News
UmAy as a Safe Port
UmAy Home is a place where I will always come back to, physically and emotionally. It is a place of peace and positive introspection. It serves as a safe port during a challenging time, and I was able to look back on my journey while there, as a proper “misafir” would...
Voices and Silences
Dear UmAy Supporters and Volunteers, Following the advice of local and national authorities regarding the corona-virus, we decided to limit our interactions and communications online, and we are currently working from home. We feel safe, healthy, and calm, and...
UmAy’s Voice in Oslo (OWRI)
Oslo Women's Rights Initiative is made up of bold and self-made women from MENA region and it offers an excellent opportunity for women to share their work and ideas, to unwind, to exchange insider knowledge and wisdom, and to support each other. Esra Kazanbaş, the...
A Visit to Gaziantep
Ozlem visited the city by the Syrian border where she had a chance to reunite with an old friend and made new friends thanks to her current research on lived religion, a relatively novel concept in Theology. Not only did she conduct interviews with Syrian women but...
An Essay on UmAy
One cannot know to where to turn in stressful and anxious days. It is hard to distinguish between what comes from you and what doesn't, and to journey into the silence. To be able to feel that you are heard when you talk is even harder. You know that there is one...
About the Beautiful Days at UmAy
UmAy is a house full with delightful feelings, I couldn’t even dare to imagine its existence for a long time. If I hadn’t actually spent time there I would have thought it is just utopia. All the things that I thought were devalued in the world such as art,...
Interview with Özlem Ezer
In researching the author of the book Syrian Women Refugees 2019, Ozlem Ezer, also the creator of UmAy home and work space, I was very interested in interviewing her in a more formal setting, beyond our conversations over breakfasts and cups of coffee. Ozlem describes...
01-24 January 2020: Adrienne’s visit
Our energetic volunteer from Oregon spent three wonderful, creative, fun, and productive weeks with us, helping us/UmAy around with everything, including preparing and running workshops with Sevil for the local school students. In total 95 students, 7 classes had...
14 January 2020: Swedish Research Institute of Istanbul
Ozlem attended the welcoming reception and the Q&A at the Swedish Research Institute of Istanbul: "Translation of words, transfer of culture,” a lively and moving discussion on collective voices, displacement, and nostalgia. Namdar Nasser (writer, poet, and...
14 January 2020: Book presentation and discussion with Elif
Elif finished Kıvılcımlar during her UmAy stay and generously presented it with a good introduction in English so that Adrienne too was informed about their 8-month-long leadership program for female university students in Izmir, Turkey. Elif mentioned the highlights...