3. Activities conducted in Planting Cities: links between educational and gardening activities
3.1 – Youth work and gardening activities
At first sight, an urban garden appears only as a shared space where people gather together to grow fruits, vegetables, small livestock, etc. Actually it’s much more! Community gardens provide health, economic, educational, social and environmental benefits to participants and the community at large. It creates a social gathering place for the community and encourages the sharing of intergenerational knowledge. It’s a neutral space where people from all backgrounds gather, meet and share. It has the very real potential to be important to its neighbourhood and creates strong ties between neighbours fighting the lack of social cohesion in urban communities. Urban gardening can be seen as one of the most powerful tools for building communities, teaching participative and active citizenship, creativity, developing entrepreneurial skills, taking one of the most basic needs food supply in own hands.
Gardening can be a perfect tool for non-formal education; indeed it doesn’t’ give only the opportunity to explore the healthy lifestyle choices, learn the origins of the food and understand nature but it is also a tool of empowerment of young people, a tool to learn practical skills for own life and work market, a tool to explore possibilities of improving the footprint of the urban ecosystems, and, the most important, of building a community around it and bringing new people into this community.
In this framework, youth work can be crucial to develop bottom-up approaches and practices to promote inclusive growth, healthy lifestyles, and young people’s participation into society.
In the following pages, you will discover some activities done within the project Planting Cities, getting new ideas and tools for doing educational activities with gardening at local and transnational level.
3.2 – International training course on urban gardening and youth work
Within the project Planting Cities (Erasmus+, Key Action 2 – Capacity Building in the field of youth), a 8-day international training course (TC) on urban gardening, mobility and youth field was hosted by CESIE. → TC ? What ‘s it? Let’s discover here!
The TC, held in October 2015, was dedicated to urban gardening to be exploited as a means to support social inclusion and community development: through non-formal methods, practical activities and field visits, participants acquired new tools and competencies which contributed to develop future local activities and to encourage the collaboration between urban gardening and youth work. During these days, a close collaboration was established with local organisations involved in urban gardening and youth work where participants had the chance to learn different good practices and methodologies, to be used as inclusive activities to improve the quality of youth work as well as the sustainability of urban areas in their local context. Moreover, the youth workers had the opportunity to give their own contribution to the local community, by cleaning and redeveloping a public space located in Ballarò, a deprived area in Palermo.
In the following table you can find more details.
Location (Country and city/village) | Palermo (Italy) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Target group involved | 30 youth workers from Italy, India, China, Nepal and Slovenia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Objectives of the activity and learning outcomes |
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Methodologies | The working method was mainly based on the active participation and learning of participants through non formal activities and dedicated to new methods of youth work and implementing mobility projects. As well the theoretical sessions provided by the program was integrated in an interactive way. The use of the urban garden was the crucial tool used to foster physical and psychosocial health and help building notions of living-together, collaboration and shared values.
The main methodological approaches were:
The main methods were:
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Description of the main activities | Erasmus+, Project and participants presentation
Team building and expectations, motivations and concerns of participants
Urban Gardening: a general introduction
• Definition and main facts The session was very important for introducing basic information about the topic, and was useful for the following sessions. Presentation of local research about urban gardening and social inclusion
Organization Bazaar
Participants simulated a bazaar in which each one of the stands represented one partner organization. They could move and visit different stands to get information about their activities directly from the other participants. This activity was very important in order to network and share any ideas useful for new projects. Urban Garden and Non-formal education (I): Nutrition and well-being
Urban Garden and Non-formal education (II): sustainability
• Reuse of recycled materials and junk in urban gardening All these ideas and information gave them the basis to start discussing about possible activities to be carried out during the workshop on urban gardening and as it was opened to the local community in Palermo in the last day of the training course. Youth, mobility and volunteering: EVS and Ready for EVS guidance and support for EVS volunteers
Urban garden and EVS Local Plans
The trainers introduced the Open Space Technology methods, which main aim is to share and spread knowledge and competencies among different participants, through small group workshops with topics proposed by the participants. Participants started proposing and writing their ideas on a flipchart; then, divided in groups, on the basis of their interests and knowledge, they developed their proposals and ideas on urban gardening and social work activities. Local best practices During the weeks, CESIE organized several visits to local realities dealing with urban gardening and youth. During the visit, the staff of each organisation showed participants their activities and products, inspiring them to put in practice specific techniques and ideas, once returning to their countries.
Workshop open to the local community in Piazza Mediterraneo The youth workers had the opportunity to give own contribution to the local community, by cleaning and redeveloping Piazza Mediterraneo, a public space located in Ballarò, a deprived area in Palermo. Divided in groups and involving local people, several types of activities were carried out: vertical garden using recycled plastic bottles, collection of rubbish placed in the square, establishment of new pots, colours walls, pots and benches. Final evaluation In the last session, the evaluation of the TC was done in both formal and informal ways. |
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Agenda |
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3.2.1 Tips for carrying out a training course
So, if you get inspired from this experience and would like to replicate it in your country, don’t forget to manage the TC properly; indeed, as every training course, the success of an activity is a result of a long process of management before, during and after the activity foreseen.
Here you can find some useful tips:
Before the training |
✓ Plan everything in advance: agenda, working team, space, materials necessary, eventual local transport, accommodation etc.
✓ Analyse the motivation, educational background and expectation of each participant. The more participants have the same level, the more the programme will suit every participant! ✓ Before the arrival send all the useful information to the participants, taking in consideration the multicultural aspects and special needs |
During the training |
✓ Follow a gradual learning flow! After an introductory session (presentation of the project, team and participants), it is good to introduce the main topics (urban garden and youth work) and, after, details of each topic.
✓ Once you talk about gardening, bear in mind the idea of the garden as an educational and social tool! It is a training for youth workers willing to use the gardening in their work, not a training for individuals eager to set up an own private garden! ✓ Interchange theoretical and practical sessions in order to keep high the motivation and concentration. Especially organize gardening activities, putting in practice what was learned. ✓ Stimulate creativity and diversity! As the participants are coming from different countries, and especially if they are from different continents, give them enough space to meet and exchange personal and professional ideas and knowledge. ✓ Plan several study visits! Especially for the urban gardening topic, it’s very welcomed to know close-up any reality dealing with gardening: community garden, cooperatives, NGO’s etc. ✓ Put yourself in their shoes—or seats. Give frequent breaks, especially for half-day or all-day sessions. ✓ Encourage participation. Make the session lively by engaging participants in the learning process. ✓ Solicit feedback on the training session and organize a daily evaluation! It will help to track motivation, the learning path and see if the session succeeds or not. ✓ Following daily evaluation of the participants and working team, revise the programme! ✓ Organize public local gardening activities! Valorise your intercultural group, giving the opportunity to run a local activity in a public space, such as a square, garden or any green area. Local people will become more interested and motivated to take bottom–up initiative with the participants of the training! Such public activity will be a practical result of the training as well as a small gift to the local community from the hosting group. ✓ Last day, make a final evaluation with the participants; get feedback about all the framework of the training carried out: agenda, logistics, learning outcomes, results, potential follow-up activities etc. You will take in consideration it during the follow–up activities with the working team. |
After the training |
✓ Make a final evaluation with the working team, paying attention also to the working methods used and their impact! The success of a new training is based on the deep evaluation of the previous one.
✓ Give visibility to the success of your training course! Use testimonies, video, pictures of the programme and places visited! It will help to have a more long and deep impact at local and transnational levels. Your experience could be taken as an example and replicated by other youth workers. ✓ Provide to the participants a certificate of participation |
3.3 – Local educational and gardening workshops
Within the project, 20 youngsters had the opportunity to carry out an EVS mobility in the project countries: → EVS? What ‘s it? Let’s discover here!
- 2 Chinese, 1 Nepalese and 1 Indian in Italy (Palermo)
- 2 Indian, 1 Chinese and 1 Nepalese in Slovenia (Koper)
- 4 Slovenian and 2 Italians in China (Xinyang and Jiamusi)
- 4 Italians and 2 Slovenians in India (Bhubaneswar)
In 5 months, they were involved in planning and implementing gardening workshops and social inclusion activities targeting people with fewer opportunities.
The working method was mainly based on the active participation and learning of these youngsters through non formal activities. The use of the urban garden was the crucial tool used to foster physical and psychosocial health and to help building notions of living-together, collaboration and shared values. In particular gardening workshops provided opportunities to develop skills in leadership, community organizing, cultural competency and programme planning, implementation and evaluation. Leadership development was enhanced through experiential learning.
Thus all activities allowed participants to recognise and valorise their skills and competences in order to increase their empowerment, confidence and mainly permit them to transfer the acquired skills in their personal and professional life.
Below you can find some examples of gardening workshops done in these project countries. Feel free to be inspired and run a similar activity in your country!
3.3.1 Workshop n°1
3.3.2 Workshop n°2
3.3.3 Workshop n°3
Location | Palermo (Italy) |
Target group involved | Youngsters with migrant background (4 – 12 years old) and EVS volunteers from China, India and Nepal |
Objectives of the activity |
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Learning outcomes |
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Material needed | potting soil, plastic bottles, hoe, paint, hook, rake, scissors, small knives, gloves, a hammer, nails, watering can, wires, strings, wooden box, shovel |
Description of the activity step by step | At a local educational centre hosting youngsters with fewer opportunities, EVS volunteers carried out a workshop composed in 2 different macro gardening activities:Create your own small gardens!
Both activities aimed to establish two different types of gardens, by renovating and beautifying a deprived area. Before starting, youngsters were divided in 2 big group of 10 people, according to their interest and motivation. Each activity was led by EVS volunteers that, previously planned and prepared the workshop, supported by their mentor. Create your own small garden! The idea was to create a small garden in an deprived area.
How to plant a small garden with the containers In front to the small garden, another group of youngsters were invited to make vertical garden, by reusing old pot and using recycled plastic bottles. The goal was to beauty a wall quite empty.
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3.3.4 Workshop n°4
Location | Bhubaneswar, India |
Target group involved | Youngsters with rural and slum background (8 – 21 years old) and EVS volunteers from Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and France, City Farmers Association members. |
Objectives of the activity |
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Learning outcomes |
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Material needed | Cow Dung, Vermi compost , plastic bottles, , paint, hook, rake, scissors, small knives, gloves, a hammer, nails, watering can, wires, strings, wooden box. |
Description of the activity step by step | The workshop activities aimed to establish two different types of gardens, by renovating and beautifying a unused area given by the Municipality of Bhubaneswar.
Before starting, youngsters were divided into two homogenous groups of 7 people, according to their interest and motivation. The activity was led by EVS volunteers, previously planned and prepared the workshop, supported by their mentor. The groups worked for developing urban gardens in Municipality given plot and for developing roof top gardens. The idea was to create a small garden in an deprived area in Bhubaneswar Municipality.
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3.4 – Tips for carrying out gardening workshops
Are you ready to carry out your workshops? Don’t forget to follow these suggestions!
Before the activity |
✓ Plan the type of activity you want to do and the specific topic you want to address. The garden is only a tool; choose which side of gardening field you want to discover.
✓ Focus on the target group; consider the needs of the people you want to involve. ✓ Plan all the steps of the activity: number of people attending the activity, the duration, the necessary materials, the venue etc. The earlier you get prepared, the easier and faster the result will be! ✓ Prepare an agenda, considering the time for each sessions, any break and task division among the working team ✓ Invite people to the activity! Bear in mind to give all the right information in order to avoid any drop in interest and motivation once the activity will be underway. |
During the activity |
✓ First, introduce the programme of the activity. The first impact with the participants is very important!
✓ At the beginning, make an ice-breaking activity. It will help participants to get to know each other, increase energy or enthusiasm levels, encourage team building and make people think about a specific issue. ✓ Give space for questions and discussions about the topic addressed. ✓ As it is a gardening activity, make the sessions very practical and active. The more sessions will be creative, the more impact you will reach! ✓ Make a final evaluation with the participants. |
After the activity |
✓ Make a final evaluation with your working team; check what was good and what was not. it will be help you for a new activity!
✓ Give visibility to the success of your local workshop! Use testimonies, video, pictures of the programme of the activity! It will help to have a more long and deep impact at the local level. Your experience could be taken as example and replicate from other youth worker. |