The project focused on fostering mutual learning and cooperation between mental health care farms in Ireland and Netherlands, and a mental health organization in Iceland. The objectives of the project were: -To facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices in delivering care within social and mental health farm settings; -To explore the learning and development needs in peer support; -To establish a transnational learning network for mental health organizations.
The project was born out of a shared vision to improve mental health care through community based approaches, specifically by supporting social and mental health farms to learn from each other and grow their capacity. The thematic red thread of the project was peer support, current and potential. It addressed the growing need for effective peer support in social and mental health settings in Europe, by putting the lens on how it already happens informally in care farm settings, but also on the knowledge and practice gaps existing in these farms. By understanding their learning needs, the project provided the base for an educational road map that will be addressed in future joint projects in adult education. There are only a few mental health/ social farms in Europe and they share the need to join in solidarity, learn from each other, validate their work, provide the encouragement to carry on with their work as social change promoters. The exchanges and collaborative activities of this project were also a way to start addressing this need of solidarity.