Biography

After nearly a decade as an International Relations researcher, Didem has spent the past seventeen years actively engaged in civil society. She has taken on various roles, ranging from human rights advocacy to the design and implementation of projects. Collaborating with numerous organisations, including government agencies, Didem has worked to empower civil society organisations with a rights-based approach to the diverse areas they focus on. Whether the focus is on women's human rights or disability rights, she contributed to their efforts as their independent consultant for the past seven years. To develop an easily accessible learning tool, Didem launched a podcast in Turkish in 2024, targeting civil actors who want to create projects for social change.

She visits the Florence School of Transnational Governance while the contours of democracy support are changing, including its priorities and capacities. In such a setting, she will explore the concept of trust and reflect on ways to conceptualise it for civil actors to enhance mutual respect and recognition among them, ultimately fostering their empowerment. Additionally, she will examine the co-creation approach to understand how it can help build trust among civil society actors and between these actors and academics.

Fields of expertise