Italy: Community gardens bringing together people from various background
Gardening activities as a mean of integrating people from diverse background into society.
Gardening proves to have many benefits on people’s lives including improving the physical and psychological well-being of an individual.
In northern Italy, we partner with an organisation which helps the professional integration of people with disabilities in the region through various types of activities.
Thanks to the invaluable support and enthusiasm of volunteers from Givaudan offices in the Milan region, a garden that not only supports the professional integration of people with disabilities but also their personal development, was established.
The garden, which goes by the name “Il Rastrello” (the rake in Italian) started on an empty field. After 4 years of work, it is now equipped with a tool shelter, an irrigation system, a vegetable and fruit yard as well as a henhouse amongst other things.
It is managed, on a rotating, by people suffering from various types of mental disabilities helping around 80 people get access to a professional activity. The freshly harvested products are distributed to the local community and surrounding villages.
Local schools also get to visit the garden as part of pedagogic activities aiming at raising awareness about people suffering from disabilities. Givaudan volunteers make sure to give a bit of their time by participating in gardening days at “Il Rastrello”. Since 2021, "Il Rastrello" is also welcoming school classes who participate in activities to learn about gardening.
Following the creation of the social garden ‘Il Rastrello’, we expanded our efforts in 2022 to further support the professional development of disabled individuals by establishing a creative laboratory. The laboratory named ‘La bottega di Mara’ serves as a hub for handicraft production. The laboratory produces a diverse range of products, all created by individuals with disabilities, including handmade soaps, candles and fire starter. Givaudan volunteers are actively involved in the project by providing support in finding events and places to sell these handicrafts.
More recently, with our help, Givaudan volunteers have partnered with a local school to create a garden that encourages the inclusion of children and teenagers from diverse social backgrounds. The garden, which is located inside the school area, was inaugurated in October 2021. School staff, students and Givaudan volunteers are in charge of its maintenance. Gardening and nutrition activities are organized on a periodic basis where teenagers from different backgrounds (social, cultural etc.) are invited to take part, fostering an environment of exchange.
