Jóvenes jardineras
Jardines urbanos para jóvenes
Programme
Project number
Key Action
Action Type
Topics
Duration
EU Grant
About the project
The project promotes urban gardening and urban agriculture as tools to address food security, climate change, community development and youth inclusion. In a context of ageing farmers in Europe, limited opportunities in rural areas and increasing pressure on food systems, the project encourages young people to engage with soil, nature and local food production in and around cities. Building on Verdesur Association’s previous urban garden trainings within the ESC programme in Alcalá la Real (Spain), the project brings together young people from Serbia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Türkiye and Spain to experience how small-scale urban gardens can contribute to food security, biodiversity, and community cohesion.
Objectives
The project aims to qualify young people as urban gardeners and community change-makers, combining theoretical and practical learning on urban gardening with a strong focus on inclusion and community development. More specifically, it seeks to:
- Increase young people’s understanding of food security challenges in Europe and neighbouring countries, linking them to climate change, poverty and access to healthy food.
- Equip young people with practical and theoretical skills to design, set up and maintain urban gardens in their own communities, within youth organisations or on spaces provided by municipalities.
- Raise awareness of the benefits of urban gardens in daily life, including healthier diets, reduced food costs, environmental benefits and stronger neighbourhood ties.
- Develop participants’ gardening competences and reflections on agricultural production in urban areas, helping them understand the potential of urban gardens in low-income and marginalised communities.
- Create tangible local impact in Alcalá la Real by jointly developing an urban garden with the local community, giving residents direct access to the results and offering a model that participants can replicate at home.
Activities
The main activity is a 9-day youth exchange (15–23, 2025) in Alcalá la Real (Spain) with 38 participants (5 young people + 1 leader per country, plus a larger Spanish group with 2 facilitators and 1 leader). All activities are based on non-formal education, peer learning and outdoor, hands-on methods.
Key activities include:
- Group building and introduction to non-formal learning and Youthpass, helping participants get to know each other, establish a safe learning environment and understand the learning framework of the project.
- Thematic sessions on food security and urban gardening, covering:
- What is food security and why it matters for young people and low-income communities?
- Urban gardens and community development (role of gardens in inclusion, social ties and local participation).
- Inclusion through urban gardens (how gardening can engage disadvantaged youth and people with fewer opportunities).
- Urban gardening training (theoretical & practical) focusing on:
- basic principles of urban garden design and settlement,
- soil, biodiversity and climate aspects,
- practical techniques for starting and maintaining urban gardens in small spaces.
- Field trips and planning of the urban garden in Alcalá la Real, where participants visit relevant sites, analyse local conditions and co-design the layout and functions of the garden.
- Hands-on development of the urban garden with the local community, working side-by-side with local young people and residents to set up and plant the garden, thereby linking theory and practice and strengthening community ties.
- Planning urban gardens in participants’ home countries, where each national group prepares a concrete plan to create or develop an urban garden in their own organisation or community after the exchange.
- Erasmus+ and project-planning sessions, including simulations and group work, to help participants transform their ideas on food security, urban gardening and inclusion into future Erasmus+ or ESC projects.
- Reflection, evaluation and Youthpass, ensuring that participants identify the skills and knowledge gained (gardening, community work, project design, intercultural learning, language skills) and how they will apply them in their communities.
Project partners
- Asoc Socio Cultural Verdesur Alcala - 🇪🇸 Spain
- Compass - Beratung, Begleitung und Training gemeinnützige GmbH - 🇦🇹 Austria
- Development Center of Vojvodina - 🇷🇸 Serbia
- Gaziantep Egitim Ve Genclik Dernegi - 🇹🇷 Türkiye
- Hidak Ifjúsági Alapítvány - 🇭🇺 Hungary
- Planimpact - Verein Für Menschenrechte, Frieden und Entwicklung e.V - 🇩🇪 Germany
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Spanish National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.