Since 15 of October 2014 Center of Women's Studies and Policies in cooperation with Flying Broom Women Association (Turkey) and  European Research center to the University of Ankara ,  started the implementation of 14 months project Watch Your Shadow, financed by the European Union Civil Society Dialog III - Political Criteria Grant Scheme and implemented by Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association, aims to promote women’s and women NGOs participation in local politics.

Within the scope of the project, initially a research will be undertaken to see the current situation in women’s representation and participation in the municipal councils in Turkey.

Based on the results, three regions will be identified. In the selected regions, a training needs analysis will be realized and content of the training material will be developed accordingly. Women in the concerned regions will be invited and encouraged to participate to the trainings. Following the trainings, three shadow councils, one province level and two district level, will be established. Once the shadow councils are established they will immediately start to make their own meetings, simultaneously with the real councils in their regions. Shadow councils will hold their meetings particularly before and after the meetings of the real councils. Shadow councils will create their own agenda, as well as follow the councils’ agenda, and they will aim to influence the real councils accordingly. Shadow Councils will be in close contact with the women NGOs, relevant state institutions, local authorities, and other related stakeholders including university and media actors in their regions in order to be able to grasp the local context on women’s issues. Shadow Councils will operate during five months, between 15 May- 15 October, 2015, and will produce monthly reports.

Through the Watch Your Shadow Project, women will be promoted to set their own agenda and encouraged to be active in the realization efforts of the concerned agenda. Via the project, women are aimed to acknowledge that they would be part of the relevant processes of policy formulation and services development.