Sueda Vardar

Developmental Psychologist & Humanitarian

Istanbul, Türkiye

About

I am a dedicated developmental psychologist focusing on creating and managing psychosocial support and education programs for vulnerable populations and the broader community. Currently, I work as a Content Development and Evaluation Specialist at Yeşilay (Green Crescent). In this role, I develop educational materials and design prevention and intervention programs for children, youth, and parents to support preventive public health and community well-being. Previously, at Karam Foundation, I co-led a Scholarship Program. I managed comprehensive academic and personal development support projects for hundreds of Syrian refugee high school and university students. Additionally, I work as a supervisor for the PERGEL Positive Youth Development Intervention Program, where I ensure program quality and mentor instructors from the Training of Trainers (ToT) phase through to the completion of the program cycle.

Experience

  • Content Development and Evaluation Specialist at Yeşilay
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    I develop educational materials and design prevention and intervention programs for children, youth, and parents to support preventive public health and community well-being.

  • PERGEL: Pozitif Ergen Gelişimi Programı (Freelance · 2 yrs 10 mos)
    • Supervisor
      Oct 2024 - Present · 1 yr 9 mos

      PERGEL (Pozitive Youth Development) is an intervention program aims to support positive social and emotional development of pre-adolescent children. PERGEL is implemented with 5th and 6th grade students. PERGEL consists of 14 sessions, each lasting 50 minutes I supervise and support psychology students implementing the PERGEL Intervention Program with middle-school children.

    • Instructor
      Sep 2023 - Oct 2024 · 1 yr 2 mos

  • Karam Evi (Full-time · 4 yrs)
    • Scholarship Program Specialist
      Jun 2023 - Oct 2025 · 2 yrs 5 mos

      - Led an academic scholarship program for Syrian refugee youth, overseeing the entire lifecycle from enrollment strategy to academic milestones and graduation. - Managed the selection process for two cycles, recruiting 150 students total. This included screening 4,000 applicants in 2022 and leading the special postearthquake enrollment in 2023. - Provided tailored psychosocial and academic guidance to hundreds of beneficiaries, conducting one-on-one mentoring sessions and regular follow-ups to support individual well-being. - Conducted trainings to foster professional and personal development, directly contributing to participants' career readiness. - Managed partnerships with major organizations like The Red Crescent and Maya Foundation to expand the program's impact and reach.

    • Scholarship Program Associate
      Nov 2021 - Jun 2023 · 1 yr 8 mos

      Designing the "Scholarship Program" for Syrian refugee university students. Implementing and coordinating the whole enrollment process of scholarship (e.g. applications, interviews) and the program itself. Supporting Syrian university and high school students' professional and personal development. Implementing various activities (e.g., workshops, training), improving their visibility, and providing mentoring in 1-1 relationships while also being a professional consultant.

  • Graduate Research Assistant at Özyeğin Üniversitesi
    Sep 2022 - Sep 2025 · 3 yrs 1 mo

    Child Development and Learning Studies Laboratory

  • World Human Relief (1 yr 8 mos)
    • International Trauma Studies Certificate Program Assistant
      Jun 2024 - Mar 2025 · 10 mos

    • International Trauma Studies Certificate Program Secretary
      Aug 2023 - Jul 2024 · 1 yr

      I am currently responsible for weekly announcements and organization of training sessions, being in-contact with participants, supporting the speaker professors in their sessions.