Yaşar Selman Gültekin, Grantee of Inclusiveness Target Countries Conference Grant in Grant Period 3
Bio:
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Economics at Düzce University, Türkiye, where my research focuses on forest economics, rural development, sustainability, and the social dimensions of forest-dependent communities. My work particularly examines the relationships between rural communities, forests, social participation, and sustainable development, with an increasing focus on ageing and the well-being of older adults in rural and forest environments.
Grant supported actions and initiatives:
With the support of the PAAR-NET Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grant, I participated in the Annual International Symposium on Gerontology, organised by the Athens Institute in Athens, Greece. I presented the paper entitled “Participation and Care Relationships of Older Adults in Rural Areas: An Examination of How Older Adults Participate in Social Life in Forest Villages in Düzce,” co-authored with Pınar Gültekin and Serap Bayram.
The presentation examined rural ageing through the experiences of older adults living in forest villages in Düzce, Türkiye, with particular attention to social participation, care relationships, productive activities, neighbourly relations, informal care networks, and place-based factors. Presenting this research in an international gerontology forum provided an opportunity to introduce the relatively under-researched context of rural and forest-village ageing in Türkiye to an international audience. The discussions also highlighted the implications of migration and depopulation for rural care systems, community belonging, and social sustainability.
Testimonial:
Participating in the Annual International Symposium on Gerontology was a highly valuable and inspiring experience for me. The PAAR-NET grant provided an important opportunity to present my research on older adults living in forest villages in Düzce to an international and interdisciplinary audience and to contribute a Türkiye-based perspective to broader discussions on rural ageing, social inclusion, healthy ageing, and age-friendly communities.
The discussions following my presentation were particularly enriching. I received valuable feedback on methodological approaches to studying rural ageing and had the opportunity to exchange ideas with researchers working on social participation, care systems, community resilience, and ageing in different national contexts. These exchanges helped me reflect on the possibilities of developing comparative and interdisciplinary research on ageing and social sustainability in rural areas.
The conference also enabled me to establish new academic contacts with researchers from different countries and explore potential future collaborations on rural ageing, community-based care, intergenerational relations, and age-friendly rural development. I was especially encouraged by the interest in the role of productive engagement, neighbourly relationships, and informal care networks in maintaining social identity and community belonging among older adults in rural areas.
The conference significantly broadened my international academic network and strengthened the visibility of research on ageing in forest villages in Türkiye. The experience was both academically rewarding and personally inspiring, and I am grateful to PAAR-NET for providing this opportunity and supporting my participation. I hope that the connections and ideas developed through this grant will lead to future collaborative research and publications on rural ageing, social participation, and sustainable rural communities.