Our garden zoo!
4 June 2021
‘Sustainable Synergies’ – Call for long term volunteers under the ESC
15 September 2021
Our garden zoo!
4 June 2021
‘Sustainable Synergies’ – Call for long term volunteers under the ESC
15 September 2021
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PDC course and Permaculture Vegetable Gardens for refugees

This season Nea Guinea and Sporos Regeneration Institute (https://www.facebook.com/SporosInstitute) are joining forces and work together for the establishment of a Permaculture hub for refugees on the island of Lesvos. This initiative will bring together refugees, development workers and locals into a shared learning experience and will focus on providing them with the necessary skills and perspectives to get actively involved in regenerative iniatives that will facilitate the transformation of physical and social spaces inside and outside the camps. Tapping into the wide set of tools and techniques that Permaculture offers for cultural and ecological regeneration, we will be working together to facilitate the establishment of new meaningful connections between people (camp residents and local communities), as well as positive interactions with the surrounding landscape. At the same time, we aim to create the conditions for new job opportunities to emerge in the field of permaculture design and gardening, empowering the people involved and enhancing their sense of self-reliance.
 
The initiative consists of two joint projects:
 
Integration through permaculture
 
This educational project aims to give the participants a thorough understanding of the Permaculture ethics and principles and at the same time to support them in developing their skills in designing and implementing different techniques for the management of natural resources and the re-arrangement of human activity in a regenerative way. Moreover, it focuses on shaping supportive and restorative processes that will enhance personal and collective well being as well as facilitating creative interactions between refugees and local communities that promote the integration of refugees into local society. This project consists of a series of four Permaculture Design Certificate courses which will be held during the period Sep ‘21- June ‘22 and is founded by the Emergence Foundation (https://emergencefoundation.uk/)
 
Seeds of a common future
 
This project aims to upskill refugees in applied Permaculture design, introduce them to the local community as qualified Permaculture practitioners (farmers, gardeners, seed savers) and create interactions that could potentially result in emerging job opportunities. During this project, participants will acquire specialized knowledge and technical training in the design and cultivation of sustainable food production systems and the collection and preservation of seed from traditional vegetable varieties. Combining theory and practice, the group will work on the establishment of a small nursery unit for growing seedlings and a vegetable garden for seed production. The produced seedlings and seeds will be distributed to the local solidarity market through open promoting events during spring 2022.This project is funded by Lush Re:Fund (https://weare.lush.com/lush-life/our-giving/refund/)
 
We are happy to announce the first two educational activities under this joint initiative which are taking place this month at the Educational Farm of Sporos in Lesvos. We will keep you updated with stories and photos of the project’s evolution!