Location: Ankara, Turkey
Main field of work: Youth
Description: Our mission is to empower and inspire youth by building partnerships and transnational exchanges between Turkish and European youth. We promote active citizenship, solidarity, tolerance, and social cohesion, fostering mutual understanding across cultures. We also encourage youth entrepreneurship and strengthen collaboration within the youth sector at national and international levels.
Main activities: Established in Ankara in 2008, S&G is a highly experienced organization with an extensive track record in international volunteering, specifically within the framework of the current ESC programs.
Our expertise encompasses the full spectrum of project management, as we act successfully as both a hosting and a sending organization. Furthermore, we serve as a lead organization, overseeing complex mobility projects from conception to completion.
We have a robust operational capacity, facilitating the exchange of nearly 50 volunteers annually by managing both incoming participants to Ankara and outgoing volunteers to various international destinations. Beyond volunteering programs, we possess deep-rooted experience in the broader Erasmus+ landscape. We consistently design, implement, and manage a high volume of projects every year, ensuring impactful outcomes for all stakeholders involved. Our long-standing presence since 2008 has allowed us to develop strong international partnerships and a deep understanding of the administrative and pedagogical requirements necessary to run successful European mobility projects.
Operating simultaneously as an association and a youth office, we actively support projects in the field of social entrepreneurship in Türkiye, with the core objective of empowering youth and social entrepreneurship and enhancing their quality through our ESC and Erasmus+ initiatives. We proudly maintain official collaborations with UNDP and the Refugee Office in Ankara; through our hosted volunteers, we provide meaningful support to refugees, directly answering the core solidarity priorities of the ESC program.
We integrate our international volunteers into the local community through kindergarten activities, supporting their social adaptation and daily lives. We also organize sports and active lifestyle activities, supporting our volunteers across health, sports, and social dimensions. Through our dedicated project writing and management workshops, we guide young people toward ESC and Erasmus+ opportunities, equipping them with essential responsibility and leadership skills to prepare them for life and boost their employability.
Type/Age Group: For our European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects, we primarily work with young people aged 18 to 30, while our Erasmus+ projects cater to a wider age range starting from 13 years old up to no upper age limit, depending on the specific requirements of each project. Although our core focus is consistently on youth work, we place a special emphasis on reaching out to and empowering young people from rural areas, as well as those facing social and economic challenges and other disadvantaged backgrounds.
Interests: Digital, Education, Environment, Human Rights, Leadership, Society, Volunteering, Youth Work
Examples of recent projects: We currently hold an ESC Quality Label accreditation valid through 2027, maintaining active operations for both sending and hosting volunteers.
Recent international projects include:
Grounded Across Cultures (North Macedonia, April 14–20, 2026): A 1-week Erasmus+ KA151 seminar focusing on mental well-being, bringing together young participants to highlight the importance of mental and physical health.
Empowering Youth Work through Innovation, Technology and Cooperation (Croatia, April 22-26, 2026): A 1-week training project providing young people and youth workers with practical knowledge and training on how to effectively integrate artificial intelligence tools into youth work.
Fit for Life (Fethiye, Türkiye, 14-21 May 2026): KA151 youth exchange uniting participants from 8 countries to promote healthy lifestyles and physical fitness. Implemented in cooperation with local municipalities and universities, the project featured panels, a marathon walk alongside the District Governor, and participation by international youth in the official May 19th Youth and Sports Day parade, creating a powerful local impact and strong community engagement.
