Sharing is caring: Gift culture thrives in Turkey

Turks may be known for their hospitality, however being generous, helpful and caring is an ingrained part of this culture, which places high importance on community. It is developing this sense of community that is a central theme in the sharing economy and gift culture that have gained traction over the past decade.

"Community is woven from gifts," said Charles Eisenstein, the author of "Sacred Economics" and popular international speaker, on sharing and gift economies, which rather than monetary gain, rely on intangible rewards such as the positive feelings associated with contributing to a sense of community. The gift economy may be growing in popularity worldwide, but it could also be argued that it was the first in existence. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Turkey has joined the cause with a wide number of platforms allowing people to share, swap, donate and receive in the spirit of community and saving the planet.

Although Turkey has long been partial to sharing, caring about neighbors and the greater community, the culture has a number of systems in place governing reciprocity, recycling and banding together to assist others, such as the concept of "imece" (give and take), a number of new platforms have surfaced that are geared toward donating or bartering over the past decade. For instance, the practice of "askıda" (pending) began to surface in a number of bakeries and restaurants 10 years ago in which a patron could purchase a loaf of bread or a meal for someone in a sort of "pay it forward" manner, which would be made at the disposal of someone in need. Since then, the Askıda Ne Var project has launched in Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Bursa and Bolu designed to provide free meals to university students through a variety of venues in which one can prepay for a meal for a student in need who can claim the meal by showing an ID card.

There are a number of new, interesting online platforms popping up in Turkey that could greatly contribute to your and other's lives by way of catering to needs through sharing all while in the comfort of your home and from your computer. My own personal favorite is BookSerf, an online book club in which lenders upload photos and descriptions of their own personal library for borrowers to peruse and "check out" for two weeks at a time free of charge. All you need to do is find a book that piques your interest, a key drawing factor being the wide English-language selections, send a message to the lender and arrange a method in which to receive the book and then hand it over. Kitap Ağacı (Book Tree) is another website geared for booklovers in which people can obtain books donated by others, donate books themselves or put out a notice requesting books they are seeking.

There is a whole world of websites and platforms not just limited to books in which one can borrow, loan or give away for free pretty much anything, including, but certainly not limited to, books, clothes, furniture, electronics, sports equipment, services and the list goes on, all based on the principle of preventing overconsumption. Eşya Kütüphanesi (The Library of Goods) is one such website where you can peruse items on offer, put your own goods up for loan or request something you need based on a destination to which you are traveling. Eşya Paylaş (Share Goods) is another website where you can either donate or swap an endless range of items that could even include concert tickets, all free of charge. Alseninolsun.net is a website geared toward gifting with items up on offer for free from all over Turkey and the option to place a notice for any specific item you may be seeking. Verrr is yet another country-wide social responsibility project that has members place ads for items they want to give away based on location with the two parties either meeting or exchanging goods via cargo.

The Freecycle Network is an international, grassroots, non-profit movement of people who want to share items they are no longer using or pick up items others may be offering for free in their own town in an effort to keep them out of landfills and encourage recycling. There are over 5,000 groups and 9 million members worldwide, including an active Yahoo! group in Istanbul.

The Facebook group, Expat's Saver, is an indispensable resource for foreigners living in Turkey. Not only is it a great platform to buy, sell or swap just about anything, it also provides a venue for the expat community to receive tips or make inquiries regarding their transition to Turkey.

Last, but certainly not least, is Zumbara, an innovative sharing platform where instead of goods, talents and experiences are exchanged for time rather than money. You buy time by giving time, such as sharing a talent or teaching a craft in order to acquire hours to experience someone else sharing their own skillset. Named after an abbreviation of the words for "time" and "piggy bank," Zumbara has become a phenomenon in its own right, bringing people together to share knowledge and time in order to create a strong sense of community all on its own.