Seeds of change... Erasmus +
News!
PLL is excited to be a partner in an Erasmus+ funded project with the University of Gloucestershire and 5 European partners from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland.
The ‘PAPPUS’* project will disperse seeds of change in the lives of young people, using the natural world, botany and horticulture, in a playful context, to engage young people in outdoor activities that develop their skills, competencies and unlock their understanding of potential future career paths.
Statistics indicate declining numbers of young people engaging with nature over the past 4 years, yet the benefits cannot be disputed. Contact with nature has been proven to improve concentration and has restorative effects. Even a short break from studies in a green area can have positive stress reduction effects and can promote greater engagement in learning; with the potential to reduce early school leaving, which is a recognised problem across Europe, and significantly impacts a young person’s life chances. Statistics from Eurostat 2017 show one in ten young people in the EU have not completed a lower secondary education. Hence, this project aims at targeting young people with fewer opportunities and those at risk of leaving school early.
*The PAPPUS project focusses on “Plants and Play Producing Universal Skills" The acronym is a botanical term pappus - ‘fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in plants, e.g. dandelion; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind’.
There will be opportunities to be involved in this project so please ‘watch this space’...
