About Us

It is accredited that the diverse Turkish communities in Scotland have a long-established cultural heritage, including history, traditions, and music, which have historically been identified as a significant aspect to their cultural identity.

However, historical challenges and exclusion, in many host countries, have wedged poorly on the diverse Turkish community leading to misunderstandings such as imposed stereotype and discriminatory practices that have led to excluding this community as well as disadvantaging their members from progressing their active citizenship, cultural heritage and equal participation in celebrating such rich cultural heritage and identity.

Turkish Intercultural Society in Scotland (TISS) was originated in 2023 by a group of professional volunteers who shared the desire, spirit and resolve to inspire active citizenship and equal participation of the diverse Turkish Communities in cultural heritage through the delivery of focused Turkish and multicultural heritage programs, educational workshops, and events at local, regional, and national levels where feasible. The aim is to stimulate their active citizenship and enhance their cultural identity while showcasing the diverse cultural heritage for these communities in Scotland and beyond leading to improved active citizenship and enhanced participative democracy.

TISS aims at empowering the diverse Turkish communities and facilitate their active participation as equal citizens via enhancing and advancing their cultural heritage at various levels: we aim at progressing the multicultural heritage of Scotland. Thus, TISS deploy intangible cultural heritage as a mechanism to advancing race equality, active citizenship, and community spirit with a focus on the art, history and cultural heritage via the key objectives:

• of developing and advancing cultural heritage and intercultural dialogue 

• of promoting race equality and diversity, and 

• of celebrating democratic active citizenship in a multicultural Scotland

• The advancement of the Turkish cultural heritage through utilising Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as a means to progressing community cohesion and facilitating equal participation for the diverse Turkish and other communities in cultural heritage programs: via seeking to advance equal democratic participation for all  and representation at relevant forums and committees, proactively facilitating and managing  a Turkish multicultural community ‘Hub’, staging multicultural cultural heritage exhibitions and clubs, delivering intercultural awareness dialogue activities, facilitating multicultural events and activities, delivering workshops aiming at enhancing public education of Turkish and other intangible cultural heritage while enhancing community spirit and cohesion.

• The advancement of active citizenship through the development and delivery of democratic participation programs, advancing intangible cultural heritage awareness and promoting diversity at various levels: endorsing and enhancing the cultural rights of the Turkish and other diverse communities, the encouragement of voluntary activities and increasing the involvement of individuals and communities in cultural heritage activities through offering intangible cultural heritage educational activities, training opportunities, intangible cultural and arts clubs, as well as community development initiatives: facilitating meaningful engagement and equal participation of the diverse communities in these programs.

• The promotion of race equality through celebrating diversity, intangible cultural heritage and community cohesion via utilising participative democracy programs, encouraging intercultural dialogue and seeking to inform and influence responsively relevant policies and representation at relevant forums as well as delivering cultural and community development initiatives aiming at enhancing active participation for all and advancing community cohesion: enhancing inclusion, intercultural cooperation as well as capacity development support as a means of tackling exclusion and endorsing community spirit, integration and active citizenship.