# data[].attributes.body
I don't think that the issue for social inclusion is to last longer but to make small corrections each time to your behaviour and adjust your tactic. To identify what is that, that excludes you. What hinders to see the problem clearly so as to resolve and move on. For me, social inclusion has become a way of living. I must not give up every time I feel social exclusion but to remember that there are things for which I have fought and for some I have succeeded.

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I was more confused before Crisis. Perhaps crisis helped me understand that the difficulty is something that we must all fight and realise that we have common concerns.. So crisis influenced me positively as I understood that I was not alone at this and I was shaked to participate in an effort for changes on things that are going wrong.

From the time that you feel included in an effort like this, you must make what is possible to maintain teh emotion of success for those that worth (and that you admit initially that something's going wrong). You keep trying as long as this offers satisfaction. There are some choices that you make which you have to support them such as having selfconfidence and faith that it is YOU also that you fight for something better. Also, there is the courage and strength that you must show in every new challenge that comes up in order to be concistent in the commitments and to the path that you have chosen to follow.

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This was a lovely thing to do together.

Thanks

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To last a long time we need to want to live together well, to hold that as a core value, and to work towards it every day. As OT s we need to recognise our power and learn how to learn fro the people we want to be able to help.

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Go out, be in the world, try new places and try more than once. Realise that most people are vulnerable and hide behind a mask, it takes time to connect. Do the things you are good at and enjoy. Take small steps and pleasure in small moments. Tell people that you enjoy their company. Know that people together can make great things happen

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The crisis caused some difficulties in relationships, between those who still had work and those who did not, those whose businesses were closing or struggling and those not. Changes in what people could afford and so different ways of enjoying ourselves, or how often people could go out. Friends who were anxious, angrey, upset, political arguments with no conclusions or real meanings. Stress with uncertainty, unfairness as different people affected in different ways. Saying goodbye to people who left Greece. Solidarity.

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Positives about the crisis in a broader sense is that it can become an impetus for change, for people to see what is important and to work together towards that. The negatives is that it can create a sense of powerlessness and vulnerability, with a need to find someone to blame, which becomes paralysing and change becomes stuck. Personally it has led me to a stronger sense of the power of institutions and of money and some loss of a sense that we are all working towards a better future for all of us.

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For me social inclusion is about feeling I belong and feeling that others see me as belonging - that there is a space that we share and can live in together. Also that what people bring to this shared space is honest and open and helps a real connection, even if we disagree about some things. It is about places where there is room for everyone's abilities, skills and where there is an energy that helps us grow. Laws and policies can only provide a framework for this, the rest we have to do together.

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Last week some of the group members of a finishing therapy group shared email addresses and made appointments to do things together.

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This is for OT's! It is kind of fun working on this page. Everybody pops up!

Keep your eyes and ears open, follow politics in your community (or larger)and try collaborating with parties you never thought of. Like “self groups of cityvillages”coming up. Collaborate for recovery programs with service users. Step out of your own role. And learn from so many others. Also keep linking mental health and community together with the ones involved.

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Keep looking for opportunities for yourself / others and stay in contact with people involved. Just got very information of some clients of an ending project to search for contact with the national client organization. And another consumer

organization supporting the need that a start can be made in mental health, and from then on empower involved to continue with each other.

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Personally I am kind of lucky in having a good job and also within my family.

At this time the mental health organization in which I am working is making the transition to specialist mental health and all clients who do need short treatment or are stable will go to basic/ community mental health. That is a good movement. But it does imply uncertainty for my job in this organization. In my wider environment of friends there are many with no secure jobs anymore, and the first ones are laid off or have a contract for one more year. It affects me sometimes, and other times I do see a lot of opportunities (to be realistic there are 100 others for such a job).

In the Netherlands 4 major transitions in health and welfare are going on at this moment.

This is on mental health care/ longterm care for elderly_severe mental health_intellectual disabilities/ basic social funding _ disability funding/ youth care. Making the move from large institutions towards community responsibility. IT means rethinking what we can do and how to work. Sometimes when it all looks impossible, opening can come up. This is what we see in some of the communities with funding, and with the will to collaborate.

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No in the Netherlands the crisis has not been so deep and influencing as in some other European countries as Greece, Spain and Bulgaria (?). Some people have lost money due to investments of banks going down, but overall not. But fear of losing is growing and it seems like ongoing fast moving changes  in what can be done and not. Unemployment is also hopping from one sector to another. In the first years of the crisis the unemployment rate has gone up for people in more commercial/ building/ construction. Now we have large changes in healthcare both in legislation and financing. The challenge is that communities get more chances for good inclusion possibilities, but this can be different in each community. A large transition from health care to the community is going on including a cut in budget of 30%.The emphasis is on self management and more care from informal caretakers like family/ volunteers/ neighbors etc.

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Social inclusion is doing together with others. In my organization we found that ongoing awareness towards the meaning / organization/ collaboration towards social inclusion of all involved professionals is important. It is more as " doing a group"  in a community center. It is also a place near where people live. It is also collaborating, having an antenna for opportunities and going along with what is possible. It is also looking for chances in the ongoing changing of legislation and funding.

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I suggest to work together with the service user and even when we are in a group, do not forget to look each person separately.

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do not hesitate to do the next steps.

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It is important to organise our obligations soa as to make more steps. We must feel that we can do it.

In the past, I had to decide about my future and what I saw was an unstable environment. It is logical for someone to be frustrated but he must develop the necessary mechanisms inside him to defense himself so as not to permit to reality to suppressing him. As much excluded I felt, a crisis in all sectors of life, has helped me to open myself, to open in the world and in all the good things that society has to give me. In this contributed the belief that all together we can try for something better as long as the problem is general and not just mine's. I got in this procedure which is valuable to me and gives me hope. Disappointment is not the end of story.

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Stigma and internalised stigma is an important factor of social inclusion. Social inclusion is the process

by which individuals are able to to develop their true potential. Of course income and occupation are necessary.

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we became inventive, we volunteer and we have become solidaristic, we re-assess our needs, we have become more effective.

we take less care of our health because of the difficulties in accessibility in the health system. Unemployemnt, fear, insecurity, an image of neglect,

# data[].attributes.body
-You became ill; that doesn't mean that it is the end of life. <br>-Learn and to assert for his benefits the offered services.

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Don't hesitate to ask for help.

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Give SI a try .

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SI is therapeutic

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To love what you do because you will work with people. To listen the service users because they trust you. Both have to take something.

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If the goal of our profession is peoples' well-being, social inclusion and improvement of their quality of life, it is vain to improve their skills without enable their inclusion.

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to be able to listen, to respect diversity, We should not lose communication on our effort to see and work the occupation.

# data[].attributes.body
to be open to collaborations and learn to work as a team member.

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I try not to get angry for very small things such as people who stamble on me in the bus.

When I'm afraid it helps me a lot is to go for strolls during the nights. I like it because I learnt the city by that way!

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to enable others to gain. To enable others offer their maximum of their self and their abilities.

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to feel intimacy and trust. To offer and receive possible with a positive attitude.

# data[].attributes.body
I provoke people in the neighborhood to be nice and communicate with me by greeting them and few times later ask them how are they doing. By that I recognise the existence of others.

To have confidence and not to be afraid to contact with different people who seem to be excluded. What will help me a lot to that is to find the appropriate words for each time. Gain experience therefore seems to be something essential.

Finally, I found important to offer your help and your availability to others, for example, "if you need anything tell me".

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personally I go for shopping and I limit very much the things that I buy. Also, despite that I have a very small income I have to offer an amount to the household.
What has helped me a lot is my pc. It helps me forget and not think and connect with others.
ELSiTO enabled me to do things together although we are different people. Crisis has put think how much we need to be together and not alone.
Also I've learned not to give up but try.

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First of all we should strongly believe that social inclusion can happen. Start from childhood, do small steps to encourage participation within community.

I would advise the occupational therapists to go on, no matter how hopeless it seems and make all positive results widely known to society.

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My personal life was not affected by the Crisis, but my family's life was. As a result the level of stress I normally experience was highly raised. As a whole the level of social exclusion in Bulgarian society has grown, which leads to pessimism and deepens the negative attitudes, especially to people with disabilities. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing, people do not trust politicians and feel hopeless.

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Social inclusion is a complex phenomenon and needs combined efforts on all levels of the society. Though policies for SI are in place, more and more people get excluded. Societal attitudes are still very negative, especially to people with mental health illness. In my opinion this is the most difficult to overcome barrier. For me the key words are opportunities and responsibilities. The big issue in Bulgaria is the lack of community based services. But even when such services are created, they are located in or close to medical settings. The services should follow the person and provide support in his own community, not take him out of the community. In this way people with mental health illness loose the sense of belonging to a community.

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Crisis has affected the continuity of the project I was working. In different times perhaps the organisation would have the opportunity to make the necessary changes and hire people. I set myself to search for an undesirable job (private centres, afternoon programmes) and change career plans. Money last year weren't enough and I had to find alternative income.

What is negative is that pressure at work has increased because parents pay us without having money and we have to be effective.

What I find different is that tense in relationships have increased. In my job everyone is ready to argue and fight if necessary.

On the other hand, crisis made me more creative. It boosted me with courage and try new things such as working as a freelancer or take advantage of the things and skills I already had. I feel that I've reached professional adulthood (and I'm not sure that this is a result of crisis).

In a broader level, although shops have closed, what are left are usually the ones that have a better quality or a better business plan. Quality has increased.

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I cannot find good opportunities for work.

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I do not have sensere relationships with my colleagues. I'm afraid to say that I went to the dentist ! "What????? you fixed your teeth???!". We are hiding everything.
Another thing is that for some years now, I want to quit my job and start something new and create a new group. My friends tell me, how are you going to pay all the expenses? The fear does not permit us to go neither back or forth but we stand still. And I'm also afraid if I will be able to support financially my children?

In a broader level, the voucher vocational programmes are not providing work but employment something to keep you busy.

On the other hand, I see my close people becoming more active socially. They volunteer in the social pharmacy for example and they've become more solidaristic. Crisis has created two poles: either you will be competitive or solidaristic

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we are paid less and we work more. Our stress has increased. We don't have equipment. We used to live in the golden age, we had the assurance that we'll be employed forever. Nowdays, you think everything, you change the driving route so as to pay less tolls. In a personal level, we think how we will shop at the super market according to offers and discounts. We live and feel vividly the deprivation. Some people I know that they work, their salary is not enough to cover their expenses. We feel in a misery environment without anything being for granted. I believe that the public sector is influenced most.

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our salaries have been reduced.

My life was more carefree. At work things have changed. We were more employees, we had some money for buying things. Now we bring our own toilet paper!
We feel that we owe to someopne because we work and we have to say thank you because we work. Now, I cannot be honest with my colleagues because I'm afraid to tell them what I do. For example, I cannot say that I'm going on vacation because they will tell me that "at least you, you will go on vacation". I'm afraid in case I provoke someone and the bad energy, "the evil eye" against me. What I enjoy in ELSiTO is that I don't feel that , I am able to say my plans without feeling that the rest will he jealous or angry

In the past we had less stress in the family. We are more careful of what to do, not only because we have less money, but on the fear that things will go worse.

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A big question to start is when Crisis began. Nationally and personally.

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in ELSITO we can have the courage to say our opinion. And through that new ideas spring and every idea becomes important which is heard. These new ideas help us be developed.

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The important thing is how will you find the path. We have created a small islet, a small group that we are included. We have set communication channels in the group which is very important. It is helpful to be in a democratic group where everyone is equal.

Finally, to sustain we must do action.

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you must be open minded. To surpass the common standards of the society. An example is to have the ability to have a nice time with everyone.

Another thing is to share common beliefs and speak the same "language", and if we don't speak the same "language" we must be open to try to speak. To become fellow travellers in our cp journey in order to be essentially included.

to be honest.

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to have will and to have will you must have a motivation. To have the possibility to choose. An example is the e-elections we do every month for our next meeting location.
The motivation is subjective and you may find it on the way. It can be the trust to someone, or something that you heard, like a speach.

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What is essential is to be accepted under no terms.

SI is a challenge. We may have many people around us

but this doesn't mean that we are included. It is a challenge to find a suitable to environment that permit us to do

what we want and we have to do. And of course we shouldn't neglect the general circumstances that permit us or not to be included.

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to do things together that are pleasant for us. Through our meetings and the outdoor things that we do,

we feel that we are included somewhere, we express ourselves, someone is listening to us and we feel so comfortable to share personal experiences and spend some time together. At the end something beautiful comes out. Essential for SI is the way we communicate with our body, we every means that a person is communicating with someone. Even when someone is in the group and he sits and stays passive, it's a form of communication. from this kind of participation, someone can receive satisfaction. Even when we meet people that we are not so keen, through conversation and interaction we can feel good, even if we are not well. Especially in a special group like ELSiTO in which members know how to communicate so beautifully that everyone can feel that he can give and can receive.

# data[].attributes.body
to show interest for others
to show respect, to feel love by others. There is honesty among us. When we say something when we meet, it's not a typical but an essential conversation.
What is alsoimportant for si is communication. SI is a real relationship, in which you feel good.

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Sustained by creating feedbackloops between OT and patients.

last for a long time by choosing to not surpress yourself and don't stigmatize yourself (everybody is fragile)

The necessary ingredients are: upgrading your treatment in every possible way. Find partners, create groups and clientcouncils.

Be politically active and join a political party, stand up for your right

# data[].attributes.body
give your patients the opportunity to criticize you every time you meet

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give feedback to your caregiver everytime you see eachother

# data[].attributes.body
the food looks very good!

# data[].attributes.body
personally, the crisis has given me the opportunity to

broaden my skills in relation of leading an investigation according

to crisis

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S.I. is to have, to be and be included in a team. Crisis isolates you and you often stay at home. To do things together and to share our happiness and our concern with others of what we do. to feel happy when we meet together

Between our meetings, it's like some nets are created among us. Important is to have trust.

Since humans are Social Beings, SI is a need.

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A huge hug from the greek ELSiTO team ! Μια αγκαλιά.

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A huge hug from the greek ELSiTO team ! Μια αγκαλιά.

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A big hug for everybody! Nice adventure to write together! We hope we will meet one day. Un abrazo.       Spanish gardening team!

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A big hug for everybody! Nice adventure to write together! We hope we will meet one day. Un abrazo.       Spanish gardening team!

# data[].attributes.body
We need to show the social inclusion. We can not talk about a fair society today, we are not living into a inclusive society. We must fight to achieve it. So few people has interest to achieve it. The social sector has a bigger interest, this interest is not spread at a societal level. Social compromise is vital, but it is not wide spread in our generation.

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We can say so many thinks , we say nothing. We need to re-orient our way to do OT. We need to go further having a bigger influence at a political level. We can not just remain doing activities at a simplistic level. We need to increase our compromise with society. We need to intervene at a macro level and at a political level, to make it more human. We need to invest the money where it is needed. Now the major part of the money goes to bureaucratic structures.

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Positive: people now is starting to think about a new sustainable life model.

Negative: to increase the existing inequalities, now they are more evident.

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At a personal is has not change a lot, maybe it has reinforced my social ideas and believes and the will to fight for a more fare world.

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Social inclusion is related to the equality of opportunities.

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We need to recover the value of solidarity.

# data[].attributes.body
We should go out into the streets to protest, so we can pressure the Government to increase the social benefits.

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There is no money. There are no jobs for people. It is really difficult for the people, the governements are lying to us. they do lot of promise for people to vote them, and after they do not accomplish their promises. The wort thing are the cutting in the social warfare.

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I have noticed it. The pensions are not increasing meanwhile all the things are more and more expensive. It is more difficult to survive now.

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Social inclusion is about feeling normal as the rest of the people. Due to the mental health I have lost my family.

There is still lot of stigma related to mental health. Every time there is a crime they relate it to mental health people,

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It is very important to diminish the discrimitation related with mental health.

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There worst things is all the people that has lost their homes. Every time there is more people without enough food. There are no positive things related to the crisis.

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I have not notice, but in my facility there are cases they are long term unemployed, with having any social benefit.

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For me it is important everybody has his place at the society.

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The important thing is that everybody would have a job.

# data[].attributes.body
So many people has lost their home, as that can not return the mortgage, so many can not ven eat properly, they are suffering so much.

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Not really, I have my savings. I receive the same pension. I am afraid they will reduce my pension.

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The important thing is to be able to work in an activity.

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We need to be socials activist, to fight for our rights. Occupation is key in this process.

# data[].attributes.body
We must understand health from a holistic perspective, moving fro the medical to the social mode of health. We can not be mentally health immersed in a ill society.

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OT main goal is to construct inclusive and sustainable communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
GENERAL VIDEO OF THE PROJECT
PHOTO GALERY OF THE PROJECT VIDEO: STARTING POINT ESTATE OF THE PLACE EXPLANATION OF THE PROJECT (SPANISH) - ENTREVISTA
BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES VIDEO OF THE CREATION
VIDEO INAUGURATION
1. Introduction VIDEO CEREMONY AT THE UNIVERSITY 1.1. The construction of inclusive communities

Project with Universitat de Vic and Vic City Council. With the support of Obra Social de la Caixa, de Rotary Club, Jaume Gil i de VICREU, CARITAS, Fundació Centre Mèdic Pspicopedagògic d'Osona.

1.2. Educational

Project recognized as Good Praxis in the fight against poverty, by EU - COPORE (2010), GOOD PRACTICE by UNESCO (2013), Good intercultural praxis LABOUR MINISTRY - EU

1.3. Health
The Project Miquel Martí i Pol integrates education, research, health and the construction of inclusive communities. The project is based on a garden that was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors.
1.4. Research
The project is based in the integration of reality grounded education with research. Universities must be a school for democracy and citizenship (Dewey, 1969). The clients learn a profession and simultaneously they develop a meaningful occupation with a powerful therapeutic value. A key element of the project is to educate society in the value and potential of excluded people: they are citizens who are contributing to society.
The outcome of the research is a contribution to the knowledge of human beings as occupational beings and the contribution of meaningful occupation to wellbeing and the construction of inclusive communities and citizenship. The art of politics and partnerships is central to the process of creating a society based on the values of justice, equality, freedom, active respect and solidarity.
2. The project
The poet and master Miquel Marti i Pol (Marti i Pol, 1999) who lived for more than thirty years with multiple sclerosis told us: "Beauty is your heritage/ but you prefer/ the sad and routine laziness/ of a cardboard box... Let me say that it´s time to love,/ it´s time to believe in miracles,/ some day/ there will be flowers in the garden and wind in the trees/... Those, who for many years lived far away from town/, will be called to return" (Pág. 70).
These words inspired the decision to develop the Miquel Marti i Pol project: to transform an abandoned and sad space into a space of beauty, the garden. The garden was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors. The project included the following dimensions:

Poverty is evitable (Sachs, 2007), a sign of the lack of morality of our unfair societies (Pogge, 2005). Occupational therapists concerned with the social transformation are interested in the promotion of occupational justice (Townsend and Whiteford, 2006) and the creation of inclusive communities (Grady, 1995). The first author understands inclusive communities as those where all people can participate as equal citizens (Cortina, 2005) despite any kind of occupational dysfunction. In this uncertain or 'liquid' time (Bauman 2005, 2007) it is extremely important to recover the sense of community, a place where we use the pronoun "we" (Sennett, 1998). The neoliberal economy promotes individual atomism by breaking up natural and familiar communities. Governments that yesterday protected individuals through the Welfare state now abandon them, psychiatrising their problems despite their social and economic origin (Rendueles, 2006; Alvarez Uría, 2006).
To have a job is a "must" in our society, a condition of being socially accepted. When women and men lose their jobs they are also losing their life projects and their confidence in their ability to control their own lives. They are dispossessed of their dignity as citizens, their self-esteem and the feeling of being useful to society (Linhart, 2002).
The project has the objective of raising public awareness about the potential of these formerly socially excluded persons, breaking prejudices and stigmatic attitudes through their acquisition of a worker's role: the gardeners' work has given a garden to the community. We believe that the garden produces a powerful message. This has been widely spread through the mass media (TV, radio, newspapers, web) and this in turn has helped the local community to understand that these formerly excluded people are citizens.
It is thanks to love that
Roses are growing from our fingers
And we apprehend all the mysteries;
And in love all is fair and necessary. References
While Dewey (1969) argued that the university must educate citizens as a foundation of democracy Harkavy (2006) denounces today's university as being marked by commercialization (becoming dependent and influenced by enterprises' interests), Platonism (elitism and living in "ivory towers") and disciplinary ethnocentrism (inter-departmental conflict). Rachel Thibeault (2006) has suggested that our occupational therapy students are passing through their universities without gaining awareness about the global problems which determine their futures. In the face of the weakening of democracy, of the "proletarianization" of the teachers (Gilda Tostado, 2006), Tocqueville (2007) alerted us to the dangers of soft despotism, a political control based on persuasion and manipulation.
The project is also confronting the ecological crisis. We were told by Ann Coffey (cited in Houghton 2003): "There cannot be a better place than our educational centers to begin the greater task of Humanity, to re-connect with our natural world" (P. 23). While the students have participated in reality-grounded learning about occupational therapy, they also have understood the connection between human occupation and the ecological crisis (Boff, 2000; Suzuki, 2002). Gardening can be considered as an ecopation (Persson et al, 2002, Pag. 93) a term denoting occupations that are performed with concern for the ecological context at a pace which gives room for reflection and experience of meaning.

Gardening enables human beings to re-connect with nature, and emerge from their immersion in a cyber-world dominated by the instrumental reasoning which orders people to fit the rational economy of its design (Taylor, 1994) and the consequent ethics of the machine society (Persson et al, 2002). It enables the capacity of introspection, to connect with one-self as well as promoting a feeling of relaxation and well-being, developing motor skills as well as cognitive and affective. In a time of atomism (Taylor, 1994) gardening is a social occupation that allows people who may have acquired a sick role and may feel socially excluded to adopt the new roles of carer and gardener. It is an aesthetic experience, a ritual of creation of beauty and life, which confers an artistic gaze or perspective on the participant, to work listening to the water falling, seeing the colors of the plants, smelling the scent of the flowers, touching the bark of the trees. The garden is a metaphor for the process of recovery. During the winter we must work hard although we do not see the results, in the hope that they will arrive in the spring.
Gardening has a deeper sense in this liquid modernity (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it gives roots to the human being, a place of meaning and belonging.
GALERÍA FOTOGRÁFICA DEL PROYECTO
This project has generated new knowledge about the human being as occupational being, the therapeutic impact of gardening, the potential of meaningful occupation to the creation of more inclusive communities and the promotion of citizenship, and the political art of partnership.

The two key questions at the beginning of the process were: Where will the users come from? How will we be able to finance it? Thus, coordinated by the occupational therapy university school, the project has involved a group of political, social and business institutions, and showed the need for occupational therapists to develop political skills. Occupational therapists need to be proactive and ready for leadership and entrepreneurship in order to develop transformative social projects.
The clients, referred later on as the gardeners, came from Caritas Arxiprestal and Osona Mental Health Foundation. The inclusion criteria were that participants should be persons experiencing social exclusion, mostly related to mental health issues, poverty, and the motivation to be engaged in gardening. Funding for the project was obtained through Caixa de Sabadell Foundation (bank), Rotary Club Osona, Provincial Government of Osona, Vic City Council and the University of Vic.
Gardening sessions took place two days per week from 9.00 to 11.00 am. The process of creating the garden creation took 18 months, from March 2005 to September 2006. Not only did the participants become gardeners, but they have also acquired the role of conference speakers, talking about the project at the Universities of Vic (Simó Algado at al., 2007), Granada and Valencia. Educational tours were developed, with a master class for all the team at the gardens of Alhambra in Granada, and in some of the best gardens of the country. The project continues, since the garden needs continual maintenance. On average 8 gardeners attend the program at any time. Four of our gardeners have placements in local companies. A web page has been created, and we are developing a social documentary.
Currently we are negotiating a formal contract with Universitat de Vic to be responsible for all the green spaces of the campus, to eventually realise the first author's vision of converting the whole university into a garden that also will be an art exhibition space. When today's cities are becoming spaces of segregation (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it is so important to ensure that universities promote public spaces in which citizenship can be built and enjoyed.
The project is related to the project "A European Learning Partnership: Empowering Learning for Social Inclusion through Occupation", has just been approved by the European Union, with the participation of partners from The Netherlands, Greece, Belgium and Spain. It is part of the project "Competences for poverty reduction", with 14 European partners, funded by European Union and led by Hanneke Van Bruggen, also approved during the writing of this chapter.

It seems difficult to summarize more than two years of experiences, after so many moments of struggle, of exhaustion, of hope... so many visions and moments shared. Miquel Martí i Pol (1999, Pag. 207) wrote some verses that express the perfection we have experienced in the garden:

Alvarez Uría, Fernando (2006). Pensar y resistir. La sociología crítica después de Foucault. Madrid: Ediciones Ciencias Sociales.
Bauman, Zygmunt (2005). Vidas desperdiciadas: la modernidad y sus parias. Barcelona: Paidós.
Bauman, Zygmunt (2007). Tiempos líquidos: vivir en una época de incertidumbre. Barcelona: Ensayo Tusquets Editores.
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VIDEO GENERAL DEL PROYECTO
EXPLICACIÓN DEL PROYECTO - ENTREVISTA
VIDEO PROCESO DE CREACIÓN DEL JARDÍN
VIDEO INAUGURACIÓN DEL JARDÍN
VIDEO CEREMONIA ENTREGA DE DIPLOMAS
VIDEO ESTADO INCIAL DEL TERRENO ENTREVISTA SOBRE EL PROYECTO EN PSICOSOCIAL ART

Proyecto de la UVic con el Ajuntament de Vic. Con el apoyo de la Obra Social de la Caixa, de Rotary Club, Jaume Gil y de VICREU. Con participación de CARITAS i de la Fundació Centre Mèdic Pspicopedagògic d'Osona.

Reconocido como GOOD COMMUNITY PRAXIS por la UNIÓN EUROPEA_MINISTERIO DE TRABAJO (2013); GOOD PRACTICE por la GLOBAL UNIVERSITY NETWORK FOR INNOVATION DE LA UNESCO (2013); GOOD PRAXIS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY por la UNIÓN EUROPEA (2010)

Introducción

El poeta y maestro Miquel Martí i Pol (1999), que vivió por más de treinta años la disfunción ocupacional, nos dijo: La belleza es vuestro patrimonio, pero vosotros preferís la pereza triste y rutinaria de una caja de cartón... Dejadme decir que ya es tiempo de amar, que ya es tiempo de creer en los prodigios y que algún día habrá flores en el jardín y viento en los árboles... Aquellos que han vivido muchos años lejos del pueblo serán llamados a retornar. De estas palabras brotó la determinación de dar el aliento de la realidad al proyecto Miquel Martí i Pol: el transformar un espacio abandonado, triste y rutinario, en un espacio de belleza, un jardín. Una creación conjunta, entre estudiantes de Terapia Ocupacional y aquellos que han vivido muchos años lejos del pueblo, por una situación de exclusión social, relacionada con la salud mental, la pobreza o la inmigración. El proyecto ha tenido las siguientes dimensiones:

1.1. Terapéutica La jardinería permite reconectar al ser humano, hoy inmerso en un cibermundo, con el medio natural. Favorece la capacidad de introspección, de conectar con uno mismo, así como un sentimiento de relajación y bienestar. Al mismo tiempo es una ocupación social. Implica la realización de ejercicio físico, desarrollando habilidades motrices, pero también cognitivas y afectivas. Supone adoptar el rol de cuidador y jardinero a personas que han tenido el rol de enfermos o excluidos. Es una experiencia estética, de creación, una experiencia que roza el arte. La jardinería es una metáfora del proceso de recuperación. Durante el invierno debemos esforzarnos, aunque no veamos los resultados, en la esperanza de que estos llegaran en la primavera.

1.2. Construcción de comunidades inclusivas La filosofía del programa radica en el principio de justicia ocupacional (Townsend y Whiteford, 2006), entendida como la promoción de un cambio social y económico para incrementar la conciencia individual, comunitaria y política, los recursos, y la igualdad de oportunidades para el desarrollo de ocupaciones que permitan a las personas alcanzar su potencial y experimentar bienestar. Nos interesa el crear comunidades inclusivas, entendidas como comunidades donde todas las personas puedan participar como ciudadanos (Cortina, 2005) de pleno derecho a pesar de cualquier disfunción ocupacional. Más allá de que las personas aprendan un rol laboral, el objetivo era educar a la sociedad sobre el potencial de estas personas, rompiendo prejuicios. El trabajo de los usuarios ha dado como fruto un jardín para la comunidad. Creemos que este discurso basado en la realidad, magnificado por los medios de comunicación, es un paso más para ayudar a la sociedad a comprender que son ciudadanos de pleno derecho.

1.3. Educativa Nos dice Ann Coffey (citada en Houghton 2003): "No puede haber un lugar mejor que nuestros centros educativos para comenzar la mayor tarea de la Humanidad, la de reconectarnos a nuestro mundo natural" (Pág. 23). Las y los estudiantes de Terapia Ocupacional han participado en el mismo desarrollando un aprendizaje basado en la realidad desde la Terapia Ocupacional, pero también en el ámbito ecológico, básico ante el eco-cidio que confrontamos. También se ha educado a la propia comunidad, mostrando el potencial de personas tantas veces apartadas a golpe de estigma y de prejuicio social.

1.4. Investigación Sempik y sus colaboradores (2003) evidenciaron la falta de evidencia científica que avalara el uso de la jardinería. Es por ello que la investigación desarrollada resulta novedosa y contribuye a generar líneas de estudio que permiten ahondar en el conocimiento del impacto terapéutico de la jardinería, y de cómo contribuye a la inclusión social, a través de la creación de comunidades más inclusivas.

El proyecto

Dos preguntas iniciales clave en el proceso fueron: ¿De dónde procederán los usuarios? ¿Cómo podremos financiarlo? Así empezamos una política de alianzas estratégicas. Los usuarios del proyecto, a los que me referiré en adelante como jardineros, han sido derivados por Caritas Arxiprestal, la Fundació Centre Mèdic Psicopedagògic d'Osona (FCMPPO) y Mesures Penals Alternatives. El criterio de inclusión fue de personas en situación de exclusión social, motivadas en hacer jardinería. La financiación se obtuvo a través de la Fundació Caixa de Sabadell, Rotary Club Osona, Consell Comarcal d'Osona, Ajuntament de Vic y la propia Universitat de Vic. El proyecto, coordinado desde Terapia Ocupacional, ha sido una amalgama de las instituciones públicas, sociales y empresariales, y pone de manifiesto la necesidad de desarrollar nuestras habilidades políticas. Las sesiones de jardinería se han realizado dos días por semana, los martes y los miércoles, de 9 a 11. La sesión se interrumpía para el desayuno. El proceso de creación duró 18 meses, desde marzo de 2005 a octubre de 2006. Los jardineros también han adquirido el rol de conferenciantes, ya que han dado conferencias sobre el proyecto en la Universitat de Vic y en la de Granada. Se han realizado viajes de formación, como a los jardines de la Alhambra de Granada o del Alcázar en Córdoba; el Jardín Botánico de Blanes; el Jardín Botánico de Valencia; o los proyectos ecológicos desarrollados por Cáritas Menorca (entre otros). El proyecto continúa desde entonces haciendo el mantenimiento del jardín. La media de asistencia ha sido de 8 jardineros. Actualmente se ha potenciado nuestra coordinación con el servicio de orientación laboral de FCMPPO y de Caritas. Cinco de los jardineros se han insertado en empresas de la comunidad. También hemos creado nuestra página web, donde se puede ver un video de la creación del jardín, y estamos elaborando un documental social. A continuación esbozaremos los principales resultados de la investigación realizada para la obtención del Diploma de Estudios Avanzados (DEA), del Doctorado Educación inclusiva y atención socioeducativa a lo largo del ciclo vital, de la Univeritat de Vic, Universitat de Girona, Universitat de Lleida, Universitat de les Illes Balears. Este DEA fue defendido por el autor principal ante el tribunal en enero de 2008 con la calificación de excelente por unanimidad. Para más información ver: http://www.recercat.net/handle/2072/5326.

La investigación

Debemos conocer la realidad, como indicaba Dewey (1969), para transformarla, en el sentido de Marx (1970), en un ciclo de reflexión-acción, que Mounier (citado por Esquirol, 2001) comparaba con los movimientos de sístolediástole del corazón humano. Hemos profundizado en el conocimiento del ser humano como ser ocupacional, fuente de estudio de la Ciencia de la Ocupación. Para la base teórica del proyecto se intentó desarrollar una mirada transdisciplinar, como dice Edgar Morin (1999) debemos desarrollar una mirada compleja venciendo el etnocentrismo disciplinario denunciado por Harkavy Ira (2006). La temas surgidos en la investigación fueron:

3.1. Construyendo la ocupación significativa

... vuestras manos serán de viento y de luz. Miquel Martí i Pol

Partimos de una situación de privación ocupacional y de dificultad de inserción en el mundo laboral:
"... estamos faltos de espacios donde las personas puedan ocupar su tiempo de manera significativa, al igual que de programas prelaborales..." (A.Vic).

La ocupación realizada ha sido una ocupación significativa (Simó Algado 2004):
"... tiene importancia por ocupar de forma significativa el tiempo de estas personas..." (A.Vic).

Ha supuesto la transición de rol de enfermo al rol de cuidador, jardinero y ciudadano:
"... el rol de cuidador... saber que la planta está viva gracias a ti, te sientes mejor contigo..." (Plácido).
"Sí, he aprendido mucho, he aprendido a plantar, poner los tubos de agua..." (Mustapha).

El proyecto ha aumentado las posibilidades de encontrar un trabajo, básico para la inclusión:
"Toda la gente que han salido del mismo ha tenido trabajo, y por lo tanto está en una vida normalizada, ya vuelan solos" (Caritas).

3.2. La jardinería como fuente de salud y bienestar
...Y que algún día habrá flores en el jardín y viento en los árboles Miquel Martí i Pol

La ocupación significativa ha promovido la salud entendida como bienestar físico:
"Sí, sí, te hace hacer ejercicio, sino estarías en casa sin hacer nada" (Plácido).

Un bienestar psicológico que evita pensamientos paranoides:
"...como tienes una ocupación la mente se te despeja más, no estás pensando en paranoias" (Plácido).

Este bienestar se traduce en felicidad:
"Si, cuando vienes aquí encuentras felicidad" (Mustapha).

El proyecto ha mejorado su autoestima:
"Puedes coger, por así decirlo, un grado más en tu autoestima" (Plácido).

Ha aportado un sentimiento de utilidad:
"... porque yo antes era un inútil. Pero ahora no, me siento útil por haber trabajado aquí" (Paco).

Y ha potenciado un bienestar social (Maslow 1998), rompiendo una situación de soledad:
"Yo antes no salía de casa en todo el año. Y aquí también encuentro compatible, que al vivir solo lo agradeces, porque la soledad es muy mala" (Paco).

Ha impactado en la dimensión existencial-espiritual. Dos dimensiones básicas son las de sentido y conexión:
"Sí, sí, yo lo reconozco como parte mía. Perdurará en mí. A parte de las visitas médicas, venir al jardín es lo más importante para mí" (Paco).

El sentido de aportar a los demás es básico en la dimensión de sentido:
"Sí, he aportado la bondad entre nosotros" (Benaissa).

El jardín se ha convertido en un santuario: "... a mi alma le gusta todo lo que hace aquí... me ayuda a abrir el corazón" (Benaissa).

La experiencia religiosa es otra senda de espiritualidad:
"Este trabajo nos ayudará a abrirnos las puertas del paraíso" (Benaissa).

La naturaleza ha tenido un impacto terapéutico en las personas:
"Cuando veo crecer las plantas me siento vivo, porque veo la vida" (Mustapha).
"Yo cuando estoy mucho tiempo encerrado en un sitio me pongo mal, me entra como angustia, en el jardín estás como en tu casa" (Paco).

3.3. La dignidad de la ciudadanía
Aquellos que han vivido muchos años lejos del pueblo serán llamados a retornar. Miquel Martí i Pol

El proyecto ha denotado la persistencia del estigma:
"... estamos en una sociedad en que la gente que no entra en los estándares que hemos establecido se queda fácilmente apartada..." (Rectora).

El trabajo es básico en el cambio la percepción social sobre estas personas:
"...están acostumbrados sólo a noticias como que un esquizofrénico tira del tren a una persona, y ven que los enfermos mentales aportan a la comunidad este jardín..." (Plácido).

Las reivindicaciones de los jardineros, son ser escuchados, y tener más oportunidades:
"No nos escuchan... que se enteraran bien de lo que es la enfermedad, del bipolar, de la esquizofrenia" (Paco). "Que las personas con enfermedades mentales puedan aportar más a la comunidad..." (Plácido).

El proyecto ha tenido un efecto de empoderamiento. Los jardineros se ven capaces de influir en su propia vida:
"Lo que escribió Martí i Pol es muy bonito (vuestras manos serán de viento y de luz)... si se quiere, se puede. Que aunque estés mal, también puedes hacer cosas importantes en tu vida" (Paco).

3.4. La creación de comunidades inclusivas
En clave de tiempo Y con mucho sufrimiento. Es así como podemos ganar el combate que desde hace tiempo libramos intrépidos. Miquel Martí i Pol

Se ha promovido la inclusión social, al favorecer la creación de comunidades inclusivas:
"Me conoce más gente en dos años en Vic que quince en Centellas... el jardín me ha ayudado a entrar en la comunidad" (Paco).

Valores como la justicia, la solidaridad, la libertad, la igualdad, el respeto activo se han vivenciado en el jardín:
"Cuando vives la igualdad... te consideras una persona igual a los iguales y además se convierten en personas felices" (Caritas).

Ha habido un reconocimiento social hacia los jardineros:
"Que te de la mano la Rectora de una universidad y que te de un diploma, eso para mí es... como si volviera a casarme" (Paco).
"... estas personas se sienten dignificadas, reconocidas y valiosas..." (EUCS).

Ha sido vital que su voz haya sido escuchada:
"Mira fuimos a Granada a dar una conferencia. Me sentía como el señor Zapatero" (Paco).

3.5. Una Universidad al servicio de la Humanidad: nuevas praxis educativas
Podemos con cada gesto ganar nuevos ámbitos Y con cada palabra incrementar la esperanza. Seremos aquello que queramos ser ser: Por los cristales del poniente encrespado, la luz estalla. Miquel Martí i Pol

La finalidad de la Universidad es educar a ciudadanos comprometidos: "Educar para que tengan un espíritu de contribuir a la mejora del mundo y de la sociedad"(Rectora).

Esta misión está en peligro:
"... La Universidad debe ayudar a que la sociedad no muera... Si la Universidad solo suministra conocimiento no sirve de nada..." (Caritas).

No podemos obviar el riesgo de mercantilización de la Universidad:
"Cada vez se espera de la Universidad que forme aquello que quieren los empleadores..." (A.Vic).

El proyecto ha sido una escuela de ciudadanía ha supuesto una transformación de la praxis educativa: "Vale más que todas las charlas sobre ciudadanía que algún político me pueda dar" (Eli).

Ha materializado la implicación de la Universidad en el territorio:
"...para mí el proyecto es un buen ejemplo del impacto de la Universidad en el territorio..." (A.Vic).
"... lo que destacaría más es que en este proyecto es que la Universitat se abre hacia los desfavorecidos de la sociedad" (C. Comarcal d'Osona).

El proyecto integra la educación, la investigación y la intervención social:
"Ya solo por esto tiene un valor extraordinario" (Rectora).

Con este tipo de praxis educativa se palía el déficit estructural de horas de práctica en la enseñanza:
"... me lo planteé como una primera toma de contacto práctica con la profesión... en el plan de estudios de nuestra carrera serían de agradecer más horas de prácticas..." (Rafa).

Ha supuesto un aprendizaje basado en la realidad, una transición de la teoría a la práctica:
"He tenido la oportunidad de ver como a través de una actividad significativa, la persona encuentra su equilibrio bio-psico-social y espiritual" (Rafa).

Las estudiantes han ido más allá de los diagnósticos para descubrir a la persona y su potencial:
"... los potenciales de cada uno de ellos, sobresalían. La humanidad, la generosidad, la simpatía, el compromiso, el compañerismo..." (Eli).

El jardín ha sido un lugar de encuentro con el Otro desarrollando su empatía:
"Me ha hecho aprender a ver el mundo desde otra perspectiva; desde los ojos de los mencionados socialmente como los otros" (Eli).

3.6. El arte de las alianzas estratégicas y de las sinergias
Quien sino todos y cada uno por turno podemos crear desde estos límites del ahora el ámbito de luz donde todos los vientos se exalten el espacio de viento donde toda voz resuene? Miquel Martí i Pol

Las instituciones públicas, sociales, empresariales y la universidad han manifestado la necesidad de desarrollar alianzas estratégicas. La aportación del Tercer sector para poder mantener el Estado del bienestar:
"Para mantener el Estado del bienestar se tienen que sumar los poderes públicos y el Tercer sector, son imprescindibles estas alianzas estratégicas" (A.Vic).

El proyecto es visto como un modelo o ejemplo a seguir, a nivel de la universidad como de políticas sociales, influyendo en los niveles meso y exo: "Podría ser un ejemplo para otros, de cara a otras carreras, colectivos..." (Rectora).
"FCMPPO ha valorado la posibilidad de reproducir un proyecto similar..." (FCMPPO).

Conclusiones

El proyecto Miquel Martí i Pol refleja fielmente el paradigma actual de la Terapia Ocupacional, así articula sus ideas centrales. Parte de la creencia en la naturaleza ocupacional de los seres humanos (Wilcock, 1998), y por eso está basado en una ocupación humana, en este caso la jardinería, considerada como un agente terapéutico, intentando paliar la disfunción ocupacional de los usuarios, en este caso provocada por motivos psiquiátricos y/o sociales (Kielhofner, 1992). El impacto terapéutico de la ocupación significativa, en la salud, entendida como bienestar, queda reflejada en las narrativas de los estudiantes, "El comprobar de primera mano cómo la ocupación significativa tiene una influencia directa en el estado de bienestar bio-psico-social-espiritual de la persona" (Rafa).

También ha quedado reflejado en las narrativas de los jardineros. Ha mejorado su bienestar físico, al ayudarles a hacer ejercicio, "Sí, sí, donde va a parar. Tengo que agacharme y subirme. Desde que vengo a trabajar al jardín y voy a jugar a fútbol me siento mejor. Estoy en mi peso ideal, me mantengo en forma" (Paco). En el ámbito del bienestar mental destaca la relación que hace un jardinero entre la ocupación, que le anima y le despeja, y el que no tenga paranoias, "Sí, me anima, me anima. Te sientes mejor porque como tienes una ocupación la mente se te despeja más, no estás pensando en paranoias porque estás ocupado" (Plácido). La experiencia de bienestar emocional está muy ligada a la experiencia de tranquilidad que se vivencia en el jardín, revindicando la importancia del contexto ocupacional, "Sí, todo está muy bien, me siento muy tranquilo, y todo es mucho mejor que estar en casa, porque en casa no hay más que problemas" (Benaissa); "Cuando estoy aquí no tengo mala leche, estoy tranquilo. Me da tranquilidad estar aquí, me siento más abierto, me siento bien" (Paco). Aparece una sensación de satisfacción por el resultado del trabajo, "Te sientes muy satisfecho por esa faena tan bonita que ha salido" (Plácido), que incide directamente en su autoestima, "Puedes coger, por así decirlo, un grado más en tu autoestima" (Plácido).
El bienestar social se relaciona con los sentimientos de pertenencia, tanto al grupo, "Sí, me siento parte del equipo, antes no los conocía e ido conociéndolos de uno a uno, ahora nos llamamos para tomar café" (Mustapha); como a la comunidad, "Si, ahora me siento integrado en la comunidad" (Benaissa).

En cuanto al punto de vista central el proyecto se ha basado en una visión holística del ser humano, definido por mi como un ser bio-psico-social, cuya esencia es espiritual inmersa en un medioambiente cultural y ecológico (Simó Algado y Burgman, 2004, 2006). La dimensión espiritual es la más controvertida, sin duda. Los propios jardineros han hecho referencia a conceptos como el alma para explicar el impacto que la jardinería ha tenido en ellos, "... porque a mi alma le gusta todo lo que hace aquí, toda la vista y el aroma hace que me sienta bien" (Benaissa). Esta dimensión de espiritualidad hemos constatado como se relaciona con las dimensiones de sentido y de conexión. La experiencia de sentido se relaciona con haber aportado algo a los demás, "Sí, he aportado la bondad entre nosotros" (Benaissa). El sentimiento de conexión se relaciona con el jardín, adquiriendo un matiz de trascendencia, "Sí, si, yo lo reconozco como parte mía. Perdurará en mí. Lo recordaré siempre y siempre que haga falta aquí estaré" (Paco). Así el jardín se convierte en una especie de santuario, "Sí, claro, cuando veo el jardín, me ayuda a abrir el corazón" (Benaissa). La conexión se relaciona también con los demás y la sociedad, recobrando el rol de ciudadanos. Dürkheim, citado por Thibeault (2003) hablada de las distintas sendas reales de espiritualidad. Entre ellas citaba el arte, el jardín sin duda ha sido un acto de creación de belleza, así es reconocido por los jardineros "Sí, porque de un terreno que estaba fatal, dejado a la mano de Dios y con las manos de Dios, es decir, las nuestras, hemos conseguido que se transformara en un precioso jardín" (Paco); como por las propias instituciones "... un espacio abandonado, feo, pasa a ser un lugar bonito... es hermoso pensar que la comunidad pueda tener un jardín, un lugar con flores, mariposas y pájaros" (Rectora de la Universitat de Vic). Otro senda real era la de las tradiciones religiosas, como bien ha quedado patente en la investigación, "Me gusta cuidar los árboles y la plantas porque son criaturas de Dios... este trabajo nos ayudará a abrirnos las puertas del paraíso, Dios quiere a las personas que hacen cosas buenas" (Benaissa).

Por ello la ocupación significativa es el cruce de caminos entre las necesidades, el potencial y el espíritu de la persona (Simó Algado y Burgman, 2004, 2006). Ve al ser humano como un sistema abierto, que interacciona con el medio, en este caso con su medio social, político y ecológico a través de la jardinería. La ocupación, la jardinería, ha sido el alma de la intervención. "Sí, sí. Sí porque me dais una faena, y estoy yo solo con esta faena y eso me tranquiliza, me da alas, podríamos decir" (Paco).
Nuestro objetivo ha sido la salud, definida desde una perspectiva ocupacional como la ausencia de enfermedad, pero no necesariamente discapacidad; un equilibrio entre bienestar físico, mental y social, obtenida a través de ocupaciones significativas, valoradas social e individualmente; posibilidad de desarrollar el potencial personal; inclusión social, apoyo, justicia, todo como una parte en equilibrio con la ecología (Wilcock, 1998). Un valor de la Terapia Ocupacional fundamental en que se ha sustentado el proyecto ha sido la práctica centrada en el cliente (CAOT, 1991), donde los usuarios son los protagonistas del proyecto. Los propios estudiantes manifiestan como estos valores se han vivenciado en el jardín:"Uno de los conceptos más importantes de la disciplina de la Terapia Ocupacional, es el de la intervención centrada en el cliente, que se dirige a través de la ocupación significativa. He tenido la oportunidad de ver con mis propios ojos como a través de una actividad significativa, la persona encuentra su equilibrio bio-psico-social y espiritual" (Rafa). Los jardineros son coautores de los artículos y demás productos intelectuales del proyecto. Así han presentado el proyecto en la Universidad de Granada o en la propia Universitat de Vic.

Se ha dado tanta importancia a conocer la perspectiva de la persona, que no sólo se les ha consultado el tema de la investigación, así como la continuidad del proyecto, sino que se ha desarrollado la investigación para conocer mejor el sentido que esta experiencia ha tenido para ella, fomentándose en todo momento la participación activa de la persona en el tratamiento, desde la Investigación Acción Participativa (Cockburn y Trentham, 2006). Pero más allá, se ha buscado su protagonismo en la propia sociedad, recuperando el rol de ciudadanos que aportan a la comunidad, "... me enorgullece el haber hecho un jardín tan bonito para la comunidad de Vic" (Plácido).

El proyecto ha intentado mejorar el desempeño ocupacional (CAOT; 1997) de los usuarios, su capacidad de elegir, organizar y desarrollar de forma satisfactoria ocupaciones significativas y culturalmente adaptadas, en búsqueda del cuidado personal, del disfrute de la vida y para contribuir a la sociedad. Esto se ha conseguido a través de la jardinería, y queda patente en que los jardineros creen que han aprendido el significado de la jardinería, como que se sienten preparados para encontrar desarrollar un trabajo de jardineros, "Sí ahora me dan un trozo de terreno todo baldío yo ya me espabilaría para limpiarlo, colocar plantas y algún árbol, yo me veo capaz de que me den un trozo baldío y sacaría allí un jardín hasta con una parte de huerto y todo" (Paco).

Los usuarios han internalizado este nuevo rol de jardineros y lo han extrapolado a sus vidas, "Desde que estoy en el jardín he puesto plantas en casa y las mimo mucho, el gusto por tener plantas en casa ha sido a raíz de trabajar en el jardín, además eso oxigena la casa" (Paco). Se trata de un tema de derechos legales y humanos, e implica que las personas tengan oportunidades justas en la sociedad a pesar de su capacidad, género u otras características específicas, combatiendo la situación de privación ocupacional, que se caracteriza por las circunstancias externas y hace que la persona no pueda adquirir, usar o disfrutar algo. Así lo revindicaba un jardinero, "Que las personas con enfermedades mentales puedan aportar más a la comunidad, que haya más jardines para hacer, que podamos aportar a la sociedad, que vean lo que podemos hacer" (Plácido). Destaca que revindican el aportar a la sociedad, a través del hacer. El objetivo ha sido la justicia ocupacional (Townsend, 1993, 1997; Townsend y Whiteford, 2006; Wilcock, 1998).

El proyecto ha supuesto la promoción de un cambio social y económico para incrementar la conciencia individual, comunitaria y política, los recursos, y la igualdad de oportunidades para el desarrollo ocupaciones que permitan a las personas alcanzar su potencial y experimentar bienestar, así lo han manifestado las instituciones sociales, públicas y empresariales, y la propia Universitat de Vic, "...Creo que aquí se ha intentado poner en práctica muchas teorías y de una forma exitosa y no retórica como se ve, un paso hacia una sociedad más democrática con relación a todos sus miembros" (Consejero de Acción Social del Consell Comarcal d'Osona).

La finalidad ha sido crear una comunidad más inclusiva (Grady, 1995), entendida como una comunidad donde cualquier persona se sienta un ciudadano pleno, a pesar de cualquier disfunción ocupacional. El proyecto, el jardín, les ha ayudado literalmente a entrar en la comunidad, según los propios jardineros, "Sí, sí. En el barrio donde vivo me conocen todos los vecinos, en las tiendas donde compro normalmente también me conocen, y ten en cuenta que es porque ahora salgo a la calle. Me conoce y conozco más gente en dos años en Vic que quince en Centellas. Creo que formo parte de Vic. Eso quiere decir que el jardín me ha ayudado a entrar en la comunidad" (Paco). En el caso de personas inmigrantes, esta integración en la comunidad no es como en el país de origen, "Sí, venimos aquí dos veces a la semana, y me siento integrado en el equipo, también me siento integrado en la comunidad, pero nunca como en mi país" (Mustapha).

Se ha intentado desarrollar una filosofía de la terapia ocupacional transcultural, que no sólo reconoce la belleza y el valor de todas las culturas, sino que introduce en las intervenciones ocupaciones culturalmente significativas (Simó Algado 1997, 2002, 2003 I, 2003 II). La jardinería es una ocupación con sentido dentro de las culturas de las personas que han participado en el proyecto, procedentes de Cataluña, el sur de España y Marruecos. En especial muchos de los usuarios provienen de zonas rurales, donde la relación con el medio natural, en especial a través de la agricultura y la ganadería, es vital. Adentrarnos en el campo de la inclusión social implica hacerlo en la arena política, así lo demuestra la presencia del Ajuntament de Vic, y del Consell Comarcal d'Osona en el mismo.

Nuestro ideal límite no es otro que intentar ayudar a las personas a que puedan construir su propio destino, viviendo una vida digna y plena de sentido. El proyecto ha seguido las indicaciones de Do Rozario (1993) de trabajar en pro de una relación armoniosa de la gente con el medio ambiente, "Sí, porque los árboles son una cosa de la naturaleza, y todo lo que da la naturaleza es bueno..." (Mustapha).

Y lo ha hecho acercando a los individuos y a las comunidades hacia la salud, el bienestar y la sostenibilidad a través de la interacción, la ocupación y la acción sociopolítica; y del modelo de sostenibilidad ecológica de la salud, al intentar promocionar unas relaciones saludables entre seres humanos, otros organismos vivos, sus ecosistemas, hábitos y formas de vida. Este diálogo ha estado presente en el jardín, "La relación con la naturaleza a la persona le da seguridad, la persona dialoga con la naturaleza, se enraíza en la tierra y se proyecta" (Caritas). Intenta articular el concepto de ecología ocupacional (Simó Algado y Cardona, 2004, 2006), entendido como la toma de conciencia del genocidio ecológico al que nos enfrentamos, "Sí, porque yo soy uno de los que respetan el medio ambiente, porque el aire lo respiramos, y si es malo podremos tener enfermedades" (Mustapha); así como la toma de medidas proactivas para, a través de la ocupación humana, eco-pación que dirá Persson (2002), reestablecer el equilibrio con el medio ambiente.

El jardín creado sirve a este propósito ecológico como ya hemos visto anteriormente, al suponer la creación de una zona verde en medio de la ciudad, construida bajo criterios ecológicos, pero especialmente al ser un aula de concienciación medioambiental, de cultura ecológica, como diría Fritjof Capra, citado por Hoghton (2003). Así acabamos de ver como la naturaleza ha aparecido en la investigación como un espacio de salud "Sí, porque es muy bueno para el cuerpo humano" (Mustapha); un espacio de libertad; "Yo cuando estoy mucho tiempo encerrado en un sitio me pongo mal, en un sitio cerrado me entra como angustia, no trabajo a gusto, en el jardín o en el huerto estás como en tu casa, donde te sientes bien, hogar dulce hogar, las dos horas aquí lo paso estupendo" (Paco). Espacio que adquiere connotaciones de santuario "... porque a mi alma le gusta todo lo que hace aquí..." (Benaissa) o que "... cuando veo el jardín, me ayuda a abrir el corazón" (Benaissa), como experiencia religiosa, "Me gusta cuidar los árboles y las plantas porque son criaturas de Dios" (Benaissa). En definitiva, podríamos decir que esta ocupación en contacto con el medio natural pone en diálogo al ser humano con la Vida misma, "... Cuando veo crecer las plantas me siento vivo, porque veo la vida" (Mustapha).

GENERAL VIDEO OF THE PROJECT
VIDEO STARTING POINT ESTATE OF THE PLACE EXPLICACIÓN DEL PROYECTO - ENTREVISTA
VIDEO OF THE CREATION
VIDEO INAUGURATION
VIDEO CEREMONY AT THE UNIVERSITY

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91096499@N03/sets/72157635038593434/ ">PHOTO GALLERY OF THE PROJECT

Project with Universitat de Vic and Vic City Council. With the support of Obra Social de la Caixa, de Rotary Club, Jaume Gil i de VICREU, CARITAS, Fundació Centre Mèdic Pspicopedagògic d'Osona.

Projecte reconegut com a Good Praxis in the fight against poverty, per la UE - COPORE (2010), GOOD PRACTICE per la UNESCO (2013), com a Buena Praxis de Intervención Intercultural pel Ministeri de Treball - UE

BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES

The Project Miquel Martí i Pol integrates education, research, health and the construction of inclusive communities. The project is based on a garden that was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors.

The project is based in the integration of reality grounded education with research. Universities must be a school for democracy and citizenship (Dewey, 1969). The clients learn a profession and simultaneously they develop a meaningful occupation with a powerful therapeutic value. A key element of the project is to educate society in the value and potential of excluded people: they are citizens who are contributing to society.
The outcome of the research is a contribution to the knowledge of human beings as occupational beings and the contribution of meaningful occupation to wellbeing and the construction of inclusive communities and citizenship. The art of politics and partnerships is central to the process of creating a society based on the values of justice, equality, freedom, active respect and solidarity.

1. Introduction

The poet and master Miquel Marti i Pol (Marti i Pol, 1999) who lived for more than thirty years with multiple sclerosis told us: "Beauty is your heritage/ but you prefer/ the sad and routine laziness/ of a cardboard box... Let me say that it´s time to love,/ it´s time to believe in miracles,/ some day/ there will be flowers in the garden and wind in the trees/... Those, who for many years lived far away from town/, will be called to return" (Pág. 70).
These words inspired the decision to develop the Miquel Marti i Pol project: to transform an abandoned and sad space into a space of beauty, the garden. The garden was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors. The project included the following dimensions:

1.1. The construction of inclusive communities

Poverty is evitable (Sachs, 2007), a sign of the lack of morality of our unfair societies (Pogge, 2005). Occupational therapists concerned with the social transformation are interested in the promotion of occupational justice (Townsend and Whiteford, 2006) and the creation of inclusive communities (Grady, 1995). The first author understands inclusive communities as those where all people can participate as equal citizens (Cortina, 2005) despite any kind of occupational dysfunction. In this uncertain or 'liquid' time (Bauman 2005, 2007) it is extremely important to recover the sense of community, a place where we use the pronoun "we" (Sennett, 1998). The neoliberal economy promotes individual atomism by breaking up natural and familiar communities. Governments that yesterday protected individuals through the Welfare state now abandon them, psychiatrising their problems despite their social and economic origin (Rendueles, 2006; Alvarez Uría, 2006).
To have a job is a "must" in our society, a condition of being socially accepted. When women and men lose their jobs they are also losing their life projects and their confidence in their ability to control their own lives. They are dispossessed of their dignity as citizens, their self-esteem and the feeling of being useful to society (Linhart, 2002).
The project has the objective of raising public awareness about the potential of these formerly socially excluded persons, breaking prejudices and stigmatic attitudes through their acquisition of a worker's role: the gardeners' work has given a garden to the community. We believe that the garden produces a powerful message. This has been widely spread through the mass media (TV, radio, newspapers, web) and this in turn has helped the local community to understand that these formerly excluded people are citizens.

1.2. Educational

While Dewey (1969) argued that the university must educate citizens as a foundation of democracy Harkavy (2006) denounces today's university as being marked by commercialization (becoming dependent and influenced by enterprises' interests), Platonism (elitism and living in "ivory towers") and disciplinary ethnocentrism (inter-departmental conflict). Rachel Thibeault (2006) has suggested that our occupational therapy students are passing through their universities without gaining awareness about the global problems which determine their futures. In the face of the weakening of democracy, of the "proletarianization" of the teachers (Gilda Tostado, 2006), Tocqueville (2007) alerted us to the dangers of soft despotism, a political control based on persuasion and manipulation.
The project is also confronting the ecological crisis. We were told by Ann Coffey (cited in Houghton 2003): "There cannot be a better place than our educational centers to begin the greater task of Humanity, to re-connect with our natural world" (P. 23). While the students have participated in reality-grounded learning about occupational therapy, they also have understood the connection between human occupation and the ecological crisis (Boff, 2000; Suzuki, 2002). Gardening can be considered as an ecopation (Persson et al, 2002, Pag. 93) a term denoting occupations that are performed with concern for the ecological context at a pace which gives room for reflection and experience of meaning.

1.3. Health

Gardening enables human beings to re-connect with nature, and emerge from their immersion in a cyber-world dominated by the instrumental reasoning which orders people to fit the rational economy of its design (Taylor, 1994) and the consequent ethics of the machine society (Persson et al, 2002). It enables the capacity of introspection, to connect with one-self as well as promoting a feeling of relaxation and well-being, developing motor skills as well as cognitive and affective. In a time of atomism (Taylor, 1994) gardening is a social occupation that allows people who may have acquired a sick role and may feel socially excluded to adopt the new roles of carer and gardener. It is an aesthetic experience, a ritual of creation of beauty and life, which confers an artistic gaze or perspective on the participant, to work listening to the water falling, seeing the colors of the plants, smelling the scent of the flowers, touching the bark of the trees. The garden is a metaphor for the process of recovery. During the winter we must work hard although we do not see the results, in the hope that they will arrive in the spring.
Gardening has a deeper sense in this liquid modernity (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it gives roots to the human being, a place of meaning and belonging.

1.4. Research

This project has generated new knowledge about the human being as occupational being, the therapeutic impact of gardening, the potential of meaningful occupation to the creation of more inclusive communities and the promotion of citizenship, and the political art of partnership.

2. The project

The two key questions at the beginning of the process were: Where will the users come from? How will we be able to finance it? Thus, coordinated by the occupational therapy university school, the project has involved a group of political, social and business institutions, and showed the need for occupational therapists to develop political skills. Occupational therapists need to be proactive and ready for leadership and entrepreneurship in order to develop transformative social projects.
The clients, referred later on as the gardeners, came from Caritas Arxiprestal and Osona Mental Health Foundation. The inclusion criteria were that participants should be persons experiencing social exclusion, mostly related to mental health issues, poverty, and the motivation to be engaged in gardening. Funding for the project was obtained through Caixa de Sabadell Foundation (bank), Rotary Club Osona, Provincial Government of Osona, Vic City Council and the University of Vic.
Gardening sessions took place two days per week from 9.00 to 11.00 am. The process of creating the garden creation took 18 months, from March 2005 to September 2006. Not only did the participants become gardeners, but they have also acquired the role of conference speakers, talking about the project at the Universities of Vic (Simó Algado at al., 2007), Granada and Valencia. Educational tours were developed, with a master class for all the team at the gardens of Alhambra in Granada, and in some of the best gardens of the country. The project continues, since the garden needs continual maintenance. On average 8 gardeners attend the program at any time. Four of our gardeners have placements in local companies. A web page has been created, and we are developing a social documentary.
Currently we are negotiating a formal contract with Universitat de Vic to be responsible for all the green spaces of the campus, to eventually realise the first author's vision of converting the whole university into a garden that also will be an art exhibition space. When today's cities are becoming spaces of segregation (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it is so important to ensure that universities promote public spaces in which citizenship can be built and enjoyed.
The project is related to the project "A European Learning Partnership: Empowering Learning for Social Inclusion through Occupation", has just been approved by the European Union, with the participation of partners from The Netherlands, Greece, Belgium and Spain. It is part of the project "Competences for poverty reduction", with 14 European partners, funded by European Union and led by Hanneke Van Bruggen, also approved during the writing of this chapter.

It seems difficult to summarize more than two years of experiences, after so many moments of struggle, of exhaustion, of hope... so many visions and moments shared. Miquel Martí i Pol (1999, Pag. 207) wrote some verses that express the perfection we have experienced in the garden:

It is thanks to love that
Roses are growing from our fingers
And we apprehend all the mysteries;
And in love all is fair and necessary.

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GENERAL VIDEO OF THE PROJECT
VIDEO STARTING POINT ESTATE OF THE PLACE EXPLICACIÓN DEL PROYECTO - ENTREVISTA
VIDEO OF THE CREATION
VIDEO INAUGURATION
VIDEO CEREMONY AT THE UNIVERSITY

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91096499@N03/sets/72157635038593434/ ">PHOTO GALLERY OF THE PROJECT

Project with Universitat de Vic and Vic City Council. With the support of Obra Social de la Caixa, de Rotary Club, Jaume Gil i de VICREU, CARITAS, Fundació Centre Mèdic Pspicopedagògic d'Osona.

Projecte reconegut com a Good Praxis in the fight against poverty, per la UE - COPORE (2010), GOOD PRACTICE per la UNESCO (2013), com a Buena Praxis de Intervención Intercultural pel Ministeri de Treball - UE

BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES

The Project Miquel Martí i Pol integrates education, research, health and the construction of inclusive communities. The project is based on a garden that was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors.

The project is based in the integration of reality grounded education with research. Universities must be a school for democracy and citizenship (Dewey, 1969). The clients learn a profession and simultaneously they develop a meaningful occupation with a powerful therapeutic value. A key element of the project is to educate society in the value and potential of excluded people: they are citizens who are contributing to society.
The outcome of the research is a contribution to the knowledge of human beings as occupational beings and the contribution of meaningful occupation to wellbeing and the construction of inclusive communities and citizenship. The art of politics and partnerships is central to the process of creating a society based on the values of justice, equality, freedom, active respect and solidarity.

1. Introduction

The poet and master Miquel Marti i Pol (Marti i Pol, 1999) who lived for more than thirty years with multiple sclerosis told us: "Beauty is your heritage/ but you prefer/ the sad and routine laziness/ of a cardboard box... Let me say that it´s time to love,/ it´s time to believe in miracles,/ some day/ there will be flowers in the garden and wind in the trees/... Those, who for many years lived far away from town/, will be called to return" (Pág. 70).
These words inspired the decision to develop the Miquel Marti i Pol project: to transform an abandoned and sad space into a space of beauty, the garden. The garden was created jointly by occupational therapy students at the University of Vic and those who for many years have lived far away from town in situations of social exclusion, with mental health, poverty and immigration survivors. The project included the following dimensions:

1.1. The construction of inclusive communities

Poverty is evitable (Sachs, 2007), a sign of the lack of morality of our unfair societies (Pogge, 2005). Occupational therapists concerned with the social transformation are interested in the promotion of occupational justice (Townsend and Whiteford, 2006) and the creation of inclusive communities (Grady, 1995). The first author understands inclusive communities as those where all people can participate as equal citizens (Cortina, 2005) despite any kind of occupational dysfunction. In this uncertain or 'liquid' time (Bauman 2005, 2007) it is extremely important to recover the sense of community, a place where we use the pronoun "we" (Sennett, 1998). The neoliberal economy promotes individual atomism by breaking up natural and familiar communities. Governments that yesterday protected individuals through the Welfare state now abandon them, psychiatrising their problems despite their social and economic origin (Rendueles, 2006; Alvarez Uría, 2006).
To have a job is a "must" in our society, a condition of being socially accepted. When women and men lose their jobs they are also losing their life projects and their confidence in their ability to control their own lives. They are dispossessed of their dignity as citizens, their self-esteem and the feeling of being useful to society (Linhart, 2002).
The project has the objective of raising public awareness about the potential of these formerly socially excluded persons, breaking prejudices and stigmatic attitudes through their acquisition of a worker's role: the gardeners' work has given a garden to the community. We believe that the garden produces a powerful message. This has been widely spread through the mass media (TV, radio, newspapers, web) and this in turn has helped the local community to understand that these formerly excluded people are citizens.

1.2. Educational

While Dewey (1969) argued that the university must educate citizens as a foundation of democracy Harkavy (2006) denounces today's university as being marked by commercialization (becoming dependent and influenced by enterprises' interests), Platonism (elitism and living in "ivory towers") and disciplinary ethnocentrism (inter-departmental conflict). Rachel Thibeault (2006) has suggested that our occupational therapy students are passing through their universities without gaining awareness about the global problems which determine their futures. In the face of the weakening of democracy, of the "proletarianization" of the teachers (Gilda Tostado, 2006), Tocqueville (2007) alerted us to the dangers of soft despotism, a political control based on persuasion and manipulation.
The project is also confronting the ecological crisis. We were told by Ann Coffey (cited in Houghton 2003): "There cannot be a better place than our educational centers to begin the greater task of Humanity, to re-connect with our natural world" (P. 23). While the students have participated in reality-grounded learning about occupational therapy, they also have understood the connection between human occupation and the ecological crisis (Boff, 2000; Suzuki, 2002). Gardening can be considered as an ecopation (Persson et al, 2002, Pag. 93) a term denoting occupations that are performed with concern for the ecological context at a pace which gives room for reflection and experience of meaning.

1.3. Health

Gardening enables human beings to re-connect with nature, and emerge from their immersion in a cyber-world dominated by the instrumental reasoning which orders people to fit the rational economy of its design (Taylor, 1994) and the consequent ethics of the machine society (Persson et al, 2002). It enables the capacity of introspection, to connect with one-self as well as promoting a feeling of relaxation and well-being, developing motor skills as well as cognitive and affective. In a time of atomism (Taylor, 1994) gardening is a social occupation that allows people who may have acquired a sick role and may feel socially excluded to adopt the new roles of carer and gardener. It is an aesthetic experience, a ritual of creation of beauty and life, which confers an artistic gaze or perspective on the participant, to work listening to the water falling, seeing the colors of the plants, smelling the scent of the flowers, touching the bark of the trees. The garden is a metaphor for the process of recovery. During the winter we must work hard although we do not see the results, in the hope that they will arrive in the spring.
Gardening has a deeper sense in this liquid modernity (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it gives roots to the human being, a place of meaning and belonging.

1.4. Research

This project has generated new knowledge about the human being as occupational being, the therapeutic impact of gardening, the potential of meaningful occupation to the creation of more inclusive communities and the promotion of citizenship, and the political art of partnership.

2. The project

The two key questions at the beginning of the process were: Where will the users come from? How will we be able to finance it? Thus, coordinated by the occupational therapy university school, the project has involved a group of political, social and business institutions, and showed the need for occupational therapists to develop political skills. Occupational therapists need to be proactive and ready for leadership and entrepreneurship in order to develop transformative social projects.
The clients, referred later on as the gardeners, came from Caritas Arxiprestal and Osona Mental Health Foundation. The inclusion criteria were that participants should be persons experiencing social exclusion, mostly related to mental health issues, poverty, and the motivation to be engaged in gardening. Funding for the project was obtained through Caixa de Sabadell Foundation (bank), Rotary Club Osona, Provincial Government of Osona, Vic City Council and the University of Vic.
Gardening sessions took place two days per week from 9.00 to 11.00 am. The process of creating the garden creation took 18 months, from March 2005 to September 2006. Not only did the participants become gardeners, but they have also acquired the role of conference speakers, talking about the project at the Universities of Vic (Simó Algado at al., 2007), Granada and Valencia. Educational tours were developed, with a master class for all the team at the gardens of Alhambra in Granada, and in some of the best gardens of the country. The project continues, since the garden needs continual maintenance. On average 8 gardeners attend the program at any time. Four of our gardeners have placements in local companies. A web page has been created, and we are developing a social documentary.
Currently we are negotiating a formal contract with Universitat de Vic to be responsible for all the green spaces of the campus, to eventually realise the first author's vision of converting the whole university into a garden that also will be an art exhibition space. When today's cities are becoming spaces of segregation (Bauman, 2005, 2007), it is so important to ensure that universities promote public spaces in which citizenship can be built and enjoyed.
The project is related to the project "A European Learning Partnership: Empowering Learning for Social Inclusion through Occupation", has just been approved by the European Union, with the participation of partners from The Netherlands, Greece, Belgium and Spain. It is part of the project "Competences for poverty reduction", with 14 European partners, funded by European Union and led by Hanneke Van Bruggen, also approved during the writing of this chapter.

It seems difficult to summarize more than two years of experiences, after so many moments of struggle, of exhaustion, of hope... so many visions and moments shared. Miquel Martí i Pol (1999, Pag. 207) wrote some verses that express the perfection we have experienced in the garden:

It is thanks to love that
Roses are growing from our fingers
And we apprehend all the mysteries;
And in love all is fair and necessary.

References

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Bauman, Zygmunt (2005). Vidas desperdiciadas: la modernidad y sus parias. Barcelona: Paidós.
Bauman, Zygmunt (2007). Tiempos líquidos: vivir en una época de incertidumbre. Barcelona: Ensayo Tusquets Editores.
Bobbio, Norberto (1993). Igualdad y libertad. Barcelona: Ediciones Paidós Ibérica.
Cortina, Adela (2005). Ciudadanos del mundo: Hacia una teoría de la ciudadanía. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
Dewey, J. (1969). The ethics of democracy. En: "The Early Works of John Dewey, 1882-1898, vol. 1". Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.
Dussel, Enrique. (2006). Ética de la liberación en la edad de la globalización y d ela exclusión. Madrid: editorial Trotta.
Esquirol, Josep (2001). Què es el personalisme? Introducció a la lectura d'Emmanuel Mounier. Barcelona: Editorial Pòrtic Panorama.
Galheigo, Sandra (2004). Occupational therapy and the social field. En: Kronenberg, Simó Algado y Pollard. "Occupational Therapy without Borders, learning from the spirit of survivors". Oxford: Elsevier's Science.
Grady, A.P. (1995). Building inclusive community: A challenge for occupational therapist. "American Journal of Occupational Therapy"; 49, 300-310.
Habermas, Jürgen (1999). La inclusion del otro. Barcelona: Paidós.
Harkavy, Ira (2006). The role of the universities in advancing citizenship and social justice in the 21st century. Education, citizenship and social justice 1 (1). Descargado el 5 de enero de 2007 desde: http://esj.sagepub.com.
Hasselkus, Betty (2002). Meaning's on everyday occupation. Thorofare: Slack.
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Martí i Pol, Miquel (1999). Antología Poética a càrrec de Pere Farres. Barcelona: Edicions 62.
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Morin, Edgar (1999). Los siete saberes necesarios para la educación del futuro. Descargado el 15 de octubre desde: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001177/117740so.pdf
Persson, Dennis (2001). Aspects of meaning in everyday occupations and its relationships to health related factors. Lund: Lund University.
Pogge, Thomas (2005). La pobreza en el mundo de los derechos humanos. Barcelona: Paidós estado y Sociedad.
Rendueles, Guillermo (2006). Pensar y resistir. La sociología crítica después de Foucault. Madrid: Ediciones Ciencias Sociales.
Sachs, Jeffrey (2007). El fin de la pobreza. Barcelona: deBolsillo.
Sempik, J., Aldridge, J. y Becker, S., (2003). Social and therapeutic horticulture: evidence and messages from research. Reading/Loughborough: Thrive/Centre for child and family research.
Sennett, Richard (1998). The corrosion of the character. New York: W.W.Norton & Company.
Sempik, J., Aldridge, J., Becker, S., (2005). Health, well-being and social inclusion. Bristol: The policy press - University of Bristol.
Simó Algado, Salvador; Rodriguez Gregori, Jose Mª; y Egan, Mary (1997). Spirituality In a refugee camp. "Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy"; 61, 88-94.
Simó Algado, Salvador; Mehta, Nina; Kronenberg, Frank, y col., (2002). Occupational therapy intervention with children survivors of war. "Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy"; 69(4), 205-217.
Simó Algado, Salvador; Pollard, Kronenberg, Thibeau, Urbanowsky (2003 II). Terapia ocupacional en el mundo penitenciario. "Terapia Ocupacional"; 33, 10-20.
Simó Algado, Salvador (2004,I). The return of the corn man. En Kronenberg, Simó Algado y Pollard. "Occupational Therapy without Borders: Learning from the spirit of survivors". Oxford: Elsevier's Science.
Simó Algado, Salvador (2004, II). Children survivors of war. En Kronenberg, Simó Algado y Pollard. "Occupational Therapy without Borders: Learning from the spirit of survivors". Oxford: Elseviers Science.
Simó Algado, Carrillo, Bourkha, Palma, Lozano, Romera, El Ouarsi (2007). Un
Jardín donde confluyen la educación, la investigación y la ciudadanía.
Presentación audiovisual presentada en el V "Congres de Educació en
Valors". Vic.
Sousa Santos, Boaventura de (2005). El milenio huérfano: ensayos para una nueva cultura política. Madrid: Editorial Trotta.
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Tocqueville, Alexis (2007). La democracia en America. Madrid: Akal.
Thibeault, Rachel (2006). Globalization, universities and the future of occupational therapy: Dispatches form the majority world. "Australian Journal of Occupational Therapy"; 53, 159-165.
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Townsend, Elisabeth, Whiteford, Gail, (2006). Un marco de referencia de la justicia ocupacional participativa: Procesos y práctica centrados en la comunidad. En Kronenberg, Simó Algado y Pollard: "Terapia Ocupacional sin Fronteras: Aprendiendo del espíritu de supervivientes". Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
Whiteford, Gail (2005). Understanding the occupational deprivation of refugees: a case study from Kosovo. "Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy"; 72(2), 78-88.

VIDEO GENERAL DEL PROJECTE
EXPLICACIÓ DEL PROJECTE - ENTREVISTA
CREACIÓ DEL JARDÍ
VIDEO INAUGURACIÓ DEL JARDÍ
VIDEO CEREMONIA ENTREGA DE DIPLOMES
VIDEO ESTAT INCIAL ENTREVISTA SOBRE EL PROJECTE A PSICOSOCIAL ART
GALERÍA FOTOGRÁFICA DEL PROYECTO

Projecte de la UVic amb Ajuntament de Vic. Amb el suport de la Obra Social de la Caixa, de Rotary Club, Jaume Gil i de VICREU. Amb la participació de CARITAS i de la Fundació Centre Mèdic Pspicopedagògic d'Osona.

PROJECTE MIQUEL MARTI I POL
¿Qui sinó tots -i cadascú per torna-
podem crear des d'aquests límits d'ara
l'àmbit de llum on tots els vents s'exaltin,
l'espai de vent on tota veu ressoni?
Públicament ens compromet la vida,
públicament i amb tota llei d'indicis.
Serem allò que vulguem ser. Debades
fugim del foc si el foc ens justifica.
Miquel Martí i Pol

ÍNDEX
I fruitaran els arbres i la terra serà com una mare tendra i feliç,
Miquel Martí i Pol (M.M.i P.)
1. Antecedents
"Hi haurà flors al jardí, i vent als arbres" (M.M.iP.)

El projecte Miquel Martí i Pol reforça la missió de la Universitat de Vic, que és generar, preservar, difondre i aplicar coneixements com a via cap a la consecució d'una societat més justa, al ser un projecte d'un alt compromís social, en aquest cas amb les persones amb discapacitat.
La poesia de Miquel Martí i Pol, que ens parla de la nostra capacitat per construir una realitat més bella i més justa, va ser el nostre referent per a la construcció d'aquest projecte i ho continua sent en aquesta fase de consolidació i ampliació.
1.1. Inici del projecte
El projecte d'inclusió social, integra el binomi docència - recerca universitària amb la inserció social i laboral de persones amb malaltia mental, va començar l'any 2005.
El projecte s'ha articular al voltant de la creació d'un jardí dedicat a la memòria del poeta. La creació del jardí es va fer a través de persones amb malalties mentals, conjuntament amb estudiants de Teràpia Ocupacional de la Universitat de Vic.
El projecte de construcció es va fer gràcies a una sinergia única entre institucions públiques (Ajuntament de Vic, Consell Comarcal d'Osona), empresarials i socials (Fundació Centre Mèdic Psicopedagògic d'Osona i Càritas Arxiprestal), amb la Universitat de Vic.
Divuit mesos de treball van convertir un espai erm (Annex 2, foto 1) en un jardí, que es va inaugurar amb gran èxit el mes d'octubre del 2007, amb la presència de representants de les institucions públiques, empresarials i socials que varen participar en el projecte i de la comunitat universitària.
1.2. Fonamentació filosòfica i teòrica
El projecte es fonamenta en una filosofia humanista i holista de l'ésser humà. Aquesta filosofia s'articula a través de models teòrics com el Model Canadenc de Desenvolupament i la Participació Ocupacional (2007). La base teòrica es fonamenta en una visió transdisciplinar, des de la sociologia a l'educació, passant per la psicologia, l'antropologia, la teràpia ocupacional i l'ecologia.

1. 3. Un projecte de recerca
És de destacar la tesi doctoral que es va desenvolupar sobre el propi projecte, titulada La paraula i la acció http://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/9325/PALABRAACCION.pdf?sequence=1 i la tesina Una Universidad donde confluyen la educación, la investigación y la ciudadanía (http://www.recercat.net/handle/2072/5326 ).
1.4. Un projecte europeu
A nivell internacional enguany el projecte ah sigut reconegut com a Bona praxis educativa per la UNESCO, a través del Global University Network for Innovation. Destaquem també la participació durant 2010 als projectes europeus Grundtvig (amb 4 socis europeus), i el projecte ERASMUS "Competences for poverty reduction" (amb 14 socis europeus). Volem destacar el fet que l'any 2010 el projecte Miquel Martí i Pol ha sigut seleccionat com a Example of good praxis in the fight against poverty a Europa, pel tribunal del projecte Competences for poverty reduction, format per 14 institucions de l'àmbit de la salut i socials europees, finançat per la Unió Europea.
vàrem rebre la invitació per presentar-lo al Congreso Europeo de rehabilitación psicosocial (Simó Algado, 2008ii), i és considerat "Un exemple de bona pràctica europea en Teràpia Ocupacional", per la ENOTHE (la Xarxa Europea de Teràpia Ocupacional en Educació Superior), així ha sigut exposat en els cursos Intensive Programes finançats per la Unió Europea a Turquia (2007), Bulgària (2008) i Letònia (2009). El projecte es va presentar a la Trobada Anual de la Xarxa Europea de Teràpia Ocupacional en Educació Superior (ENOTHE), on vam tenir l'honor de pronunciar la Conferencia inaugural, La Corunya (15 al 17 d'octubre).
La primera fase del projecte Miquel Martí i Pol ha estat reconeguda a nivell nacional i internacional. A nivell nacional s'ha presentat a les Jornades de Educació en Valors (Simó Algado i col. 2007), a les II Jornadas Nacionales de Salud Mental (Simó Algado y col. 2008) i a les Jornadas Nacionales de Estudiantes de TO (Simó Algado y col. 2008i, 2010).
El projecte dóna resposta a les polítiques i directives marcades des de la Comissió Europea en diversos dels seus documents. Segons la Comissió Europea (2005), la participació en el mercat laboral de les persones amb malaltia mental és molt baixa al context espanyol. La falta d'integració en el mercat laboral fa impossible el desenvolupament d'una plena ciutadania per aquestes persones, cosa que provoca que aquestes persones esdevinguin excloses de les seves comunitats i estiguin en una situació de risc de desenvolupar problemes socials i de salut.
L' Estratègia de Treball Europea (European Employment Strategy, EES) va començar el 1997 posant especial atenció a la gent en situació de desavantatge social que estan excloses del mercat de treball. Les persones discapacitades són les que es troben, en la majoria del països de la Unió Europea, en una situació clara de desavantatge.
L'Estratègia de Lisboa del Fons Social Europeu (European Social Fund ESF), per al programa 2007-2013 dóna prioritat a reforçar la inclusió social de les persones en situació de desavantatge mitjançant la promoció de camins d'integració per a les persones amb discapacitats. (Disability Mainstream in the European Employment Strategy EMCO/11/290605).
2. Vessants del projecte
"Les vostres mans seran de vent i de llum" (M.M.i P.)
Les vessants del projecte són:
Inserció laboral: La formació dels jardiners ha tingut molta importància durant aquest procés. Les classes teòriques s'han integrat amb la pràctica -els jardiners han participat en les diverses fases de la construcció i manteniment del jardí-. Com a complement s'han realitzat viatges de formació per visitar jardins de referència estatal: la Alhambra (Granada), Jardí del Alcázar de Córdoba, Jardí Botànic de Cap Roig, Jardí Botànic de Blanes i Jardí de Santa Clotilde (Lloret de Mar), Jardí Botànic de València i jardins del Turia. Cinc dels participants ja estan treballant a la comunitat.
La manca d'accés al mercat laboral és una de les principals problemàtiques d'aquest col·lectiu: si no accedeixen al mercat laboral no poden gaudir d'una veritable inserció social. Com va manifestar la Consellera d'Acció Social de l'Ajuntament de Vic, Sra. Anna Bonafont, en la recerca desenvolupada:
"... estem faltats d'espais on aquestes persones puguin ocupar el seu temps de forma significativa, així com de programes prelaborals...".
El projecte permet l'adquisició dels hàbits de treball bàsics, habilitats personals i mestratge en el rol de jardiner. El president de Càritas, Joan Redorta, va afirmar:
"Tota la gent que ha sortit del projecte ha tingut treball, i ja tenen una vida normalitzada, ja volen sols".

Inserció Social: L'objectiu final és la creació d'una societat inclusiva (Grady, 1995). Un dels grans problemes són els estigmes i prejudicis en relació a aquestes persones. El projecte consciencia la societat del potencial d'aquest col·lectiu, aportant un jardí a la comunitat i fent-los recuperar el seu rol de ciutadans (Cortina, 2005). Els mateixos jardiners s'adonen que estan canviant la percepció que la societat té d'ells. Plácido, un dels participants de la primera fase, afirmava:
"...están acostumbrados sólo a noticias como que un esquizofrénico tira del tren a una persona, y ven que los enfermos mentales aportan a la comunidad este jardín...".

I són persones que volen poder contribuir a la societat:
"Que las personas con enfermedades mentales puedan aportar más a la comunidad..." (Plácido).

Gràcies a aquests projectes els participants se senten part de la comunitat, como deia en Paco:
"Yo antes no salía de casa en todo el año. Y aquí también encuentro compañía, que al vivir solo lo agradeces, porque la soledad es muy mala... El jardín me ha ayudado a entrar en la comunidad"
Els jardiners s'adonen que ells poden influir en la seva pròpia vida:
"Lo que escribió Martí i Pol es muy bonito (vuestras manos serán de viento y de luz)... si se quiere, se puede. Que aunque estés mal, también puedes hacer cosas importantes en tu vida" (Paco).

Benestar-Salut: La jardineria facilita el procés de curació de la persona. Així els mateixos participants en la primera fase afirmaven que el projecte ha tingut un impacte en la seva salut física:
"Sí, sí, te hace hacer ejercicio, sinó estarías en casa sin hacer nada" (Plácido).
També implica un benestar psicològic:
"...como tienes una ocupación la mente se te despeja más, no estás pensando en paranoias" (Plácido).
Aquest benestar es tradueix en un sentiment de felicitat. Un altre participant, Mustapha, manifestava:
"Sí, cuando vienes aquí encuentras felicidad".
Implica una millora en l'autoestima:
"Puedes coger, por así decirlo, un grado más en tu autoestima" (Plácido).
Ha aportat un sentiment d'utilitat:
"... porque yo antes era un inútil. Pero ahora no, me siento útil por haber trabajado aquí" (Paco).
La natura ha tingut un impacte terapèutic en les persones:
"Cuando veo crecer las plantas me siento vivo, porque veo la vida" (Mustapha).
"Yo cuando estoy mucho tiempo encerrado en un sitio me pongo mal, me entra como angustia, en el jardín estás como en tu casa" (Paco).

Educativa:
La pròpia rectora de la Universitat de Vic, Assumpta Fargas, va destacar que integra les dimensions essencials de la Universitat de Vic: educació, recerca i compromís amb el territori:
"Tant sols per això té un valor extraordinari. Que els estudiants puguin aprendre a través de la pràctica, això ja justifica la importància del projecte. La segona funció de la Universitat es la recerca i el projecte encaixa perfectament en aquest perfil. La tercera funció de la Universitat es la implicació social, anar mes enllà de les quatre parets dels centres" (Rectora de la Universitat de Vic).

Va qualificar aquest projecte com un exemple per a la Universitat de Vic:
"Pot ser un exemple per altres, de cara a d'altres ensenyaments, col·lectius,... que a lo millor no veuen la possibilitat de fer coses com aquesta. En aquest sentit crec que pot servir de model, clar està, treballant i posant molt d'esforç"

L' impacte educatiu i la seva exemplaritat va ser remarcat per la Directora de la Escola de Ciències de la Salut, Montserrat Vall:

"Penso que es un altra forma de fer docència en la acció i per tant
amb la implicació dels professors, amb la dels estudiants, i els usuaris,
penso que es exemplar".

Millora la qualitat de la formació dels estudiants en el camp social, concretament dels estudiants de Teràpia Ocupacional, en un aprenentatge basat en la recerca i la experimentació real. Una estudiant que ha participat en el projecte, Elisabet, comentava:
"Val més que totes les xerrades sobre ciutadania que un polític em pugui donar. M'ha fet veure el món des d'una altra perspectiva; des dels ulls dels anomenats socialment com 'els altres'".
Han anat mes enllà dels diagnòstics per descobrir la persona i el seu potencial: :
"... els potencials de cadascun sobresortien.. La humanitat, la generositat, la simpatia, el compromís..." (Eli).
3. Beneficiaris del projecte
"Aquells que han viscut molts anys lluny del poble seran cridats a retornar" (M.M.i P.)

Beneficiaris directes del Projecte Jardí Miquel Martí i Pol:
25-30 estudiants de teràpia ocupacional.
Els estudiants hi participaran de Teràpia Ocupacional.
8-10 persones amb problemes d'inserció social.
El principal criteri d'inclusió és la problemàtica de llarg termini d'ingrés al mercat laboral. Les problemàtiques presents son les addiccions, la malaltia mental o les dificultats pròpies de la immigració.
Beneficiaris indirectes del Projecte Miquel Martí i Pol:
Comunitat universitària de la UVic
Al generar coneixement sobre noves praxis educatives.
Professionals del camp de les ciències sanitàries i socials.
Aquests professionals gaudiran dels nous coneixements que generi el projecte.
Institucions públiques i socials de la Comarca d'Osona
A través de la transferència de coneixement (Ajuntament de Vic, Consell Comarcal, FCMPPO, Caritas).
Estudiants europeus
Aprendran del projecte a través de la seva disseminació via la Xarxa ENOTHE i del projecte Competences for poverty reduction COPORE
Beneficiaris del projecte d'enjardinament de la Universitat de Vic:
Estudiants, professors i usuaris de la Universitat de Vic.
Gaudiran d'un campus més natural i equilibrat, millorant el seu benestar i la seva qualitat de vida al proporcionar espais de descans i de reflexió, però també de trobada i de discussió.
Població de la ciutat de Vic i de la comunitat universitària.
Podran gaudir del jardí i d'una societat més justa i solidaria.

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GENERAL VIDEO OF THE PROJECT PHOTO GALERY OF THE PROJECT VIDEO: STARTING POINT ESTATE OF THE PLACE EXPLANATION OF THE PROJECT (SPANISH) - ENTREVISTA BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES VIDEO OF THE CREATION VIDEO INAUGURATION 1. Introduction VIDEO CEREMONY AT THE UNIVERSITY 1.1. The construction of inclusive communities Project with Universitat de Vic and Vic City Council.

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Well, we must be aware of our personal power. A tired back woman in 1955 refuses to let hr seat in the bus to a white man, although she was sited in the white people section of the bus. that act, that could seem not important staters the civil rights movement in USA: the important thing is to do all we can, where we are, with what we have. To be aware that society is a human construction, so it can be de-constructed and re-cosntruted, creating and inclusive society.

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The negative thing is all the suffering that the crisis is causing. in Spain more than 25% of the population is under poverty, we have 50% young unemployment... our situation is close to our Greek colleagues. The crisis has been the "excuse" to cut the social, health and education service, to de-construct the well fare state, saying that we can not afford it. This is just not true. There is money, the problem is where we are investing the money. In Spain we have money to rescue private bank, and no money to rescue persons.

The positive thing is that more people is becoming aware we need to change the society, recovering human values as and inclusion.

At a international level we can dennounce that globalization is not about human rights, it is just about markets. We can refer to is a americanization, the imposition of American way of life at a World level. Every time capital is concentrated in less people, that means so may people ,millions are falling down into poverty.

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Social inclusion is about citizenship. I think we must be aware that we are bios politikos, with the capability to contribute to our society, to our polis. The problem is that the society today is not human being centred, is economically centred. The first and only goal is the accumulation of capital.  The neoliberal society is converting the bios politikos into an animal laborans. Our expected role in this society is to produce  and to consume. We need to change the system, to return to a society based on the human being that is sustainable with the natural environment, where everybody can participate as full right citizen.

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a social climate of increasingly less solidarity and more and more competition

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The crisis basically made clear how fragile we all are. Although that's relative.

But I must say: Holland is a very spoiled country...

If you are getting mad: Holland is the place to be.

The introduction of the own contribution (200 euro) in the mental health care in 2012 caused a depopulation. And although this measure of the government lasted only one year, it caused a lot of protest because the measure only applied to the mental health care and not to the somatic health care. People felt discriminated and stigmatized. So did I

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the work of our client council has changed dramatically during the crisis.

Suddenly lots of people in the organization lost their jobs, patients lost their therapists. We felt powerless. Our mental health system has fanned out in the last 10 years, because of (semi)market forces. Therefore the diminishing was not total.

personally I was very touched by the events in Greece in 2011 en 2012,

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Doing is the best way of thinking

I studied all the ins and outs (issues) of clientboards (existing of mental health patients)  all over the country for over 2,5 years, I started with

a close inquiry of the clientsboard-response  towards a casus regarding the closure of a mental health institution

in Haarlem, in the Netherlands. I became aware of the state of paralyse and non-reaction this board was in.

There was a lot of talking and promising but nobody did something, no doing at all.

I interviewed people in client boards all over the country and I gathered (audio) hundreds of hours of board meetings, gatherings, discussions, etc.

One of the findings was the total lack of feedback-loops in the system. There are no feedbackloops within consults, no feedbackloops between members of the clientcouncil, no feedbackloops between members of the council and their interlocutors (e.g. directors or board of directors).

Ofcourse people talked about content but they never talked about their relation. There appears to be a social vacuum.

One of the most imported things regarding social inclusion is to create a powerful space for criticism, criticism between patient and caretakers, criticism  between patients/ members of boards  and criticism between boardmembers and board of directors.

Criticism is the fuel of social inclusion.  Social inclusion needs criticism.

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End of wall

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Say a sentence to the future mental health
service user regarding social inclusion

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Say a sentence to the future mental health
service user regarding social inclusion

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Has your life been different personally and
professionally before Crisis? What was different?

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Has your life been different personally and
professionally before Crisis? What was different?

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How can
we make social inclusion sustained/ last for a very long time? What are the
ingredients that are necessary? (practical things, values etc)

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How can
we make social inclusion sustained/ last for a very long time? What are the
ingredients that are necessary? (practical things, values etc)

# data[].attributes.headline
Say a
sentence to the future occupational therapist regarding social inclusion

# data[].attributes.subject
Say a
sentence to the future occupational therapist regarding social inclusion

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What
are the small things that someone can do to make stronger his social
inclusion? 

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What
are the small things that someone can do to make stronger his social
inclusion? 

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Are there any themes from the stories we sent that we missed?

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Are there any themes from the stories we sent that we missed?

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What are the main negatives and positives things
that happened due to “Crisis” that influence your social inclusion in 1. A Personal
level and 2. In a broader level (locally and nationally)? 

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What are the main negatives and positives things
that happened due to “Crisis” that influence your social inclusion in 1. A Personal
level and 2. In a broader level (locally and nationally)? 

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What have you found throughout years to be
important for social inclusion? What is social inclusion after all?

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What have you found throughout years to be
important for social inclusion? What is social inclusion after all?

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