Although the recent rediscovery of nature’s and gardening activities therapeutic power, this is nothing new. Actually, it is widely recognized that a biological predisposition to seek contact with nature and the linkage between outdoor nature-based activities and wellbeing are a consequence of fulfilling a primordial need.
Exploring this idea further, brought us to the underlaying principles on which “MeTURA – Back to the Roots” is rooted. From these principles came the creation of innovative tools to be deployed with social and therapeutic horticulture, basically stimulating the therapeutic function of the natural environment by working on the natural affinity of people and nature.
On the 20th and 21st of October, the first results of our research activities have been presented during a training activity involving experts from European non-profit organizations together with social workers and social services representatives in the mental disability sector.
Throughout the training, knowledge, methodologies and skills have been developed so to co-create the educational pathway with the following objective in mind: to improve the life of adults with intellectual disabilities by encouraging family therapeutic gardening and family therapeutic cooking as a way to support their lifelong learning (LL) and independence.Thrive, the British partner of the project, hosted and lead the training activities, due to their experience acquired in the use of gardening to bring positive changes to the lives of people with disabilities or health problems through the methodology of social and therapeutic horticulture (STH). As a result of this, the consortium of MeTURA has now the material to develop the tools hence adapting this knowledge to a wide range of intellectual needs while providing training to tutors and social workers in their national contexts. This training will help the above mentioned professionals to develop skills to be then deployed with their beneficiaries during the upcoming project activities. Practitioners, families and people with disabilitie will engage together in these activities therefore contrivuting to the reduction of social disadvantage and marginalization.
MeTURA – back to the roots is a project co-funded by the Erasmus + programme of the european union.
The project involves five partners from four different countries: Educational Geoss Center (coordinator, Slovenia), Zveza Sozitje (Slovenia), Center for Creative Development “Danilo Dolci” (Italy), Thrive (United Kingdom), UOSIKAZU (Croatia).
For further information about the project, please contact giovanni.lobiundo@danilodolci.org.