The place of NGOs in the social cohesion of Syrian refugees: The case of Istanbul

In this thesis, the social cohesion and social acceptance of Syrian asylum seekers who fled the war in Syria and came to Turkey and the impact of NGOs on this process are discussed. For this reason, it is aimed to reveal the difficulties faced by Syrian asylum seekers in the process of social cohesion in Turkey, the activities carried out by NGOs to cope with these difficulties, and the impact of this on both groups. In addition, the study is expected to contribute to the elimination of the gap in the literature on social cohesion and NGOs. The research method was determined as qualitative, and within the scope of phenomenological design, data were obtained through in-depth interview techniques using semi-structured interview forms. The population of the interviews consisted of NGO representatives and social cohesion workers in NGOs working with Syrian asylum seekers in Istanbul. In this context, the study group consisted of 10 participants from 5 NGOs that carry out intensive activities in the field of social cohesion, one representative from these NGOs, and 10 professionals who organize cohesion activities. The data were analyzed with MAXQDA 2022 software. The research findings reveal that NGOs play an important role in the social cohesion process, especially their role of bringing together local people and asylum seekers is very effective. It is seen that NGOs carry out many activities in social cohesion and these activities are diversified as language training, psychosocial support training, and artistic-cultural activities. However, it has also been observed that not enough regular service is provided in terms of continuity and permanence of the activities offered. Research results show that NGOs are stakeholders in the social cohesion of Syrian asylum seekers. This study reveals that to contribute to the social cohesion process of asylum seekers, NGOs should be supported more and their capacities should be improved so that they can work systematically. It also emphasizes that it is inevitable to cooperate with other stakeholders in the field for social cohesion activities to be functional. Since this study is comprehensive research conducted to reveal the role of NGOs (rights-based NGOs) in the social cohesion process of Syrian asylum seekers, the results of the research provide outputs for policymakers and decision-makers in supporting the social cohesion of asylum seekers.