The Grow Project

The Grow Project - School of Applied Social Science | MIND in Brighton & Hove

Three words:

Growth, Nature, Mental Health

Summary:

There is research evidence that supports the benefits of contact with nature for physical and psychological well being. A recent MIND report (MIND 2007) found that contact with natural spaces such as parks and horticultural activity significantly improved participants’ mental health and well being. The ‘Grow ‘ project has developed in partnership with Brighton and Hove MIND and the National Trust, the pilot stage being funded by ‘Ecominds’ grant. Its aims are to give people experiencing psychological and emotional distress a chance to recover and feel better through structured and unstructured activities in nature. The project runs out of Saddlescombe Farm (near Devils Dyke) and it is anticipated future developments will also involve Stanmer Park. The aim of a collaborative partnership between Grow and the University (i.e. Martin Jordan, Matt Adams and the students SS395 ecopsychology course) would be primarily to support Grow by conceiving, executing, writing and publishing an evaluation of their work to date, seeking to establish clear outcomes in terms of how the project has helped and supported project participants in their well being and recovery from psychological distress and illness. The aim of this would be to enable Grow to secure future funding and development aims. Alongside this we will also aim to develop volunteering opportunities for students within the School of Applied Social Sciences and look to develop wider participation in the school and faculty of health professions. Lastly we would hope to develop an action plan for future collaboration and development.

Hope to achieve:

We applied to On Our Doorsteps because we were hoping to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the University of Brighton, staff and students, and the ‘Grow’ project. Grow is local to the University (Brighton and Saddlescombe Farm) and our aim is to develop and support the project, providing academic and evidence-based support for its aims and practice. We will also look at developing collaborative work with projects at Stanmer Park, Brighton. We believe both the current project and future collaborations will allow students and staff ease of access in both volunteering with and supporting Grow as it exists, and will lay the foundations for a much larger knowledge exchange between the university and ‘Grow’. In its current form this will involve an evaluation and potential volunteering opportunities. But in the future we hope to develop a much larger research/volunteering project exploring issues of well being and sustainable identities in contact with the natural world.

Who and where?

The ‘Grow ‘ project has developed in partnership with Brighton and Hove MIND and the National Trust, the pilot stage being funded by ‘Ecominds’ grant. Its aims are to give people experiencing psychological and emotional distress a chance to recover and feel better through structured and unstructured activities in nature. Grow is local to the University (Brighton and Saddlescombe Farm) and our aim is to develop and support the project, providing academic and evidence-based support for its aims and practice. We will also look at developing collaborative work with the grow drop in project at Stanmer Park, Brighton

Links to idea of neighbourliness

Grow is currently based at Mind (in Brighton) and runs activities in the locality at Saddlescombe Farm (near Devils Dyke) and aims to develop collaborations out at Stanmer Park (Nourish farm and Stanmer Organics) such as an allotment and garden.

The neighbourliness of the project will be demonstrated through reciprocity between partners and mutual respect. Both partners believe that mutuality has already been established in the form of knowledge sharing, shared engagement in activities both at the university and in the locality. As Grow’s members are experiencing emotional and psychological distress we believe the opportunities for volunteering and shared research between both parties will help break down stigma surrounding mental illness and allow for the voices of those experiencing distress to be heard and become central to understanding the healing benefits of contact with local natural spaces.