The area of Bella (PZ) and surrounding areas is characterized by common problems, including social marginalization, reduced socialization and difficulties in integrating persons with disabilities. The elderly also often experience conditions of isolation and devaluation, despite the wealth of knowledge and culture they could transmit.
In this scenario, the garden becomes a place of meeting and exchange: the younger ones learn cultivation techniques and traditions from the older ones, while the harvested products promote a healthy diet and a sense of community.
What the project involves
The project proposes a path of inclusion and socialization through horticulture and gardening, internationally recognized as therapeutic practices. The activities are not limited to “providing assistance”, but enhance the active participation of people with disabilities and the elderly, who are no longer passive recipients, but true protagonists.
Horticultural therapy thus becomes a means of improving health status, combating isolation and stimulating social relationships, transforming the garden into a laboratory of growth, solidarity and active citizenship.
The beneficiaries
The project will directly involve 74 people: motor disabled people and their families (14, between 16 and 70 years old), children and young people (22, from 6 to 16 years old), young people and adults (32, from 25 to 59 years old) and elderly (26, between 60 and 85 years old). Added to these are indirect beneficiaries, difficult to quantify, who will be able to freely participate in some activities as listeners or supporters. From this perspective, the project is aimed at the entire local community, promoting inclusion, learning and transmission of skills between different generations.
Project name: Orto Sociale - Orto Terapia - La bellezza nella diversità per unire ciò che l’egoismo umano divide.
Proposing organisation: A.I.C.D.A. ODV - Associazione Italiana Cittadini e Disabili Attivi
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Country: Italy