On 7 November 2024, a project delegation travelled to Goriška, where they visited the Rafut Park complex.
The delegation got to know the natural and cultural heritage of the park, which is unique in Europe and can be integrated into the project's educational tourism offer. During a stop at the Smuggling Museum, a representative of the associated partner GO!2025 Nova Gorica Gorizia presented the ‘green’ programme of the European Capital of Culture to the partners.
The study tour continued at the Biotechnical School in Šempeter, where a guided tour of the school facility was organised for the members of the delegation. After the presentation of the training programmes, a discussion with the school management confirmed the common interest in cross-border cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience between school staff and students within the framework of MEDS GARDEN+ activities.
In the afternoon, the project delegation travelled to Lokovec, where they met with the associated partners, the Lokovec Cultural Tourism Association and the Local Community of Lokovec, and visited the sites of the nascent forest garden, natural attractions and the ethnographic museum.
The following day, the partners Scuola Centrale Formazione and Il Giardino del Chiostro, together with the OSF Foundation, travelled to Bologna for an exchange of experiences with the CEFAL Vocational Training Centre, which set up a small aquaponics teaching facility and some hydroponic growing towers.
During the visit, the partners were able to observe the facilities and listen to an expert in soilless cultivation.
They also learned about the experience of third sector actors that combine sustainability and social inclusion through an initiative coordinated by the EVT consortium of social cooperatives.
