Canterbury, UK – October 9-11, 2024 – The GreenME project has officially launched its second year with a dynamic three-day General Assembly hosted by the University of Kent from October 9 to 11, 2024. Bringing together consortium partners from across Europe and the U.S., the meeting served as a vital forum for discussing the progress of the project, sharing insights, and setting the course for the next phase of promoting mental health equity through nature-based solutions.
Over the course of the three days, participants engaged in a series of strategic discussions and innovative sessions. The meeting covered a range of critical topics, including updates on GreenME’s Work Packages, the current status of green care across partner countries, and the identification of sub-research questions for each GreenME task. In addition, the assembly featured practical workshops, discussions around marginalization, and strategies for scaling up green care initiatives across diverse regions.
“The second General Assembly of GreenME in Canterbury provided an invaluable opportunity to share updates on the status of green care in our seven partner countries. The presentations offered insights into how green care is practiced and understood, which will be a crucial resource for the project moving forward” said Silvio Caputo, University of Kent and leader of Work Package 4.
The assembly began with an in-depth review of the project’s first-year findings. This laid the foundation for forward-looking discussions, as partners reflected on the challenges and opportunities for expanding nature-based mental health therapies in each participating country. Led by Renata Giedych from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Work Package 2 presented an overview of the diagnostic phase, which highlighted both common barriers and unique opportunities in promoting green care across diverse regions.
“We are eager to build on the progress we’ve made in diagnosing the current status of green care in our study areas” said Margarita Triguero-Mas and Helen Cole, GreenME’s scientific co-coordinators. “Our second year will focus on collecting evidence for how and why nature-based therapies, and green care more broadly, can improve mental health equity”.
The General Assembly featured a deep dive into practical applications of green care, with consortium partners exploring real-world examples of nature-based interventions. Attendees participated in sessions with Green Social Prescribing practitioners, further enriching their understanding of the benefits of nature-based therapies.This General Assembly couldn’t have fallen on a better week, as the discussions aligned perfectly with World Mental Health Day (celebrated on October 10,2024). Taking time to reflect on the GreenME work while connecting with nature in the University of Kent’s Oasis Garden was truly inspiring.
The consortium also had the opportunity to discuss how to best communicate the project, joining forces during creative research workshops, where partners linked data and stories with the aim of producing compelling narratives and storytelling materials. To conclude three intense days the partners paid visit to two local community gardens—Brogdale Collections and Abbey Physic Community Garden—where international researchers witnessed firsthand how these spaces contribute to mental health and wellbeing. This was a great opportunity to connect with nature, defining the next steps to integrate the results of the green care research into viable policies and strategies.
“The General Assembly provided an excellent platform to discuss our progress and to set the stage for future research,” said Silvio Caputo and Victoria Schoen, University of Kent.
“The work sessions enabled us to collectively advance our methodology and terminology, enriching our research going forward.”
Our next General Assembly will be hosted by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in September 2025. In the meantime, stay tuned for the next updates from GreenME as the project continues to drive innovation in nature-based mental health solutions. Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about the latest developments.
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