Koç University Social Impact Forum (KUSIF) was established in 2012 as a social impact-focused research and implementation center to encourage social innovation through research, education, and collaboration. KUSIF is one of the leading organizations in the field of social impact in Turkey and is a reference and application center in social impact studies.

KUSIF offers a common space Social Impact Laboratory where students interested in social entrepreneurship can come together, as well as an incubation service such as mentoring, networking, and intensive training.

Zebra Program aims to build a sustainable student community to succeed in generating solutions for social and environmental challenges based on the Sustainable Development Goals. For this purpose, our student community works on different purposes: creating content, networking activities, SKA integration, and creating business solutions. 

Diversity, inclusion and disabled student unite enables to every students who have differences such as religion, gender, language , disability and cultural characteristics to participate equal University life with in the Koç University. This unit is responsible for receiving, reporting, monitoring student applications regarding unequal or discreminatory practices, attitudes and situations.

In addition, the unit provides coordination with all other units in the University for the development of solutions for unequal or discriminatory practices and situations that students may encounter during education. The unite also provides the necessary information about the objectives of the Office of diversity, inclusion and coordination of disabled student to the faculty and administrative staff.

The Gender Equality Office (GEO) is the central unit at Koç University (KU) dedicated to advancing women’s empowerment and promoting gender equality through the development of programs and policies to prevent all forms of discrimination. The GEO acts as a hub for all staff, students, and the KU community to develop collaboration and harness synergy towards a more inclusive, welcoming, and respectful campus environment. GEO also supports and advises the university management and all administrative and academic units on the implementation of the Gender Equality Plan and monitors institution-wide performance against the objectives and concrete targets of the plan.

Gender equality is not only one of the 17 goals of the UN Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda but also a necessary foundation and prerequisite for the fulfillment of remaining goals towards a sustainable world. It is essential to address the critical connections and interlinkages between gender equality and other environmental, social, and economic goals since they are all mutually reinforcing. GEO carefully strives to develop strategies and practices that tackle gender inequalities without losing the larger sustainability framework from its sight and deploys its resources to advance women’s empowerment with a core principle of achieving green and inclusive growth.

The Support Center for Disabled Children and their Families (EÇADEM) is a center developed by Koç University Faculty of Nursing Faculty Members  Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ferda Ocakçı and Assoc. Dr. Ayfer Aydin, and in which Sarıyer Municipality is a project partner. It was established with the financial support of the Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA).

EÇADEM aims to protect family integrity and improve the quality of life by providing care and counseling services to disabled children and their families. EÇADEM is the first and only model project in Turkey that deals with the family as a whole, with services for individuals with mental disabilities and their caregivers. It provides guidance to family members affected by this situation by enabling individuals with mental disabilities to participate in social life. In this way, the Istanbul Regional Plan aims to contribute to a “fair, sharing, inclusive and learning society”, which is one of the development axes.

In addition to meeting the daily care and needs of individuals with mental disabilities, the center supports the development of social and emotional skills in a safe environment with psychological counseling. It provides training that facilitates daily life activities, and self-care workshops that provide a space for expression through art and sports. Thus, it is intended to help both disabled people  adapt to society and society accomodate disabled people more easily with the projects it initiates and carries out. Individuals, who are introduced to life outside the home environment at regular intervals, are provided the experience of being a part of society, and have their individual characteristics and skills taken into account.

Another focus of the center is to protect the mental health of family members with mental disabilities and to ensure their social participation. With the consultancy, services and activities developed for family members, it is aimed to alleviate the burden of care, to encourage participation in social life and to make the relations between all family members more sustainable. The aim of this support is to reduce the psychosocial problems, such as burnout, stress, depression, and social isolation of caregiver family members.

Furthermore, the psychosocial support and guidance services EÇADEM provides to siblings with disabilities, and the protection of other children and young people in the family from the risks that this period may bring, is intended to ensure happy, productive and creative individuals of today and the future.

All services provided by EÇADEM to individuals with mental disabilities and their families are free of charge.