Turkish Cypriot Community Association

Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) is the largest Turkish Speaking Charity in the United Kingdom. This community was established in 1976 by Yashar Ismailoglu with the aim to provide cultural, linguistic and religious services to the Turkish and Kurdish speaking people based in the UK. TCAA is best known for the largest Turkish Speaking Charity in the UK.
Since its inception, TCCA has been working on numerous projects like home care, educational and advisory in collaboration with beneficiaries, stakeholders and community members. It is a self-funded organisation that receives financial support from local authorities, trusts and lottery.
The motive of TCCA is to provide financial support to the members of the Turkish community and make them attain a sustainable quality of life thus eliminating their need to depend on the government benefits.
TCCA is the recipient of charity of the year award, festival award, golden goose award and was also a third sector award nominee.
== History ==
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Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) was founded in 1976. The initiation for the foundation for this community was to address the economic pitfall as experienced after the 1930’s especially in the services offered by the advice bureaus and restriction experienced in the accessible benefits leading to unemployment.
Yashar Ismailoglu registered this association as a Company Limited by Guarantee (Company Number 3851759) with Charity Status (Charity Number 1080926). 
TCCA works simultaneously on a number of projects for the wider categories of elderly support, education and advisory. These projects aim at providing such services that help in fulfilling the needs of the Turkish and Kurdish speaking communities in the United Kingdom, thus working for the upliftment of these people. These services range from information and advice on welfare, housing, education and employment support services.
== Projects ==
=== Elderly ===
This category of projects comprises three projects uptil now, namely Assessment Project, Luncheon Club and Trips. 
=== The Assessment Project ===
It aims at assessing the delivery of welfare benefits, the status of statutory services and signposting to additional services. The elderly members of TCCA receive a full needs assessment related to financing, access of services amongst other needs. The staff members of TCCA ensure the delivery of correct information to the members in order to help them make thoughtful decisions. 
=== Luncheon Club ===
The Luncheon Club of TCCA is a project that aims at highlighting the social aspect and in turn facilitating a homely atmosphere for the members of this association. This club is active every Tuesday and Wednesday where the members are offered a subsidised lunch prepared in a traditional Cypriot way. The members are also engaged in a number of playful activities like bingo, cards which creates an opportunity for the members to find new friends.
=== Trips ===
This project by TCCA facilitates a fully funded day trip where the members are offered an opportunity to have a social excursion and travel outside of London.
=== Advice ===
The advisory project by TCCA facilitates expert advice sessions related to legal and employment queries. Industry experts are invited by TCCA to offer pro-bono services to the members. 
The legal advisors at TCCA address immigration matters, employ­ment issues, civil claims, welfare ben­efit matters, housing related problems and debt disputes. They also educate the TCCA members with law changes along with pro­viding necessary guidance.
The Employment Advice Service at TCCA started in 2015 with the aim to provide guidance and advice on issues relating to employment to the members. This service covers a range of issues faced by the people in the service sector like bullying, racial harassment, unlawful taxation, pension enquiries and rights on disclosure.
=== Education ===
==== Turkish Homework Project ====
This project aims at improving Turkish children's education with parental help. This project aims at motivating the parents to engage with their children’s education by providing guidelines and creating a co-working atmosphere for children and parents. 
==== Internship Program ====
The internship program by TCCA is a collaborative project to promote International Education with the International Education Organization (IEO) that works to promote student learning through personal choice, academic integrity, and engagement in urban environments abroad. This program aims to provide an opportunity to the international students from vocational schools to gain work experience and develop their professional skills in the UK.
Through this program students engage in internship placements in Policy Development Finance, Grants and Funding, Film Production and Media & Marketing at TCCA as part of their university level academic degree. In this program the students are offered an opportunity to involve in general clerical work in the office, creating and editing videos or working in Excel, or assisting with IT support.
Various international associations and schools are involved with TCCA such as  ADC College, Foundation of International Learning (FIE) and CAPA. The ADC College collaborative internship project is funded by the EU initiated programme Leonardo da Vinci / Erasmus+.
 
==== English Classes ====
TCCA started offering english classes in 2015 when it collaborated with Time Bank and started the Talking Together English Teaching Initiative. The aim of this initiative is to develop the members’ English and improve their chances of getting a better job.
=== Others ===
TCCA also runs several other groups and projects targeting a number of issues for the upliftment of the affected sector of Turkish and Kurdish community. The additional projects are the Environmental Project, Film Project and Tottenham Active. Some of the TCCA groups are -
* Helga Kovacs eHelga.com English Language School
* Tulin Ozsoy Haringey School of Ballet
* Harriet Heath Zumba classes
* Partnership with Limassol Turkish Association, TCCA ran a 6 week Basic IT course
* Ercüment İbrahim Director: Enderun Musiki Derneĝi Korosu Classical Turkish Choir
* Limassol Turkish Association
* London School of Economics
* Excel Education
== Awards ==
TCCA is the recipient of Turkish Cypriot charity of the year award, CENTUS, New festival of the year nominee, golden goose award, and was also a third sector award nominee.
Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) is the largest Turkish Speaking Charity in the United Kingdom. This community was established in 1976 by Yashar Ismailoglu with the aim to provide cultural, linguistic, and religious services to the Turkish and Kurdish speaking people based in the UK. TCAA is best known for the largest Turkish Speaking Charity in the UK.
Since its inception, TCCA has been working on numerous projects like home care, educational and advisory in collaboration with beneficiaries, stakeholders, and community members. It is a self-funded organisation that receives financial support from local authorities, trusts and lottery. 
The motive of TCCA is to provide financial support to the members of the Turkish community and make them attain a sustainable quality of life thus eliminating their need to depend on the government benefits. 
Erim Metto took leadership of the organisation in 2002, and has lead the organisation through major change taking it from a charity experiencing difficult times, through to an award will third sector organisation, that operates from four bases, spans 24 local authority areas and boosts the role of being the largest Turkish Cypriot charity in Europe.
TCCA is the recipient of Turkish Cypriot charity of the year award, CENTUS, New festival of the year nominee, golden goose award, and was also a third sector award nominee.
== In the media ==
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== References ==
== External links ==
* Official website
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Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom
Category:Turkish Cypriot society
Category:1976 establishments in the British Empire