Impact Makers: Buğra Avcı

NAME

Buğra Avcı

TITLE

Executive Committee Member, Habitat Association

LOCATION

Istanbul, Turkey

ABOUT

Founded in 1997 after the Habitat II Human Settlements Summit in Istanbul, Habitat Association is a civil society organization dedicated to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities. Habitat has expanded its climate and sustainability work, focusing on social entrepreneurship, innovation, and empowering young people to design local solutions to global challenges.

Habitat works side by side with volunteers and partners from government, the private sector, civil society and universities to bring projects to life. With over 8,000 volunteers nationwide and face-to-face access to more than three million people, it has become a hub for multi-stakeholder collaboration in Turkey. Its work includes climate response hackathons, green transformation bootcamps, sustainability trainings, water awareness campaigns, and accelerator programmes for start-ups developing technological solutions to the climate crisis.

MOTIVATION

“Our passion stems from a deep belief in the power of communities. At Habitat Association, we have witnessed how collective action, when combined with technology and sustainability, can drive real change. Seeing young people and local communities in Turkey take ownership of climate action inspires us to continue our journey.”

IMPACT

• Implemented more than 120 long-term sustainable development projects with partners including UNDP, UNICEF, global corporations, universities, municipalities and public institutions.

• Reached over three million people across Turkey through face-to-face programmes.

• Built a volunteer network of 8,000 trained individuals engaged in climate, technology and sustainability projects.

• Supported 100,000 children and young people directly through climate action.

• Established networks and grant programmes that help social entrepreneurs close gaps in knowledge, experience and resources, enabling them to scale their solutions.

• Organized hackathons, bootcamps and accelerator programmes connecting start-ups with global brands and the international ecosystem.

CHALLENGES

One of the biggest challenges to driving climate action in Turkey has been securing resources to cover operational costs. To overcome this, the organization has worked closely with the private sector, public institutions and civil society to co-fund initiatives, and design programmes that can be sustained locally and taken forward by partner organizations.

ADVICE

“Start small, start local, and never underestimate the power of collaboration. Climate action is not only about major policies or technologies, it is about people coming together to create change in their daily lives. Connect with others, share knowledge, and never be afraid to experiment. Every small step matters, and together those steps lead to systemic change.

Remember that lasting transformation is not possible without collaboration between the public sector, private sector, and civil society. Bringing together the knowledge, resources, and experiences of different actors allows small, local steps to grow into effective and sustainable solutions at national and global scales.”

CONTACT

LinkedIn