The primary goal of this collaboration is to address Ukraine’s self-identified need for effective methods to alleviate psychological distress, promote resilience among the population, and to honor the rich cultural legacy of human/plant connection in Ukraine.
Stemming from a single request from a veteran rehabilitation hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, NCBG/NC State’s Online Certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture is being translated into Ukrainian with the goal of making it available to anyone who desires education in the field. This partnership gave rise to connections with numerous botanical gardens in Ukraine and has skyrocketed from that point.
This project has empowered twelve botanical gardens and clinical facilities in Ukraine with unprecedented online and in-person therapeutic horticulture (TH) education. This training continues to build their capacity to integrate plant and nature-based healing interventions into their current practices/sites and serve thousands of Ukrainians who have been displaced and/or affected by the ongoing war.
Through continued TH webinars, the development of culturally appropriate resources, and weekly site-specific consultation with a core group of Ukrainian partners, NCBG is ‘training the trainers’ who will be equipped to train and support future generations of Ukrainian TH Practitioners. As the training program progressed in Ukraine, members of Armenian botanical gardens became interested in engaging NCBG’s consultation services. This has resulted in the creation of TH programming and the first formal therapeutic garden being designed and installed at the Yerevan Botanical Garden throughout 2024.
In September of 2024, Emilee Weaver, TH Program Manager of NCBG will travel to Armenia and then to Poland (near border of Ukraine) to provide 14 days of TH workshops, on-site consultation, and relationship building endeavors. These initiatives are part of their broader goal to formalize therapeutic horticulture as a healing intervention in Ukraine and Armenia.
If you are interested in learning more about these projects, please visit the NCBG website.
