Habitat Association (Habitat) is a non-governmental organization that produces social capacity building and social impact-oriented projects on the basis of strong partnerships that are compatible with the digitalized world and aim for sustainable development.
Founded in 1997 by young people who came together for the Copenhagen Social Development Summit in 1995 and the United Nations Habitat II Summit in 1996, the mission of Habitat was to establish a communication bridge between the youth of the world and Turkey. With its volunteers, it carries out activities for all segments of the society, regardless of religion, language, race, political opinion, gender identity and sexual orientation.
Habitat supports the Sustainable Development Goals by carrying out studies on equipping disadvantaged groups with the digital skills required by the age, providing access to opportunities, supporting their participation in decision-making processes, and increasing their social and environmental awareness so that they can realize themselves. Habitat establishes multi-stakeholder partnerships with governments, local governments, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in all its activities. Having implemented programs for skill development, entrepreneurship and the training of qualified workforce, Habitat has supported the creation of many mechanisms such as TOBB Young and Women Entrepreneurs Boards. In addition, he leads GEN Turkey, which is a part of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN Global), which is active in 178 countries in order to develop Turkey’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and undertakes the administrative management of GEN Turkey.
Taking its strength from the positive energy and international knowledge of volunteers all over Turkey, Habitat continues its activities in the fields of entrepreneurship, digital transformation, inclusion and sustainable growth, while expanding its activities in a wide geographical region including Turkey. With Local Hubs (Community Centers) implemented in 14 different provinces in Anatolia, Habitat hosts a series of different training, programs and workshops that local businesses and SMEs will benefit from in order for communities ready to cross borders to reach global markets. With its work focused on contributing to the digitalization of society and the economy, Habitat also aims to offer a physical space where different communities and entrepreneurs can come together.