Author: Proyectos3

www.permind.eu

PERMIND

Permaculture applied in the recovery process of people with mental illness

2017-2019

PARTNERS
Fundación INTRAS, lead-partner SPAIN
Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Permacultura SPAIN
SENT – Slovensko zdruzenje za dusevno zdravje SLOVENIA
Etairia Koinonikis Psixiatrikis kai Psixikis Ygeias GREECE
CHANGEMAKER AB SWEDEN

Fundación INTRAS
C/ Martín Santos Romero, 1
47012 Valladolid (Spain)
+34983399633
intras@intras.es
www.intras.es

CONTEXT

There are not many high quality learning opportunities for adult people with disabilities. Although it is proven that training activities are an excellent inclusive vehicle and they can be crucial in the recovery process of a person, this kind of activities are used to be moved to the end of the priority list.
Horticultural training course is an instrument that may be useful in treating mental illness, helping to create a sense of purpose and allowing being in a relaxing environment.
Several studies have reported the benefits of horticultural therapy and garden settings in reduction of pain, improvement in attention, lessening of stress, modulation of agitation, lowering of as needed medications, antipsychotics and reduction of hospitalizations.
We shouldn’t forget the social stigma attached to mental illness which still is a very strong barrier.

OBJECTIVES

PERMIND tackles the challenge of providing high quality training in permaculture (agricultural and social system based in the natural patterns of nature) for people with psychic discomfort to create sustainable slow growing communities, thus increasing their knowledge, competencies and work opportunities. This will be achieved through an eLearning platform and a teaching app, being this last one fed by the own trainees during a one year pilot course.
Digital and social skills like team working, commitment, communication, self-confidence, resilience, responsibility, etc. will be trained during a pilot course using permaculture as an eco-therapy to reach their own personal recovery plan.

ACTIONS

1. Development of a technical curriculum to establish a permaculture orchard considering the learning needs of the people with mental illness.
2. Establishment of several permaculture gardens, being a meeting point for building learning and open-knowledge communities.
3. Development of key competences of the people with psychic discomfort to improve their quality of life and their employment opportunities.
4. Providing people suffering from mental health challenges with a relaxing activity in direct contact with the patterns of nature, where they feel comfortable, increase their self-esteem and start thinking in their future, planning their own project of life in a slow way (green care).
5. Creation and maintaining of a didactic app and eLearning platform, being both open educational resources where all the didactic materials will be available for free.
6. Promoting of the entrepreneurship capacity by creating a Virtual European Mix Cooperative (green entrepreneurship).
- Fighting against the stigma and stereotypes related to mental illness, approaching people with mental illness to their neighbourhood and promoting a mental change at European level.