Our Urban Garden Adventure in Greece
The first chapter of our exciting project, GROW, kicked off with a mission to teach young people and youth workers how to create an urban garden using permaculture principles. Permaculture is not just about growing food, it’s a sustainable approach that benefits both the environment and the community. To bring this vision to life, we came together in the stunning setting of NISI Glamping in Greece, from April 24th to May 2nd.
Our team? A group of passionate, young individuals from across Europe, all motivated to get their hands dirty. Under the guidance of our amazing gardening trainer, Steven, we spent a week transforming ideas into reality.
Getting Down and Dirty in the Garden
The first task? Prepping the soil! With shovels in hand, we dug, turned, and refreshed the earth, laying down straw and cardboard pathways to make the garden easy to navigate. Once the soil was ready, we installed a watering system to keep everything hydrated.
But it wasn’t all about digging—we got creative with recycling too. We painted old pallets, tires, and metal cans, turning them into colorful plant holders for veggies and flowers. These upcycled items added a fun, vibrant touch to our garden, even becoming part of the fence! By the end of the week, we had planted pumpkins, beans, onions, herbs, peppers, zucchinis, eggplants, strawberries, and lots of flowers. We even lined the fence with climbing plants for extra privacy.
Of course, the best part? Planting! There’s something special about getting your hands into the soil, knowing you’re helping food grow. Whether planting strawberries or sowing seeds, each step was a reminder of the joy that comes from working with nature.
Graphics Team in Action
Meanwhile, over by the African shop, our design squad was in full creative mode. They spent hours doodling, vectorizing, and illustrating garden-themed art for the first chapter of our cookbook. You’d think drawing veggies and garden tools for six hours a day might get old, but not for these guys, they were loving it!
When asked what the most valuable lesson was from the week, their answer wasn’t teamwork or communication (though those were important, too). It was editorial design! Creating a comprehensive design for our cookbook, full of diverse content, was no easy feat, but they absolutely nailed it.
Photography & Video Team Capturing the Magic
Our Photography & Video team was always on the move, capturing the heart of the project through their lenses. Despite challenges like tricky weather and lighting, they powered through, learning new techniques in both photography and videography.
Their unity and creative spirit were unmatched. They worked hand-in-hand with the gardening team, mastering flexibility and patience while putting together beautiful shots of the garden’s progress. One member shared, “I learned so much about editing and video production, but most of all, being together and working as a team made this project special.”
Social Media Team Spreading the Word
Shout out to our awesome Social Media team! These creative minds were busy generating content to share with the world, making sure everyone could follow along with our journey. They also spent time learning how to develop a social media and marketing plan specifically for non-profits, helping spread the word about our project far and wide.
A Beautiful Start
Together, we’ve created something truly special. Our garden is now ready to grow peppers, tomatoes, zucchinis, pumpkins, and more—plus, it’s bursting with vibrant flowers to support the crops. On top of that, our graphics, video, and photography teams have put together all the visuals for the first chapter of our cookbook, and the social media team has prepared a ton of content to keep everyone updated about our amazing project.
We had such an amazing time, and we can’t wait to show you more of what’s coming next! Stay tuned for updates and tips from our journey as we continue this project together.
