GARDEN.ing

<< Background >>Global trends in integrating sustainable development into development programs emphasize the importance of connecting people with nature, awareness of food production, and self-sufficiency. Gardens are increasingly moving into and becoming part of urban environments, in city centers.Urban gardening means the hobby cultivation of food and herbs for personal use, mostly taking place on rented or sometimes even occupied land in the city. In this practice, several people garden on shared land, which is usually but not necessarily divided into individual plots.In the Urban Garden project, we aimed to transform the green park areas in the courtyard of Vegova School in the center of Ljubljana into a space for socializing, while also including areas for growing edible plants and herbs. The space in front of the building’s entrance currently represents the only green area on the property, and it is completely unused, as it is overgrown with ornamental plants that have spread significantly and blocked access for students or anyone else. With our project and the school's co-financing, we intended to give the space a new purpose and use it to strengthen awareness of the importance and implementation of sustainable development among students<< Objectives >>By implementing the project we wanted to achieve the following goals:• Enrichment of knowledge and competencies in the areas of communication, foreign language skills, environmental awareness, and sustainable development; • Recognition of the importance of sustainable societal actions for ensuring environmental sustainability; • Creation of an urban garden with an automatic irrigation system as part of the school park renovation; • New guidelines for teaching vocational subjects that promote education for sustainable development; • Increased motivation for participation in future (formal/non-formal) education or training after the mobility period abroad; • Enhanced teamwork skills among students<< Implementation >>The first step was designed as a remote meeting of teachers from both partner schools. Its purpose was to form a project team that would plan the steps to achieve the project's goals. The second activity involved the mobility of students, teachers, and coordinators from Slovenia to the partner school in Portugal. It included all teachers, coordinators, and students participating in the project (21 individuals). It was designed as knowledge transfer from the partner organization, which already operated in the field of agronomy and was more experienced in this regard.The third activity meant the final step of the entire project, and its purpose was to summarize the information gathered in the earlier phases and organize them into a meaningful conclusion. The result was the creation of an urban garden within the park space in front of Vegova in Ljubljana. It was designed and created by the students with the help of teacher mentors. Teachers from other subjects, who had knowledge in areas like design, were also involved.The final result included a documented description of the process of transforming the urban space, from planning to actual implementation and ongoing maintenance.<< Results >>In the Urban Garden project, we transformed the green park areas in the courtyard of Vegova School in the center of Ljubljana into a space for socializing, which would also include areas for growing edible plants and herbs. In planning the garden, we involved the local community and the organization Pazi!park, which already had experience with similar projects and greatly contributed to the creation of the garden. They made a concrete plan that had to meet the standards of Monument Protection, as the Vegova building is protected as a cultural monument. The students, with the help of their mentors, created the urban garden, to which they will later add an automatic irrigation system and socializing areas, such as benches and grassy areas, once the weather conditions are more favorable (expected to be by the end of the school year).