In September, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Türkiye organized a Youth Engagement Workshop on Mental Wellbeing to address the rising mental health challenges facing young people—especially in provinces hardest hit by the devastating 2023 earthquakes. More than 30 medical and media students took part in this workshop as Online Volunteers and supported the Photovoice Survey Report, a powerful photo and story-based survey on preventing suicide. Through storytelling and visuals, they revealed the mental well-being challenges young people face—and the diverse, often courageous ways they navigate and respond to them. On World Mental Health Day, we bring you testimonials of Online Volunteers, three of whom are from Hatay, one of the hardest-hit regions in the 2023 earthquakes.
"I played an active role in exchanging ideas and identifying representatives who could contribute to the project," says Elifnaz Sağlam, a fifth-year medical student at Başkent University in Ankara and Chairperson of the National Audit Board within the Turkish Medical Students’ Association. The Youth Photovoice Survey on Suicide Prevention and Mental Well-being is a part of the European Union-WHO co-funded Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities project implemented in collaboration with Türkiye's Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of Health. Elifnaz dreams of becoming a psychiatrist one day, and that was her motivation to become an Online Volunteer with WHO. "I believe awareness of mental health and its perspective can raise consciousness among the participants and all individuals reviewing our work."
Melis Sabahoğlu, a student at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Radio, Television and Cinema wrote stories and created visuals for the photo survey. The 2023 earthquake struck 11 provinces in Türkiye, including hers.
"As an Online Volunteer, I’m proud that I supported raising awareness about young people’s mental health and contributed to collective action. My goal was also to learn from this experience and I hope this will encourage the sharing of invisible burdens, and remind us that change can, in fact, begin with hope.”
Bülent Oğuz, a master’s student in Communication Sciences at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University used photography to show what it's like to live through the post-earthquake period. "I was proud to use my skills to support such important work. I gained valuable experience on how to adapt and find common ground when exchanging ideas within the scope of a project. Students from diverse academic backgrounds on my team had different perspectives regarding the project. We came together and turned our learning into valuable experiences."
Aslı Yıldırım studies radio, television and cinema at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University. She came up with a photo collection highlighting case studies that were part of the WHO workshop. She believes that talking about such topics breaks the stigma on mental health and increases knowledge on wellbeing and preventing suicide. "I am proud to have been part of the team. We helped design campaigns and shared our ideas, and I'm glad my contributions are valued. One of the pictures I took was even used in the presentation at the workshop. This experience showed me how vital mental health campaigns can be for young people.”
Leading the project—WHO Türkiye
Akfer Karaoglan Kahilogullari, Project Manager for the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project at WHO Türkiye, supervised the Online Volunteers. She says, “World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental health is a universal human right and fundamental to well-being—one we must promote even in the most difficult times.
Through the Youth Photovoice Survey on Suicide Prevention and Mental Well-being, students from Ankara and earthquake-affected provinces shared their experiences through photos and their voices, ensuring their insights inform policymaking, strengthen peer support, and inspire inclusive initiatives that promote healing and improve mental well-being for all.”
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