I, Too, Have a Voice - Hear My Voice

The campaign encouraged children ages 6-11, and youth up to 18 years old, to write messages to the prime minister of Turkey and to tell him whatever they had on their minds. According to the organiser, Serdar M. Degirmencioglu, during the six-month campaign about 3,000 messages were received. The messages were sent from young people around the country via the campaign website, email, fax, and in writing by post.

The children's messages were presented to the prime minister and to the public on Children's Day, on April 23 2001. The youth messages were presented to the prime minister and to the public on May 19 2001, Youth and Sports Day.

According to the campaign organisers, the campaign received extraordinary media coverage and this proved to be an important advocacy tool. The messages were available on the campaign website the day the messages were presented publicly and also appeared in many different publication outlets.

Selected messages were published four years after the conclusion of the campaign in a book titled, "Hear My Voice." Using the messages, the book aims to express young people's unfiltered voices.

Children, Youth, Rights.