Teaching Organic Literacy in Grundtvigian Style

Project summary

"Teaching Organic Literacy in Grundtvigian style" is a project aimed at reviving folkhighschool pedagogy in rural areas of Europe with education for sustainability as a leading thread. Folhighschool pedagogy, called in the project title: "Grundtvigian style" is in essence eduactional approach serving - what we call nowadays - building key competences. The partnership responsible for the project consists of 7 various institutions from 5 countries: beginning with German University of Applied Science in Eberswalde with wide experience in teaching organing farming and sustainability, through Polish and Danish folkhighschools (Stowaryszenie Polskie Uniwersytety Ludowe and Brenderup Hojskole) and Polish and Bulgarian ngos (ZIARNO Association and BotanicaLife) focused on education for sustainability in rural areas to local authority in eastern Poland, enthusiastic about creating there a folkhighschool. We decided to invite a partner from outside EU, a Swiss Association of Biodynamic Farmers, because of the unique know-how in creating and successfully running for many years a vocational school (with the approach similar to folkhighschool methodology) by association of employers (in this case biodynamic farmers) and a with vast experience in connecting social capital building initiatives with organic farming. Convinced that Grundtvigian pedagogy is a powerful tool to deal with challenges of today we have decided to address project activities to two main target group: 1. potential and actual teachers of folkhighschools (30-40 participants) and 2. inhabitants of rural areas threatened with exclusion because of their low basic skills, disabilities, age, functional illiteracy (90-100 courses participants). In this context the leading theme (sustainability, organic farming/gardening, healthy cooking) has a crucial role to bring more consciousness, knowledge and skills to courses participants, at the same time uplifting their quality of life. We suggested 3 main intellectual outputs in our project: 1. manual for teachers, gathering methods and good examples to be used in courses, 2. curricula as well as 6 courses realised, addressed to inhabitants of 6 rural communities threatened with exclusion, 3. curricula and 3 courses targeted to teachers, farmers, social workers who are involved in education for disadvantaged adults (one of the teachers training courses will be realised within short term joint staff training event in Denmark) Main activities of the project will be 7 short-term joint staff training events in all participating countries and 6 multiplyer events. Expected impact of the project would be more recognition of the value of folkhigschool methodology in adult education particularly in countries like Poland and Bulgaria, linking key competences building with this methodology, introduction more dual system in our education and development of sustainable, organic initiatives in rural areas of Europe and creating a network of adult education providers in Europe, interested in "Grundtvigian" style in education.