CIVIL SOCIETY: 55 PRACTICES
EERco is established in 1997 non formally and 1999 formally. EERco main-core was as a Dancetheater group of professional artists. After many years of experimentation, the professional performers became leaders of youth and new talents in arts-related professions. Since 2003, EER has extended its activities and started functioning as a non Governmental Organization with Inclusive Culture and Arts & Innovation Social Activities.
The objective of the initiative is to create a model public space where environmental education meets social interaction, philosophy, dialogue, active citizenship and, in the future, health and wellbeing. “Epicurus’ Garden” was not primarily designed as a productive vegetable garden. It is a space for education and the cultivation of the human spirit through contact with nature: a place where children observe, experiment, discuss, collaborate and develop ecological and social awareness. At the same time, it can become a foundation for the future convergence of education, health, local government and civil society. The planned development of an oncology hospital in the wider area of the park creates a unique long-term opportunity: the same public space could become a bridge between school life, nature, prevention, wellbeing and support for people connected with the healthcare system.
The primary target audience is the students and teachers of the 4th Primary School of Polichni, with the potential to host students and educational groups from other schools. The initiative also addresses residents of the wider neighbourhood of all ages, providing a free public space for contact with nature, social interaction, dialogue and recreation. The future development of an oncology hospital in the area creates an additional perspective for the use of the garden by healthcare organisations and other public bodies for activities related to wellbeing, therapeutic gardening, psychosocial support and contact with nature, within the appropriate institutional and scientific framework.
Since the end of the School Year 2023-24 and on an ongoing basis, with continuous maintenance, upgrading and expansion of the educational, social, philosophical and environmental uses of the space.
“Epicurus’ Garden” is located within Karatasou Interdisciplinary Park, in the Municipality of Pavlos Melas, Thessaloniki, covering approximately 350 m². Access from the 4th Primary School of Polichni is only around 10 metres away, while the garden itself is approximately 250 metres inside the park. This location is innovative in itself: learning does not remain confined within the school grounds but extends into public space. The park becomes an extension of the school, while the school becomes an active user and co-shaper of public space. The garden includes a cultivation area, composting facilities, a gazebo, tables, seating and infrastructure for outdoor activities. However, the core idea is not the production of crops. The garden is a place where people and ideas are cultivated. Gardening becomes an educational tool and an opportunity for observation, dialogue, cooperation and reflection on nature, society and sustainability. When students are interested in food production itself, the garden acts as a gateway to the wider ecosystem of Karatasou Park. Students can meet and visit the peri-urban growers of Karatasou Park, observe real cultivation and production, and connect with people who actually cultivate the land.
This creates a chain of knowledge and experience:
school → garden → park → growers → community → sustainability.
The philosophical dimension is another distinctive feature. The space can function as a place for discussion, reflection and intellectual development, where nature becomes an opportunity to explore questions about the good life, the relationship between people and the environment, the value of public space, collective responsibility and our responsibility towards future generations. The name “Epicurus’ Garden”, given by the student journalism team of the 4th Primary School of Polichni, expresses precisely this dimension: the garden is not simply a green space, but a place where people, nature and ideas meet. The initiative has already acquired a wider educational and networking dimension through its participation in the International Eco-Schools Network, the local School Gardens Network and an eTwinning programme.
Future Health–Education Dimension
The strategic value of the initiative is further strengthened by the planned development of an oncology hospital in the wider area of the park.
“Epicurus’ Garden” could become one of the natural public spaces where, in the future, education, healthcare, local government and civil society organisations can meet around a shared public resource. Through appropriate institutional partnerships, this could potentially lead to activities such as:
In this way, a small school garden can become a catalyst for a much broader transformation in the way public space is understood: not merely as an area for greenery or recreation, but as a shared environment for education, social cohesion, wellbeing and health.
Since Spring 2024, a permanent outdoor space for environmental education and social interaction has been created and maintained. Students gain experiential knowledge of nature, cultivation and composting while developing skills in cooperation, observation, dialogue and active participation. The initiative has created a new relationship between the school and the public park. The park is no longer simply a place for passage or recreation; it has become an educational and social resource. The formal Cooperation Protocol between the school and ESAI EN ROÍ, together with the involvement of the neighbourhood and the connection with educational networks, creates a strong foundation for further development. The future presence of an oncology hospital in the area offers an important long-term opportunity: the garden could evolve into a meeting point between education and health, through activities connecting nature, learning, wellbeing and social support.
Karatasou Interdisciplinary Park, Municipality of Pavlos Melas, Thessaloniki, Greece. “Epicurus’ Garden” is located within the park, covering approximately 350 m². It is accessible from the 4th Primary School of Polichni at a distance of approximately 10 metres and is located approximately 350 from the school or ESAI EN ROI office, to the Karatasou School Garden.
The initiative is based on an emerging local ecosystem of cooperation. The Municipality of Pavlos Melas made the space available. The 4th Primary School of Polichni has established a formal Cooperation Protocol with ESAI EN ROÍ, institutionalising the partnership for the development and support of the initiative. The school has also given its approval for the Karatasou Neighbourhood Urban Planning Committee to support the initiative, strengthening the connection between the school community and local residents and active citizens. ESAEI EN ROÍ acts as the key connecting organisation between the Municipality, the school, the neighbourhood, volunteers, educational networks and civil society. It has played a central role in maintaining, protecting, upgrading and promoting the garden. The initiative is also connected with the International Eco-Schools Network, the local School Gardens Network and eTwinning. The future proximity of an oncology hospital creates additional opportunities for cross-sector cooperation with healthcare organisations, while recognising that such cooperation is a future prospect and not an already institutionalised partnership.
Employees and volunteers of ESAEI EN ROÍ are a key mechanism for the continuity of the initiative. They contribute to the maintenance, protection, upgrading and summer care of the space, provide tools and practical support, and participate in organising educational and environmental activities. The involvement of the neighbourhood is further strengthened through the Karatasou Neighbourhood Urban Planning Committee. Volunteer participation demonstrates that the sustainability of the initiative depends not only on creating an infrastructure, but on creating a community that takes responsibility for caring for it and continuously developing new uses for it.
The initiative positions ESAI EN ROÍ as a connecting force between public institutions, the school community, volunteers, citizens and environmental networks. The organisation does not simply implement an activity; it contributes to the long-term maintenance and evolution of a public space, creating social and environmental value without requiring the construction of new infrastructure. The Cooperation Protocol with the school provides an institutional basis for continuity, while the involvement of the neighbourhood creates a broader ecosystem of support. The future connection with healthcare organisations, particularly through the planned oncology hospital, could transform the initiative into a model of cross-sector cooperation between Education, Environment, Health, Local Government and Civil Society.
