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GROWING: Generate Relations for a more Open-minded World Involved in Nature Gardening
Start date: Aug 1, 2015, End date: May 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

GROWING (Generate Relations for a more Open-minded World Involved in Nature Gardening) is an EVS project coordinated by InCo with the participation of 5 volunteers from 4 different countries (Armenia, Spain, Ukraine and France) involved in the activities of 3 Receiving Organizations. As we write, 3 volunteers have been identified while the other 2 will be identified afterwards. Since identified volunteers showed a great interested in outdoor activities, in this idetinfication it will be desirable for participants to have a similar interest. Moreover, it will be important for participants to have an open attitude towards creating relationships with people of a different age and coming from a different country. GROWING aims at gathering two generations to raise awareness regarding environment sustainability and promoting the positive aspects of “growing one’s own garden”, a place where to grow plants contributing to the genetic diversity but also where to grow personally. Receiving organizations target two different groups of people: ASSB manages nursing homes for elderly people, VKE promotes the rights of children and youngsters to play and Fondazione San Vigilio aims at boosting youth associations as well as training and recreational activities for youth. For the topic of the project, environment sustainability, intergenerational dialogue is crucial since it allows young generations to understand better the ongoing climate changes and to learn gardening methods from elderly people who will thus feel “useful”. Moreover, through activities of gardening, GROWING promotes intercultural dialogue and the knowledge of fruit and vegetables from different parts of the world. Every Receiving Organization is sensitive towards environmental sustainability and have some gardens managed for and with their beneficiaries: in almost each of its nursing home ASSB has a garden, VKE together with other youth associations manages an intercultural garden and Fondazione San Vigilio together with schools of the Sun Valley takes care of a botanical garden. Volunteers will both be involved in the regular activities of the Receiving Organizations - mainly in the recreational, cultural and educational ones, suggesting own ideas - as well as in the parallel initiative “Magic Gardens", title suggested by the identified volunteers. As part of the parallel activities, under the supervision of the receiving organizations and of InCo, volunteers will organize events such as "Coltiviamo assieme" in the different receiving organizations. The local community will be invited to the event; besides this, volunteers will also collect advices from elderly people of the rest home about gardening, publishing them on the blog they will create. Hence, volunteers will boost users to take part in the gardening activities of the receiving organizations and promote intergenerational as well as intercultural dialogue. They will also encourage the local community to grow gardens, being more environmentally friendly. The parallel activities involving the 5 volunteers is an opportunity to stimulate peer-to-peer contact, boosting not only socialization, the learning outcomes but also volunteers' spirit of initiative. From these activities will emerge a group of international volunteers that will stay in touch even after the end of their service. GROWING will have a positive impact on all actors involved. It represents both a life and a learning opportunity for volunteers who will develop skills and attitudes significant for their personal growth and future working life; they will be supported in their learning path by all partners who have already agreed on methods and roles. Receiving Organizations will benefit from enriching inputs and new activities, as well as generating a greater impact thanks to the synergies they will create with the other organizations of the project. Finally, the beneficiaries of the Receiving Organizations will have the chance to weave relationships with people speaking another language, coming from another culture.
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