On a sunlit terrace in Kiryat Moshe, a group of young
adults are tending their community garden, getting ready to
pick vine-ripened organic cherry tomatoes and hot chili
peppers.
Across town, in Ein Kerem, workers from Hadassah Hospital
are growing organic herbs for patients' tea, as well as
organic vegetables and flowers.
But these are no ordinary gardening groups. All the
participants are adults with special needs. And the gardening
is much more than an end in itself. It is also a form of
rehabilitation known as horticulture therapy.
The therapeutic horticulture and community gardening
project is an innovative undertaking by Jerusalem's Shomera
Lesviva Tova (Guardian for a Good Environment), a non-profit
organization founded in Har Nof in 1998, which is well-known
for its initiatives in environmental education and activism.
Over the past four years, Shomera has become a leader in the
field of horticulture therapy in Israel, developing a program
that motivates children and young adults with special needs to
set up and maintain local organic gardens.
For these endeavors, Shomera was awarded the Ford Motor
Company Conservation and Environmental Grant, Israel 2005, in
a ceremony on September 6, 2005. The award follows on the
heels of the Jerusalem Mayor's Award for a Voluntary
Organization 2005, which Shomera also received for this same
program.
"Horticulture therapy has been around for at least 3,000
years, from the days of ancient Egypt," states Tzachi Even-Or,
who leads all of Shomera's horticulture therapy activities.
"It involves working not just with plants but also with
people. The idea is very popular in the world today and is now
catching on in Israel."
"There is something about being in nature and touching the
earth that has a tremendous influence on people, causing them
to open up and blossom," explains Ohad Greiner, director
general of Shomera. "We see our program as strengthening the
connection between individuals with special needs and the rest
of the population, while improving the appearance of
Jerusalem. The populations we deal with [are] a neglected part
of the community, one whose talents we help to develop."
The Shomera horticulture therapy program works with
institutions or organizations catering to either adults or
children with special needs, including multiply handicapped,
blind, autistic and mentally challenged individuals, as well
as individuals who experience other handicaps and challenges.
Activities center around ongoing, weekly gardening classes
on a plot of land belonging to the specific institution for
which the program is being conducted. Participants learn to
value and care for the environment by working the land and
recycling activities.
How did Shomera become involved in horticulture therapy?
"There are a lot of other organizations promoting the
environment," Greiner notes. "We did not want to duplicate
their efforts, so we decided to find our own niche."
The initial effort was aimed at youth at risk, rather than
the disabled.
"In 2001, there was a problem of haredi dropouts in Har Nof
– boys not studying and using drugs," Greiner continues. "We
were asked by the community to create an emergency project for
these kids. So we started a gardening program in the Jerusalem
Forest. The boys would come every morning and work in the
garden. The program was a great success. Some of the boys went
on to join the army. Others went back to yeshiva." A few
months later, the matnas (community center) in Givat Shaul
asked Shomera to do a gardening project with blind girls at
the Institute for the Blind in Kiryat Moshe. This project led
to Shomera's working with special needs populations.
Continued
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