Practice of state, local government and non governmental organizations for the social integration of Syrian refugees: The case study of İzmir

Societies have witnessed various migratory movements throughout human history. As a result of the Civil War that broke out in Syria in 2011, millions of Syrians began an international mass migration flow on the grounds that there was no security for their lives. Turkey, Syria's border neighbor, is one of the most affected countries in this process and has been the country hosting the most refugees in the world for a decade. The wave of mass migration to Turkey has brought about many changes in the demographic, social and economic sphere. There are many dimensions to the change in the social structure of the population of about 3.6 million Syrian asylum seekers who have emigrated to the country under temporary protection. Housing, employment, education, health, and cultural acceptance are among these dimensions that Syrians must face after the intensive migration process. These dimensions are the problem areas that determine the adaptation of Syrian asylum seekers. Overcoming the problems faced by Syrians in areas such as housing, employment, education, health, and cultural acceptance is extremely important for the process of social adaptation. The approach and work of actors such as the state, local authorities and non-governmental organizations serving the local community as post-migration legislators on these problem areas can have significant effects on adaptation. As a matter of fact, these actors and various institutions have started projects in Turkish cities related to the social problems and adaptation issues faced by Syrians. Izmir, one of the metropolitan cities of Turkey, is an important migration Center for Syrians who aim to cross to Europe due to its geographical location; it is also a city where Syrians settle, a population that has evolved towards permanence. In this study, the contribution of projects developed by state, local government and non-governmental organizations to social cohesion to the problems faced by Syrians living in Izmir was analyzed. As part of these analyses, descriptive analyses of not only problem areas related to social cohesion of Syrians were conducted, but also recommendations on these problem areas were listed. Keywords: Syrian, Social Cohesion, Social Acceptance, Izmir