Latest Small Activity, Big Change · Vagrinec, Slovakia Read more

Erasmus+ KA210-ADU Project

From your balcony
to the green future

Empowering adults across Europe to fight climate change through sustainable urban gardening — growing vegetables and fruits on balconies, making tools from waste and supporting family budgets.

Explore activities Partners & results

Project dashboard · From Your Balcony to the Green Future

Activities
5/6
completed · 1 finalising
EU grant
€60,000
lump sum
Duration
18 mo
Mar 2025 – Aug 2026
Partners
4
countries
Event days
15
at 4 international events
Educators
16
trained in 2 workshops

Timeline

Completed Finalising
  1. 01 Management & dissemination
  2. 02 Kick-off meeting
  3. 03 Munich workshop
  4. 04 Slovenia workshop
  5. 05 Digital handbook
  6. 06 Results meeting

Budget allocation

€60,000

Who led what

  • CERD · Slovakia
    Coordinator · quality monitor
    01 05 06
  • ACIA · Türkiye
    Dissemination lead
    02
  • Shelter · Germany
    Financial officer
    03
  • DA SAŠA · Slovenia
    Survey coordinator
    04

Project results

  • Project website & social channels Live
  • 2 international learning workshops Completed
  • Training presentations library Published
  • Digital Handbook for Sustainable Balcony Gardening Final stage

Activities

Six activities, one green mission

Project Management & Dissemination Completed

Management & coordination · Slovakia

01 Project Management & Dissemination

  • Slovakia · online
  • All 4 partners
  • Lead: CERD

The backbone of the project. CERD coordinated monthly online partner meetings, quarterly reporting, the website, social media and quality monitoring throughout the 18 months.

Meetings
12
Reports
4
Documents
18

Budget covers

  • Expert educator fees & andragogy training
  • Workshop materials & consumables
  • Project website development & hosting
  • Social media — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
  • Quality monitoring & KPI tracking
  • Risk management & prevention fund
  • EPALE registration & national media outreach

Key roles

  • CERD Quality monitor · KPIs, evaluation, risk
  • ACIA Dissemination lead · Website, EPALE, social media
  • DA SAŠA Survey coordinator · Pre/post surveys
  • Shelter Financial officer · Budget & expenditure
  • Coordination
  • Quality monitoring
  • Website
  • Risk management
  • EPALE
  • Reporting
Kick-Off Meeting Completed

Transnational meeting · Türkiye

02 Kick-Off Meeting

  • Ankara, Türkiye
  • 12 project managers
  • Lead: ACIA

All four partner organisations met in Ankara for a two-day launch. ACIA hosted the managers, who aligned on objectives, appointed role-holders and agreed the collaboration framework.

Days
2
Attendees
12
Countries
4
Read the news

What happened

Project managers from Slovakia, Germany and Slovenia joined the ACIA team in Türkiye to set the project in motion. The meeting created a strong synergy between the partners and a shared commitment to the project's goals.

Programme

Day 1
Partner introduction & objectives
Formal introductions · Erasmus+ review · role assignments · objective alignment
Day 2
Work plan & frameworks
Participant selection · communication protocols · budget responsibility · activity timeline

Budget breakdown

  • Travel (9 participants) €2,790
  • Accommodation & subsistence (2 nights) €2,244
  • Host organisation support €1,000
  • Organisational costs (ACIA) €230
  • Partnership building
  • Role assignment
  • Budget planning
  • Strategy
Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers Completed

Learning workshop · Germany

03 Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers

  • Munich, Germany
  • 16 educators + 20+ adults
  • Lead: Shelter

Shelter International hosted 16 educators from all four partner countries alongside 20+ local adults for five hands-on days combining climate literacy with practical green skills.

Days
5
Educators
16
Adults
20+
Read the news Workshop slides

What happened

Participants explored growing vegetables, herbs and aromatic plants in small spaces — soil-based and soilless techniques, vertical gardens built from recycled materials, irrigation planning and sunlight optimisation.

Trainers showed how household organic waste becomes natural fertilizer, and Shelter shared its methods for nature-based learning with migrant adults. Partners also began drafting modules for the Digital Handbook for Sustainable Balcony Gardening.

Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers — photo 1 Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers — photo 2 Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers — photo 3 Learning to Grow: Tools, Waste & Fertilizers — photo 4

Programme

Day 1
Climate & agriculture
Effects of global warming on agriculture and food security
Days 2–3
Equipment & tools
Balcony growing equipment · tools from recycled waste
Days 4–5
Fertilizers & soil
Natural fertilizer production · composting · soil nutrients

Outcomes

  • Educators gained hands-on recycled tool-making skills
  • Natural composting techniques documented and shared
  • Climate–agriculture connection firmly established
  • Materials prepared for the Slovenia follow-up workshop

Budget breakdown

  • Travel (16 educators) €5,200
  • Accommodation (5 nights) €6,400
  • Host organisation (Shelter) €1,000
  • Materials & consumables €2,282
  • Waste upcycling
  • Natural fertilizers
  • Composting
  • Green tools
  • Climate literacy
Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies Completed

Learning workshop · Slovenia

04 Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies

  • Nazarje, Slovenia
  • 16 educators
  • Lead: DA SAŠA

In Slovenia's Savinja Valley, participants worked in multicultural groups led by DA SAŠA to design energy-efficient balconies and grow real produce — building on the Munich workshop.

Days
6
Educators
16
Balconies
12
Read the news

What happened

Hosted by the Savinja-Šalek regional development agency, the workshop focused on energy-efficient growing, adapting cultivation to different climates and sustainable production for urban homes.

Hands-on sessions covered plant selection, space management and organic cultivation, while educators exchanged national experience. The results fed directly into the Digital Handbook.

Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies — photo 1 Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies — photo 2 Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies — photo 3 Growing Vegetables & Fruits on Balconies — photo 4

Programme

Days 1–2
Balcony assessment
Sunlight, wind & temperature · energy-efficiency principles
Days 3–4
Plant selection
Climate-appropriate plants · individual planting plans · cross-cultural exchange
Days 5–6
Production & documentation
Material preparation · documentation for the digital handbook

Outcomes

  • Multicultural planting designs completed
  • Energy-efficient balcony blueprints documented
  • Climate-appropriate plant guides produced
  • Cross-cultural knowledge formally recorded

Budget breakdown

  • Travel (16 educators) €5,600
  • Accommodation (6 nights) €7,200
  • Host organisation (DA SAŠA) €1,000
  • Materials & supplies €1,193
  • Balcony design
  • Plant selection
  • Energy efficiency
  • Group learning
  • Cross-cultural
05
Finalising

Project result · All partner countries

05 Digital Handbook & Multiplier Events

  • All 4 countries
  • 30+ educators per country
  • Lead: CERD

CERD leads the multilingual Digital Handbook for Sustainable Balcony Gardening, built from both workshops. Each partner presents the results at a national multiplier event for local educators.

Languages
5
Events
4
Countries
4

Where it stands

The handbook is in its final stage. It will be free to download from this website and the EPALE platform once published — contact us to be notified.

Handbook contents

  • Balcony design & energy-efficiency guide
  • Waste-to-tool creation illustrated manual
  • Natural fertilizer & composting recipes
  • Soil preparation & nutrient guide
  • Climate-specific planting calendars

Multiplier events

  • Slovakia — educators & adult learning coordinators
  • Türkiye — environmental NGOs & media partners
  • Germany — community educators & urban farming groups
  • Slovenia — public institutions & administrators
  • Digital handbook
  • Multilingual
  • Multiplier events
  • EPALE
06
Completed

Transnational meeting · Slovakia

06 Results & Evaluation Meeting

  • Slovakia
  • 12 project managers
  • Lead: CERD

The closing meeting hosted by CERD, where partners reviewed every activity, assessed the objectives against the quality indicators and prepared the final Erasmus+ report together.

Days
2
Attendees
12
Countries
4

Agenda

  • KPI review from the quality monitoring officer
  • Satisfaction survey results
  • Objective achievement evaluation by all partners
  • Dissemination report — website, EPALE, social media
  • Sustainability & future Erasmus+ plans
  • Final report — collaborative preparation

Budget breakdown

  • Travel (9 participants) €2,600
  • Accommodation & subsistence €2,511
  • Host organisation (CERD) €1,000
  • Impact assessment
  • Sustainability
  • Final reporting
  • Evaluation

Impact

Skills built

What educators took home

  • Waste-to-tool upcycling Growing equipment made from recycled materials
  • Natural fertilizers & compost Turning household organic waste into soil nutrients
  • Energy-efficient balcony design Reading sunlight, wind and temperature
  • Climate-smart plant selection Choosing crops that suit each climate
  • Inclusive, nature-based teaching Methods for migrant and disadvantaged adults
  • Small-space food growing Vegetables, fruits and herbs on balconies

SDG focus

Aligned with the UN Global Goals

  • 3 Good Health & Well-being Fresh home-grown food and time outdoors
  • 4 Quality Education Lifelong learning for adult educators
  • 12 Responsible Consumption Upcycling waste into tools and compost
  • 13 Climate Action Climate-resilient urban gardening
About the SDGs

Gallery

Moments from our activities

Planting together in Slovenia
Planting together in Slovenia
Upcycled planter workshop in Munich
Upcycled planter workshop in Munich
Kick-off meeting in Ankara
Kick-off meeting in Ankara
Partners in the Slovenia garden
Partners in the Slovenia garden
Open the full gallery

Bring balcony gardening to your community

Educator, organisation or curious gardener? Get in touch to use our materials or partner with us on the next project.

Get in touch About the project