Building Something Real: How Team1 Türkiye Helps Bring Avalanche to Life
What does real community building look like? Team1 Türkiye shows how small starts and bold ideas help make Avalanche something that people show up for.
The work we do in Team1 often begins with a simple idea. What if we brought Avalanche to people in a way that feels local, approachable, and just a little unexpected? In Türkiye, that idea has taken shape through events that feel more like experiences. Whether it’s a snowy mountain gathering or a packed-out night in Istanbul, the team in Türkiye is showing what it looks like when community building turns into something meaningful.
Community on the slopes: Team1 Türkiye brought Avalanche to the mountains during a winter gathering in eastern Türkiye.
To really understand what Team1 looks like in practice, it helps to hear directly from the people doing the work. Hursel Cay has been leading the charge in Türkiye, and his perspective on how this all came together is truly inspiring.
Watch the full interview here:
Team1 is Avalanche’s global contributor program. It’s made up of volunteers, creators, organizers, and developers around the world who want to do more than just speculate on-chain. Most of what we do in Team1 is about building community from the inside out. In Türkiye, that work is coming to life in many ways.
Hursel Cay speaking at a local educational event, part of Team1 Türkiye’s effort to onboard future builders.
One of the first things you notice looking at the work coming out of Team1 Türkiye is the care. Every event, whether it’s a university tour or a night out in Istanbul, feels intentional. The branding is clean. The presentations are thoughtful. Even the catering has Avalanche-themed cookies made by a food engineer. This isn’t just surface-level polish. It’s culture.
“Everything starts with just one person.”
Team1 Türkiye started small. One person reaching out to a blockchain club. One offline event in a city not everyone in the world can point to on a map. One graphic designer who took a chance on a new project. Those simple beginnings have grown into something much, much larger.
A packed night in Istanbul, one of many local events connecting Avalanche to the heart of the city.
Since launching, Team1 Türkiye has:
Organized more than 18 offline events in cities across the country
Partnered with top exchanges like OKX and Bitget for large-scale gatherings
Hosted Avalanche-focused meetups with university blockchain clubs
Ran a developer night in Ankara aimed at onboarding builders
Held a ski trip in eastern Türkiye as part of a community engagement push
Organized a yoga event in July with local influencers and livestreamed follow-ups on The Arena to bridge wellness and SocialFi
Each of these events reached different parts of the ecosystem. Students, devs, fitness communities, traders. All of them had consistent energy. Thoughtful. Welcoming. Built with intention.
Bridging wellness and Web3: Team1 Türkiye’s July yoga event explored calm, connection, and crypto in one space.
But numbers and milestones only tell part of the story. What stands out most is the tone Team1 Türkiye sets. These events don’t just look good. They feel good. They’re grounded in the community and full of momentum. The kind of atmosphere that makes you want to stick around and see what happens next.
“If you work hard, you can build what you want for Avalanche.”
That’s what this is about. It’s not just Türkiye. It’s not just blockchain. It’s about recognizing what becomes possible when people are given room to build what they believe in. One person at a time.
If you’re reading this from somewhere else in the world, consider this your open invitation. Come to an event. Talk to someone who showed up early. Bring your own ideas. And if you’re already building something, keep going.
We’ll see you out there.
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