Engaging with Difference and Discovering Shared Ground

We meet for the first time in a hotel restaurant near Essen’s town hall. We are a group of German youth work and media experts preparing to travel to Ankara for this year’s German-Turkish expert exchange on media literacy. As is customary, the bilateral exchange begins with a preparatory session in Germany. The restaurant is quiet and empty, the group still somewhat reserved. Participants share information about their professions and where they live and work. The group includes media experts and youth social workers specialising in areas such as counselling for migrants and people with experiences of displacement, emergency care and youth centre management. Its potential quickly becomes clear: skills are pooled, fields of work explored and questions collected. The participants’ curiosity and eagerness to learn are palpable – and remain with us throughout the programme.

Arrival in Ankara: Statistics, Systems, Impressions

At 11 pm the following day, we are personally welcomed at Ankara Airport by a delegate from the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports and escorted straight to a restaurant – marking the start of the ministry’s extraordinary hospitality. The German-Turkish exchange begins with numbers: across 81 provinces, the government runs 100,000 schools and 560 youth centres; 60 youth camps are held each year, and a total of 87,000 people work in the ministry, 15,000 of them directly in youth work. These are numbers that leave the visitors from Germany astonished. The impression is immediate: the state takes care of things – centrally, comprehensively, and from Ankara.

Full of enthusiasm and curiosity, the participants set to work: three days, eight site visits, eleven scheduled activities and, in between, informal exchanges over meals. We shake hands and get to know the Turkish delegates, most of them from various ministries. Initial conversations begin in the hotel lobby and continue over the coming days in our main mode of transport – the white government bus.

Our first visit is to Yeşilay (YEDAM), an NGO focused on addiction prevention. Each member of the group takes the lead in at least one session, introducing the German delegation and opening the discussion. At Yeşilay, it quickly becomes clear that the partner network is made up almost exclusively of government bodies – various ministries and their affiliated organisations, structures and programmes. Even youth centres – whether state- or municipally-run – look primarily to government institutions as their central partners. For us, accustomed to maintaining networks across a variety of organisations and structures, this is unusual. Something else stands out just as quickly: while we Germans tend to look first for problems and shortcomings, here praise and recognition for achievements take centre stage. Criticism and challenges are mentioned only in passing – surprising at first, but in its own way refreshing. 

Media Literacy: Balancing Tech Enthusiasm with Critical Reflection

Our hosts introduce us with evident pride to what Türkiye has to offer in media literacy – taking us to an inclusive vocational school (SERÇEV), the public broadcaster TRT, the private Başkent University, youth and social centres and municipal institutions such as the Altındağ Municipality Youth Center. Across these visits, a consistent picture emerges: media literacy is understood primarily as the ability to produce media and work with technology. The ambition is clear – to give as many young people as possible a solid grounding in media production. Critical reflection on media use, by contrast, tends to occur only when prompted. This sits uneasily with us at first, although discussions about our respective target groups and their concerns quickly open up common ground. Our schedule is full and time at each institution is limited. At GSM, an EU-funded NGO operating independently of the government, we find structures closer to our own: smaller, less formal and less “polished”. But even here, there is little room for real exchange.

Although we sometimes wish for more depth and less breadth, the programme leaves us with many valuable insights. The emphasis on learning the “craft” first continues to occupy our thoughts: perhaps the level of reflection we aim for also requires an equally strong grounding in technical skills. We are particularly intrigued by initiatives such as health promotion in youth centres, fully inclusive vocational schools and centrally coordinated addiction prevention schemes.

Encounters, Insights, Open Questions

A remark from the ministry official at the end of our visit reinforces our initial impression: “Things stay within the family” – problems are handled internally, not aired outside the system. The focus is firmly on what works well. In a relaxed atmosphere during dinner, we speak about this more openly. We affirm one another in our practice – regardless of the different systems we work within – while also identifying what we might do differently in our own smaller context next time.

We had the privilege of witnessing firsthand what we had previously only heard or read about. With minds still buzzing, we returned to Germany. Much of what we experienced will likely only resonate in the days, weeks or even years to come. One thing is already clear: young people, whether in Germany or Türkiye, inhabit life worlds that are shifting even further into the digital sphere. Within these worlds, we offer support, guidance and perspective. To broaden, correct and question our own perspectives, we need spaces for experience and exchange – and Ankara gave us that.
The follow-up meeting is planned for this coming May. We look forward to reconvening and continuing our discussion about both the opportunities and challenges of media education.

Impressions from the expert exchange can be found on our Instagram page.