Today the association “Grow Up! Intercultural Garden Augsburg e.V.” opened its doors to the wider community. The association consists of:

About 65 families and individuals, people with secure residence status and refugees, rich and poor, healthy and sick, old and young, beginner and experienced gardeners, celebrate, talk, and laugh together there. 15 nations meet, organize, and form a community based on mutual help and tolerance.

They run allotments, a communal bee-keeping project, a communal orchard; all part of the larger Cultural Park West of Augsburg. There are spaces for artists’ workshops, theatre etc. in this area, which was originally part of a US Army base.

I visited them and marvelled at the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. I walked around the allotments, bought unusual tomato plants, ate exotic food, freshly cooked by the community members, listened to live music and felt as if I were in multicultural London.

Unfortunately, the future of the garden is not secure, as the town plans to relocate the existing Cultural Park West facilities to the nearby old Gaswerke quarter. This leaves

the community garden project open to an uncertain future. I hope the town planners and the intercultural authorities, especially since the society for the promotion of vocational and social integration initiated this project, realise the importance of this project and ensure its continuation and development.

32/100 #100daysnewthings, #the100dayproject