Organic Vegetable Garden
Senior and Young People
are working together

Description

The SYPtogether project was designed by a team of five young people aiming to tackle issues such as: the unhealthy lifestyle of young people, the alienation of young people from the natural environment and specifically from the land, the unemployment, the lack of communication between young people and the elderly and the marginalization of the elderly from active participation in the society. The purpose of the project was to improve the quality of life of the young and the elderly through their involvement in the
cultivation of organic vegetable garden. Young and old through our project had the opportunity to interact, create together, communicate, develop their vegetable garden together, produce organic products, acquire life skills and experience the joy and happiness that comes from being in contact with nature and the solidarity spirit.

"SYP2gether" objectives were:
-to engage young and senior people in green skills development through the cultivation of an organic vegetable garden ,
-to develop entrepreneurial skills and empower young people to reach employability opportunities in the organic farming sector,
-to increase the contribution of older people in the society,
-to tackle loneliness and isolation of senior people,
-to strengthen intergenerational solidarity,
-to contribute to a healthier lifestyle of young people,
-to tackle unemployment of young people,
-to enrich daily diet of the participants with fresh vegetables.

Activities

During SYP2gether participants had the opportunity to meet on a monthly basis to cultivate their organic vegetable garden. During the meetings the participants prepared the soil, sow, planted, water, applied organic farming practices, collected their vegetables (harvest), planned the next phase of cultivation and discussed the evolution of their vegetable garden. At the same time, the team of the project organized and implemented various workshops such as:
-"Philosophy, principles and practices of organic farming"
- “What are pesticides? When do they become dangerous? Can we reject them holistically?”
-"Vegetables: categories, what can be grown in a vegetable garden, what are the most important factors that influence the creation and care of a vegetable garden"
-"Good watering practices"
- "Vegetables in human nutrition and health"
- "Pests and diseases of the vegetable garden"
-"Composting Method - What is it and how is it done?"
-"Organic Farming and Youth Entrepreneurship", "Funded programs about organic farming"
-"Herbs and their importance"
-"Promotion of organic farming through Environmental Education"
-Creation of small pots with herbs and vegetables

Results

The project's primary result was the improvement of the quality of life of the young as well as the elderly and the contribution to a better quality and healthier society. Specifically, "SYP2gether" project's main results were:
-Youth and seniors learned, experienced, implemented and evaluated organic farming methods, principles and practices.

-Two organic vegetable gardens have been created and are still cultivated by the team of the project and senior people.
-Senior people have been actively engaged in society, thus the project contributed to the social inclusion of elderly population.
-More youth showed interest in organic agriculture through youth entrepreneurship opportunities.

-The wider society has been informed about the importance of organic farming, agriculture and a healthy lifestyle.

-Participants have developed better healthy lifestyle and mental health.
-Young people acquired knowledge and skills regarding the development and management of a solidarity project.