Training Reading, UK

Project partners were, in March 2020, planning a 3-day training of therapeutic gardening, also known as social therapeutic horticulture, at the premises of project partner organization Thrive in Reading, UK. Thrive  have been using social therapeutic horticulture and gardening to change people’s lives since 1979.  

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation all over the world, the training was postponed to fall 2020 in the hopes that it can be realized as planned. Since the situation did not improve and traveling was not possible, the training was implemented online.

During a 3-day online course project partners and representatives of associated organizations were, under the mentoring of Thrive, developing knowledge, understanding and practical skills to support adult family members with intellectual disabilities (AFMID) to develop life-long learning through gardening.

Participants of the training will now organize, in their countries,  training courses for mentors and educators who work with persons with intellectual disabilities. This way they will gain knowledge to independently exercise the MeTURA methodology that was developed within the project.

MeTURA methodology will be tested in pilot workshops of therapeutic gardening and therapeutic cooking in the classroom, kitchen and on the garden. With this intention the project partner gained funds in the project to buy garden beds, seeds, kitchen equipment and other necessities needed for conducting the pilot workshops. 

 

In collaboration with associated partners, project partners already started to set up garden beds, plant seeds and grow plants that will be later used in the kitchen to prepare meals. MeTURA methodology is designed in a way that enables mentors/educators and families (parents) to guide our target group (adult persons with intellectual disabilities) through activities of gardening and cooking with the intention to gain basic skills and knowledge and greater independence.   

You can find some short inserts of the training, organized by Thrive, in the video bellow.