HORGANIC course started in Spain by the beginning of April. 12 trainees with severe and prolonged mental illness are going to be trained not only to be good gardeners, but also to improve their social skills and thus make easier the re-integration process into society. The course is sited in two different locations: the gardening part is implemented in the village of Coreses on Tuesdays whereas the experiential learning methodology is implemented also in the village of Toro, where INTRAS runs a day center.

Trainees are very excited about the course and, so far, they are very motivated. The first sessions have focused on meeting all the participants, the trainees and the environment (the garden, the greenhouse, the classroom, etc.). Knowing which tools should be used during the coming months and some basic information about health and safety is being crucial to achieve a successful training course.

The Spanish HORGANIC trainers learned a lot of interesting things during the intensive training of the trainers in Germany and now it is the time to apply all this knowledge within the group. Undoubtedly, the experiential learning is being a challenge, as it requires a lot of time, patience, tact and group work. But we are sure that the methodology specially created for this course will be a very valuable tool to improve the social skills and thus the quality of life of our HORGANIC participants.