What was the challenge/problem addressed?
The term Green Care summarises all interventions that use the positive and supportive effect of nature, animals and plants to help and promote people.
Specifically, this involves the promotion of physical and mental health, social conditions, but also educational measures and personal development. Well-known examples are animal-assisted interventions, garden therapy, or learning farm. In cases where an improvement of the respective condition can no longer be achieved (e.g. in cases of severe dementia), these measures are intended to at least maintain the current condition for as long as possible.
However, non-targeted activities in nature or with animals, as well as pure pet ownership, are not counted as Green Care. This requires a concrete and specially developed programme with predefined objectives, the achievement of which is also documented and evaluated.
Since November 2012 interested students have been able to become a Master of Science in the topic of Green Care. The University College for Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy Vienna provides this in a Europe-wide unique program in part-time mode lasting six semesters.
The Master´s Degree program is for all people who work in a pedagogic, consultative, therapeutic or “green” environment and are interested in the topic of Green Care – to develop occupational skills or to acquire additional qualifications. The aim of this Master´s
Degree is to educate experts in the topic of Green Care.
The participants can develop Green Care projects and implement them in healthcare institutions and agricultural business. A further key point is the collection of scientific data and their evaluation. Additional are taught theoretic learning contents for the certification to life consultant and social assistant.
How did you solve the problem?
The University of Agricultural and Environmental Pedagogy offers scientifically based and professionally related education, further education and training. In the field of Green Care, the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education plays a pioneering role both nationally and internationally in the area of training and further education as well as in research. Students acquire and deepen key pedagogical, professional and personal competences from the perspective of sustainability. The university or its predecessor organisations have been active in this field of activity for many decades. The university has a very good network as well as a high level of professional competence in the subject area of green care.
What is innovative in your practical case?
In this Master’s programme, students learn to plan and implement educational, counselling and therapeutic interventions with animals and plants, to develop Green Care projects, to implement them in institutions and to disseminate them, to collect scientific data, to evaluate them and to draw conclusions from them, to delve scientifically into individually chosen Green Care topics.
What are the success factors in solving the problem?
The target groups are people who are already working in an educational, counselling, therapeutic or “green” environment and who are interested in further professional development in the field of green care. The university offers scientifically based and professionally related education, further education and training. In the field of Green Care, the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education plays a pioneering role both nationally and internationally in the area of training and further education as well as in research.
Green Care Activities at the Agrarian and Environmental University College
- Green Care Joure-fixe
- Magazine „Green Care“
- GartenTherapieWerkstatt
- Memeber of the „Internationalen Gesellschaft für GartenTherapie“
- Homepage: www.greencare.at
- Partner of ETZ Project with Czech Republic
- Scientific Green Care Conferences (2014-2021, 2022 planned)
- Research Projects
Lessons learned
Special emphasis is placed on strengthening social skills. The study programme is conducted at university level and ensures a high degree of practical relevance through close linkage with professional activities. The university course with a Master’s degree enables the transfer of new scientific findings into the professional world.
With the use of modern information and communication technologies as well as open forms of teaching and learning, self-determined and sustainable learning close to one’s own professional practice is promoted. An appropriation and enabling didactics appropriate for adult education rounds off the profile.
Study contents:
Green Care basics. Communication and counselling, client groups and modes of action in the fields of education, counselling and therapy, institutional frameworks and projects, animal-assisted education, counselling and therapy, socio-economics, plant-assisted education, counselling and therapy, knowledge management and scientific work, excursion and internships, master’s thesis.
What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?
Die Hochschule für Agrar- und Umweltpädagogik ist eine führende Institution im Bereich Agrar-und Umweltpädagogik, die mit innovativen Bildungs- und Beratungskonzepten Menschen befähigt, Herausforderungen der Zukunft anzunehmen und Lösungen aktiv zu gestalten. Ziel ist es, durch Bildung, Beratung und Forschung eine zukunftsfähige Land-und Forstwirtschaft und einen verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit unseren natürlichen Ressourcen zu fördern.
Als nationales und international ausgerichtetes Kompetenzzentrum wird forschungsgeleitete Bildung und Beratung mit Agrar-und Naturwissenschaften verbunden mit dem Streben nach praktischer Anwendbarkeit vereint.
Can your approach be transferred and/or adapted for other innovation challenges and regions?
Yes
Estimated transferability on a scale from 1 to 5
(where 1 is easy and 5 very difficult)
3
For sharing the experience on the good practice, please contact
DI Birgit Steininger
birgit.steininger@haup.ac.at
Link to external information
www.haup.ac.at