ECIL Case Study Sweden No. 3
Intergenerational learning projects
Project name
Lead organisation
Contact details
Name: Zsolt Szanto
Role in organisation: Project manager
Telephone number(s): 0046 31 -365 71 38
Email address: zsolt.szanto@centrum.goteborg.se
Mailing Address: zsolt.szanto@centrum.goteborg.se
Brief Summary (max 150 words/section)
Please give a concise summary of the case, highlighting its key distinguishing features, achievements and what others can learn from this case.
An “educational garden” has been designed at one of the schools in Gothenburg, where pupils together with seniors learn how to cultivate the ground. This activity has been integrated into the teaching and is now part of the pupils’ education. The
Environment Department assists with gardeners as supervisor and school staff are also trained to take over the gardener's task.
This project is part of an overall intergenerational project (
”Kultur i möten mellan unga och äldre”), that was initiated by the City of Gothenburg Centrum in January 2012.
The aim of this overall project is to create meetings between different generations.
The meetings (or the different sub-projects) aim to be sustainable and integrated into regular activities within the public administration.
Project information (* applicable for both completed and current projects)
Location/ venue
Who was the managing institution?
The City of Gothenburg Centrum
What country/countries were involved?
Sweden
Where did the learning activities take place?
Guldhedsskolan (one of the schools in Gothenburg).
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November 2012

Duration (Start & end dates, if applicable?)
March 2012 and ongoing.
Evidence of need
Why was it important to run this project?/ Why was it important for it to be intergenerational?
Firstly, they wanted to make outdoor education a part of the children's learning.
Secondly, they wanted to take advantage of the knowledge of the older generation.
Thirdly, they wanted to create a feeling of solidarity across the generations and in the surrounding area.
Purpose
What did you hope to achieve or change?
To learn more about cultivation and cycles.
To give the children a broader understanding of natural resources.
To arrange more outdoor activities.
To create a learning process where the children learn from the older generation.
Were you trying to meet specific problems and/or needs within a community?
No. The project aims at creating meetings between generations and opportunities for practical education.
What were the intended aims and objectives?
To bridge the gap between different generations.
To create meetings between generations where mutual learning and knowledge/experience exchange can take place.
To make the intergenerational activities sustainable over time and to integrate them into regular activities within the public administration.
Participants
Who were they?
Pupils from the school, seniors from the same town district, parents, teachers, health care staff, staff from The Environment Department.
How many took part?
80-150
What were the age ranges?
9 - 80 years
How were they recruited/ involved?
Through information in the local newspaper, the municipality’s newspaper and a leaflet that was distributed at different forums where older people meet.
How were participants encouraged/motivated to participate?
They were curious, interested and committed to participate. The project offered workshops, education and meeting opportunities.
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November 2012

Were there any barriers to involving volunteers/ participants? If so, how were these barriers overcome?
One barrier was to convince the teachers at the school about the benefits of the
collaboration and meetings with an older generation.
Activities/events
What activities/events were organised?
Different types of planting and a harvest home were organized. Also meetings to prepare and follow up activities within the project took place.
What learning materials/tools and support were used?
Garden tools, kitchen utensils, soil, seeds, bulbs etc.
How often did participants meet?
They follow a timetable, but they meet rather irregularly depending on the season.
Who supported/ facilitated sessions?
A gardener and recreational pedagogues.
Evaluation
Was the project evaluated? Who was involved in the evaluation?
The different steps have been evaluated but the project is still ongoing.
What did and did not work, and what was the evidence? Outcome evaluation: What were the outcomes for all generations involved, and the community?
All the pupils wanted to participate, but the project hoped to reach more participants among the seniors.
Process evaluation: What worked well and not so well along the planning and implementation process?
Good cooperation between all parties. Everyone contributed with ideas and suggestions. Would have liked to engage the seniors a bit more in the regular school activities.
Lessons learned
What worked well? What could be done differently in the future?
“We will continue the work with regular evaluations. We need to be more proactive when it comes to information provided to the children. We have learned that it works better with voluntary participation.
” – Project manager
Outputs ( e.g. leaflets, photographs, DVDs, toolkits, training resources, policies)
The project is being documented through film and photos. There are also QR codes on the plants (proposed by one of the elderly).
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November 2012

Other applicable information (e.g. any other relevant information you wish to share)
We warmly recommend this type of projects and cooperation between generations.
Rewarding for all parties.
” – Project manager
Funding (e.g. public, private, public-private partnership, no funding)
The Swedish Arts Council has provided financial support for two years, until 2014-03-
31, to stimulate the work of "
Kultur i möten mellan unge och äldre". 1.3 million SEK has been granted for the project. However, all sub-projects are meant to remain after the project period. Therefore, they all have a long-term financial plan.
Sustainability/ Developments
As a result of this project, were any other intergenerational activities delivered or planned by the lead organisation or partner organisations?
Seniors offer homework help at the school. There is also a choir director who has started a generation choir that rehearses at the school.
Date of case study: 2013-08-26
© ECIL
November 2012