Growing communities: Empowerment through social permaculture Erasmus Project

Project Title

Growing communities: Empowerment through social permaculture

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Access for disadvantaged; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The “GROWING COMMUNITIES: Empowerment through social permaculture” project responds to two important challenges in Europe: social inclusion and environmental and climate goals, by using an innovative approach to social permaculture, community gardening and sustainable lifestyles.

Around 22,4% of the population in Europe, lives in households at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and the percentage is even higher in rural areas or suburbs. As an outermost region, Canary Islands report 36% of people at risk of social exclusion and poverty (in Romania 35.7 %) (EUROSTAT, 2017).

The most powerless people in our societies are likely to be worst affected by the consequences of a crisis (like the COVID 19 pandemia), not only economically, but also regarding the access to affordable and balanced food.

Increasing food autonomy and changing consumption patterns towards sustainable habits could be a way for adult educators to motivate and empower final beneficiaries to improve their socio-economic situation, health and educational opportunities.

The aim of this project is to enable adults, with focus on vulnerable adults, to acquire a wide set of skills, knowledge and competences needed for participating actively in modern society in a lifelong perspective, such as critical thinking, civic and environmental awareness, food autonomy and learning for healthy lifestyles.
The target groups and final beneficiaries are adults, with focus on from disadvantaged rural areas or problematic suburban neighbourhoods, seniors 55+ facing loneliness, adults who face economic instability and risk of social exclusion.

The project consolidates efforts of 3 organizations from Spain (EDUPLUS), Germany (Kulturlabor – Try & Error) and Romania (DOMINOU Association). The partnership is going to work jointly on development of 3 intellectual outputs:
1. An European Educational model to empower adult educators to teach learners, including adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, to become true factors of change in their local communities.
2. Bite-size learning tools – a set of training and self-paced learning materials (OER) that support disadvantaged groups and adult educators in implementing transformative community processes.
3. An Engagement program to increase motivation for participation in society of 60 adults, with focus on those with fewer possibilities, who will exchange experience during micro-trainings and social activities with peers.

The German partner will transfer to ES and RO their innovative models of using urban community gardening for social inclusion. The Spanish partner will transfer to DE and RO their innovative models on permaculture, alternative food networks and engaging methodologies to teach sustainable lifestyles. These models complement each other and will result in a more comprehensive and innovative methodology on social permaculture.

The project gives innovative solutions on how to design resilient communities and environments through social permaculture. Applying permaculture system design to natural environments means they will be more resilient to climate change and other changes. Applying social permaculture at societal level empowers people and communities to how to develop beneficial relationships with the ecosystems which sustain us and better withstand shocks and disruptions.

The project is also innovative because it has a cross-disciplinary approach (climate change, sustainable agriculture, urban/community gardens, active citizenship) and it develops special sections adapted for target groups in rural areas, adults in risk of social exclusion and adults in big cities/suburbs. Also, it trains adult educators on teaching sustainability based on positive engagement methodology (unlike fear-inducing climate change education during the last decades). In addition, it focuses on teaches critical thinking applied to changing behaviours, production and consumption patterns and (un)healthy lifestyles in disadvantaged adults and seniors.

All outputs will be tested during the international Joint staff training event in Berlin, where 12 adult educators will be trained as facilitators of non-formal and informal education by organizing micro-trainings and social networking activities. The outputs will also be tested during the national micro-trainings with 60 participants facilitated by facilitators.

To attract potential stakeholders to use our project results we will organize a European conference in Spain for a minimum 50 participants. The project results will remain open for use by all interested audiences after the end of the project also.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59944 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociación Socioeducativa Eduplus & Country: ES

Project Partners

• ASOCIATIA DOMINOU
• KULTURLABOR TRIAL&ERROR EV