Schulgarten zum Wachsen

The partners' shared vision was and is that every child in Germany and Austria should be able to learn about and experience the natural value creation process of food as part of their elementary o...

The partners' shared vision was and is that every child in Germany and Austria should be able to learn about and experience the natural value creation process of food as part of their elementary or school education in order to develop self-efficacy and future competencies in terms of green skills. The project aimed to prepare a collective approach to decision-makers in the education sector across borders and subsequently involve other EU countries.

Organisations in Germany and Austria that offer educational gardening were surveyed. These were mapped and categorised. They were the starting point for a two-part online networking workshop in which representatives of relevant initiatives took part. In the course of the first networking meeting, it became clear that numerous relevant educator surveys had already been carried out in Germany and Austria, so that a further survey did not appear to make sense. Instead, the project partners agreed to build on the existing data, analyse it and present the results obtained. The collected results were incorporated into a position paper and were the starting point for two large multiplier events in Vienna and Berlin.

The project carried out a mapping and classification of existing educational programmes in the field of ‘educational gardening’ in Germany and Austria. In doing so, it contributed to the networking of stakeholders in this field and helped to raise awareness across the country. A position paper on the implementation of pedagogical gardening in curricula and the training and further education of teachers was drawn up, presented at multiplier events and discussed and concretised in working groups. The position paper was forwarded to relevant decision-makers in politics and to those responsible for education and used as a basis for discussions.