that no one can monopolize absolute knowledge, that people can have different opinions and expectations, and that society needs institutions to protect individual’s rights so as to live together in peace. In practice, open society entails the rule of law, democratically elected governments, a strong civil society that accommodates differences, and respect to minorities and the opinions of minorities.
Ms. Tuyluoglu also gave a brief history of the foundation and what they do. Open Society Foundation was founded on 20 August 2008 aiming to create a more open society in Turkey with improved responsiveness to human rights, democracy, and universal values. “We primarily provide financial support to projects in conformity with the open society ideal, as well as make publications within the framework of our priority working areas. We offer partial grants on project or institution basis to initiatives in accordance with our primary areas of interest, such as Turkey’s EU membership process, reform, gender, education, decreasing regional disparities, disadvantaged groups, and strengthening of civil society. Projects that are presented to us and found eligible after the evaluation of our Advisory Board and approval of our Executive Board can receive grants up to 1/3 of their total budgets. We expect the remaining sources to be raised mainly through local sources.”
Ms. Tuyluoglu also mentioned some notable projects supported by the Open Society Foundation. (http://www.aciktoplumvakfi.org.tr/destekledigimiz-projeler.php)
Mr. Murat Kaval, executive director of Turkish Cultural Center of East Coast gave a briefing about the activities conducted by the Turkish Cultural Center-s throughout the East Coast region, such as recent Photography Exhibition of Anatolian Seljuk Art by Katherine Branning in New York branch, Abraham’s Table Discussion Series on Thanksgiving, and recent Turkey Trip of Assembly members. With 25 branches Turkish Cultural Center has been aiming to seek a common ground for local cultures to come together and share their universal values. Mr. Kaval also mentioned the dedication of Turkish Cultural Center to promote harmony in diverse cultural setting in the United States. Building, increasing and/or fostering a strong and lasting friendship by promoting a better understanding that is based on mutual respect between the individuals of the United States of America and those of Turkish background and/or origin. Introducing, promoting and informing the people in the United States with the Turkish history and culture by bringing people together in an open dialog. Adopting the dialogue and understanding Turkish Cultural Center aims to introduce commonalities and foster friendships between these two nations by setting up platforms where cultures express themselves.
Date:
January 26, 2012
Time:
9:30 am
Venue:
TCC Manhattan
Speakers:
Mr. Murat Kaval Executive Director Turkish Cultural Center
Ms. Gokce Tuyluoglu Executive Director Open Society Foundation (Acik Toplum Vakfi)
Biography
Ms. Gokce Tuyluoglu has received her undergraduate degree in International Relations at Reading University England. She pursued her graduate degree in management at Surrey University. She studied French in Sorbonne University France. She worked in “Dünya Yerel Yönetim ve Demokrasi Akademisi” and in “Sabancı Üniversitesi İstanbul Politikalar Merkezi”. In Ankara she worked as a consultant for European Commission Delegation and also lectured at Bilgi University. She is now the executive director for Open Society Foundation.
