2026 marks the year that the Soho Mentorship Programme launches in Turkey's buzzing capital, Istanbul. A first cohort of young creative minds will be matched with industry professionals to understand, access, and navigate their path into the creative industries.
It's the seventh city to join the Routes In network, following Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, and Stockholm. But if the response so far is anything to go by, Istanbul has been waiting for this. The info event at Soho House Istanbul was packed with members eager to learn more, many of whom left ready to apply on the spot. Beyond the room, our local team has been connecting with local communities, youth initiatives and universities across the city, reaching young creative talent through groups like The Design Kids, Youth for Good, UXR Playground, and publications like Bigumigu and Tomorrow, who spread the word and put people forward to apply.
The result: 200+ applications for the very first cohort! The team is now deep in assessing, interviewing, and building what promises to be some brilliant matches. One piece of feedback keeps coming up, loud and clear: “this is so needed here.”
The team brings serious depth of experience, and a shared belief in why this work matters:
Emre has spent over a decade at the intersection of culture and community, from years of programme work with the British Council to hosting CreativeMornings Istanbul. A culture manager, programme curator, and facilitator, he runs Espas, a cultural management consultancy, and Culture Unleashed, a decentralised organisation working across cultural policy and the creative economy, always with an eye on making that world more connected and accessible.
Nazlı brings 9+ years of experience as a service designer and facilitator. During her time at ATÖLYE, she led award-winning service design projects across Turkey and the UAE, and has since facilitated workshops for everyone from earthquake-affected youth to social entrepreneurs, working with organisations like UNICEF and UN Women. After feeling disconnected from Istanbul's creative scene for a while, bringing this programme to life has meant reconnecting with exactly the kind of community she'd been missing.
Deniz started out in architecture before spending seven years as a Project Manager at I-AM, then six more helping grow calling mag from a magazine into a full creative agency. Across that journey, one thing stayed constant: a commitment to creating opportunities for new and emerging talent, which made stepping into this role, supporting young creatives in her own city, feel like a natural next step.
In close collaboration with the local Soho House team, the Routes In Istanbul team will run the Istanbul programme from end of September 2026 through January 2027. Applications for this first round are now closed, but if you're curious about mentoring or getting involved down the line, get in touch! istanbul@routesin.com
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