17/04/2026
A story about fireflies and a sudden farewell
Back in 2017, a group of people from Germany, Turkey, and Greece met just outside Istanbul. Few days filled with work, brainstorming, chaos of ideas, big plans (mostly daydreams at the time), good food, and lots of laughter.
That first night, the whole place around us was full of fireflies. Beautiful, almost like a sign of good luck. They were so bright in the Polonezköy night. It was the first, and certainly not the last, meeting of that/our group, and of what we now know as the Civil Society Toolbox (Tools for citizens).
Today, with great sadness, we learned that our dear Laden Yurttagüler is no longer with us.
Laden was a fighter, an initiator, a practitioner, and a dreamer - for democracy, for civil rights, for civil society, and for the power of community. She had a kind heart and a beautiful smile that lit up the space around her.
She will be present in every initiative she supported, in every change she fought for, in every Toolbox workshop.
She will be deeply missed, but not forgotten. She will live on in our minds and hearts, like a small, bright firefly.
Our deepest condolences to her family and friends in Turkey and around the world.
Goodbye, dear Laden
