No More Walls Through the Eyes of a Volunteer: Breaking Down Walls in Kilis

Hey, you!

Yes, yes, you…

The young person who gets lost in projects, always wants to learn something new and sometimes wonders, “Could I take part in a project like this too?”

If you are on the KOZ-DER website right now, you are in the right place. And if you have found your way to the Volunteer Stories section, I have some good news for you.

Many young people just like you have taken part in different projects through KOZ-DER, met people from different countries, discovered new cultures and built wonderful friendships.

In this story, I want to share some moments from the “No More Walls” Youth Exchange that we organised in Kilis in 2026, from the preparation period all the way to the final day, through the eyes of a volunteer.

Maybe you will recognise a part of yourself while reading this story.

Maybe, by the end, you will say, “I should join a project like this too.”

Who knows?

Let’s begin. :)

From Istanbul to Kilis…

For this year’s project, I travelled from Istanbul to Kilis. After a pleasant journey, we settled into the state dormitories that had been prepared and cleaned for us and where security staff were present.

Separate accommodation was provided for female and male participants.

As a Turkish volunteer, I also did my best to support our friends coming from different countries so that they could adapt to the process more easily.

We welcomed our first participants in front of Kilis 7 Aralık University. I supported the female participants, while my friend Cuma helped the male participants.

The first group included our friends from Azerbaijan and Georgia. After helping them settle into their dormitories, we all had dinner together at the university cafeteria and took some time to rest.

Because the real adventure was only just beginning.

We Start Breaking Down the Walls!

The next day, our project began under the coordination of our trainer from Bulgaria, Mazlum Fidan.

Through energisers, getting-to-know-each-other games and, of course, the Youth Exchange classic Secret Friend, we began to learn more about one another.

It was wonderful to see people from different countries connecting with each other from the very first days.

The name of our project was No More Walls.

Within just a few days, we began to understand that this was much more than simply a project title.

Instead of allowing differences in country, language and culture to become walls between us, we chose to get to know one another.

University, Youth Work and Gaziantep

As part of the project, together with our Bulgarian partners and participants from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, we visited Prof. Dr. Zekeriya Akman, Rector of Kilis 7 Aralık University, in his office.

We talked about our project, our youth work and possible future projects.

Later, we headed to Gaziantep.

We visited many places including Panorama Museum, Gaziantep Culinary Museum, Hamam Museum, the R&D activities at İstasyon Gaziantep and Zeugma Mosaic Museum.

While discovering the history and culture of Gaziantep, we of course also stopped by the famous Bakırcılar Bazaar.

Interestingly, one of the things that surprised our international participants most was not the museums, but the hospitality of the people of Gaziantep.

Warm greetings and little treats offered by almost every shop filled both our hearts and our stomachs. :)

Learning While Having Fun

Our project was not only about sightseeing.

We researched European opportunities such as Youth Exchange, DiscoverEU, Erasmus+ and Training Courses, prepared presentations and explored how young people could benefit from these opportunities.

We also shared the challenges young people experience in our own countries.

Although we sometimes think our countries are very different, we realised that many of the problems young people face are actually shared.

Borders may exist between countries, but our challenges are often very similar.

Culture, Music and a Little Halay in Kilis!

Our project coincided with the period of the 30 August Victory Day celebrations, so we attended a concert organised by Kilis Municipality where Azerbaijani artist Azeri performed.

Our Azerbaijani friends were definitely the happiest ones there. 😅

Between us, they may even have enjoyed themselves more than the people of Kilis!

One of the unforgettable moments of the evening was when Azeri came down from the stage and joined us.

While introducing our own culture, we also taught our traditional dances.

Halay was especially popular.

Seeing people from different countries standing shoulder to shoulder in the same line and dancing halay together was one of the most beautiful images representing the idea of “No More Walls.”

Later, we organised a small Eurovision-style competition with one participant representing each country.

There were songs, laughter and a little competition…

But once again, friendship was the real winner.

Discovering Kilis Together

Throughout the project, we also tried to discover the culture of Kilis more closely.

We visited many places including the Alaeddin Yavaşça Museum, Kilis Paşa Hamam, Kilis Municipality, Canbolat Paşa Youth Centre, Ulu Mosque, Kilis Bazaar and the historic ÇATOM building.

At Canbolat Paşa Youth Centre, we listened to a beautiful concert prepared for us by the music instructor.

Our visit to ÇATOM happened to coincide with tomato paste season, so we gave our international participants the chance to taste tomato paste.

And as you can probably guess, they loved it. :)

Saltuk Beyi Mansion also welcomed us with wonderful hospitality.

We joined the youth centre’s open-air cinema and kite festival.

In the evenings, we would get our coffees at Laos Cafe and talk for hours.

Sometimes we began sharing things at night that we had not had the chance to discuss during the day.

Those conversations were when we really started getting to know one another.

Cultures Came Together

Towards the end of the project, our country presentations began.

Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Georgia shared their cultures, dances and traditions with us.

We also introduced our own culture.

We organised a traditional sıra night, listened to music together and had plenty of fun.

Afterwards, we all joined a grape harvest.

Our youngest Georgian participant, Lizi, even had the chance to try driving a tractor.

I think we collected not only grapes that day, but also some wonderful memories. :)

During the project, we also celebrated the 19th birthday of our Georgian friend Barbare.

Celebrating the birthday of the mother of our Azerbaijani participant Bajikhanım together was another very special memory for us.

We may have come from different countries, but that day reminded us once again that you do not need to speak the same language to celebrate someone’s birthday together.

And Finally… Goodbye

Every beautiful story has a goodbye.

We held our closing ceremony, received our certificates, took our photos and then went our separate ways.

It was a little sad.

Because people who had not known one another only a few days earlier had now found a special place in each other’s lives.

But the story did not end there.

We still talk.

We still keep up with one another’s lives.

We still look at the photos and remember the same moments.

Because some people enter your life for only a few days, but the mark they leave stays much longer.

Thank You to the People Behind This Beautiful Story

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this project possible.

First of all, we would like to thank KOZ-DER President Mevlide Özkaraca and Halil Özkaraca for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

We also extend our thanks to our Bulgarian partner CWSN_SN Madam for their cooperation and valuable contributions to the project. We would also like to thank Mazlum Fidan, who contributed his knowledge and experience throughout the project and guided our training activities.

A big thank you goes to Emine Akpınar, who supported us with social media throughout the process; Enes Bozkurt, who supported us with transportation; and Muhammet, Cuma Çepik, Mustafa and Said, who stood by us during logistics and planning.

We are also grateful to the Director of Kilis Youth Centre and the youth workers who opened their doors to us and supported our youth work.

A special thank you goes to Emrullah Yorgancı, a business partner of Laos Cafe, and the entire Laos Cafe team. Laos Cafe became the place for our evening conversations, coffees and beautiful memories. They kept the cafe open for us until late at night and made us feel truly at home.

Likewise, we thank Kadir Bey, the owner of Kabaltı Cafe and Restaurant, and his staff for their hospitality and for making one of our cultural experiences in Kilis even more special.

We also thank Emilia Georgia, President of Çıldırın with Special Need Association, Mehmet Karaoğlan from Kilis 7 Aralık University, all of our group leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria and Türkiye, and Kilis Municipality for supporting us throughout the process.

And of course…

Our greatest thanks go to the real heroes of this project:

All of our participants.

To all our friends from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria and Türkiye…

We are so glad you came.

We are so glad you were with us.

We are so glad you exist.

What About You?

Maybe you are reading this story right now and wondering, “Could I join a project like this too?”

My answer is very simple:

Why not?

You might feel a little shy on the first day.

You might get nervous while speaking English.

Meeting new people might feel difficult.

But before you know it, you may be drinking coffee with someone from another country, dancing halay, singing together and finding yourself emotional while saying goodbye to people you had never even met just a few days earlier.

For me, No More Walls was exactly that.

A small but beautiful world showing that people from different countries can sit at the same table, play the same game, sing along to the same song and leave a beautiful mark on each other’s lives.

Our paths separated.

But we broke down our walls.

And I think that was exactly what mattered.

Maybe you will be the hero of the next story.

If you want to become part of these stories too, do not overlook the opportunity to become one of our volunteers.

Because sometimes, a single volunteering application can be the first step through a completely new door in your life.

See you again in new projects, new cities and new stories…

With love, from a friend who enjoys sharing her memories with you :))