Izmir
We work locally and treat the city, its neighbourhoods and public spaces as places for meeting, learning and cooperation.
Founded in Izmir in 2018
Education as a shared concern
Izmir Education Cooperative brings educators, learners and local partners together to develop more accessible, participatory and sustainable ways of learning.
- 2018
- Founded
- 35
- Founding members
- 3
- Fields of work
Why a cooperative?
A structure for learning and producing together
IZEK grew from a simple question: how can Izmir itself become part of a lifelong learning environment? Thirty-five founding members completed the cooperative’s formation in 2018 after a period of meetings, workshops and collective planning.
The cooperative model was chosen to share knowledge, responsibility and decision-making. It creates a common structure in which educators can develop their work, learners can access varied educational experiences and institutions can build partnerships around local needs.
We see learning not as a service delivered in one direction, but as a relationship built through participation, curiosity and shared responsibility.
Our framework
Izmir · Education · Cooperative
Education
We approach education as a lifelong right and support learning through science, art, play, technology, culture and everyday experience.
Cooperative
We value democratic participation, solidarity, transparency and the fair sharing of responsibility and value.
How we work
Three connected fields of activity
The cooperative’s founding workshops organised its work under three headings. These fields continue to provide a clear way to understand IZEK’s accumulated experience.
Workshops and learning
Learning experiences were developed with educators, artists, specialists and makers for different age groups.
Projects
Local needs were connected with national and international partnerships, especially in youth work, digital learning and rural development.
Social work and gatherings
Free activities, conversations and solidarity-based initiatives created space for participation and shared experience.
Direction
Our vision
To be a sustainable cooperative model that responds to present and future educational needs through cooperation and equal opportunity, contributing to individuals and communities with stronger life skills.
What guides us
- Lifelong learning
- Equal access to education
- Learning by doing and experiencing
- Children’s rights and participation
- Gender equality and inclusion
- Local and international cooperation
- Social and ecological responsibility
Who we learn with
Different ages, experiences and forms of knowledge
- 01Children
- 02Young people
- 03Educators
- 04Parents and carers
- 05Adults and local communities
A short history
From an initiative to a cooperative
Preparation and formation
The education cooperative initiative developed through meetings, mentoring and collective planning; IZEK was formally founded with 35 members in 2018.
The first General Assembly
The first workshop series was evaluated, the institutional structure was strengthened and the cooperative held its first General Assembly.
Learning in changing conditions
Online workshops, digital education initiatives, youth projects and international collaborations expanded during the pandemic period.
A growing body of experience
Entrepreneurship education, social initiatives and different forms of cooperative learning added new work to IZEK’s experience.
Shared memory
Our work tells the rest of the story
The projects, workshops and gatherings on this site offer a record of the people, questions and partnerships that shaped the cooperative over time.
View our work