Problem addressed

In 2015, Europe experienced a flow of refugees crossing into its borders to escape the conflict in Syria. Many European countries are still struggling to deal with this crisis. In Austria, the largest refugee camp grew around the village of Traiskirchen. In 2015, 1 500 people were found to be sleeping in the open air in ‘inhumane’ conditions at the camp. Refugees were left waiting in the camp during their legal proceedings, with little to no activities, and with no connection to the local community in Austria.

Innovative solution

The Garden of Encounter (GoE) began in 2016 following demands from community members and refugees for a space to connect with one another. The municipal authority of Traiskirchen provided the GoE project with EUR 36 000, a 10 000m2 plot of land with 200 fruit trees, and gave it access to the local youth centre building. The Garden brings people together regardless of nationality, religion and age, offering refugees low threshold integration activities and the local community a chance to engage with its new residents. The communal space encourages connection and collaboration between community members and refugees. The garden is open three days a week. It also acts as an educational space, hosting sewing workshops, German language classes, legal advice and emotional support groups for refugees. It hosts three school class visits per week for schools and local scout groups, in order to allow them to experience organic food and diverse community cohesion in practice.

The project integrates refugees in activities that are useful for both the community and the individuals themselves, breaking down barriers and stereotypes. The GoE core team is comprised of 14 members, including two members who are, or have been, refugees. The GoE has expanded its range of services and activities since its creation in response to demand from people in the local community and from refugees for ways to better understand each other’s cultures, and to create something of value together to improve their living standards. The GoE team has partnered with a local social market that provides cheaper food and supplies to people in need through a delivery service, for example. Furthermore, the GoE runs a farmers’ market every Saturday to supply the local area with fresh, locally grown produce, as requested by the community.

The GoE team is also very proactive in reinvesting human capital into the project, working with each volunteer’s strengths and skills. The sewing workshop, for instance, is run by a group of refugees who used to work as tailors. There are plans to use the GoE as a platform to further promote a sustainability agenda, starting with the use of locally grown food. Relying on volunteers’ skills and interests is key to the organisation’s functioning, as it can currently only afford two paid positions.

Key results and benefits

In the three years since the project’s initiation, GoE has involved approximately 100 refugees in its activities, with 30 currently volunteering at the community garden and sewing workshop. The GoE team wrote recommendation letters for, and accompanied many of the refugees to, asylum hearings, resulting in 50% of them being granted asylum.

The GoE team reported that the psycho-emotional impact of the initiative on refugees has been impressive, as the garden and workshops have given them stability, a distraction and something to care for during this uncertain period of their life. One beneficiary Obaidullah, for example, has started his own business and now sells the clothes he produces through the GoE sewing workshop. He plans to grow these operations if he is granted asylum in Austria.

Potential for mainstreaming

GoE is a small-scale operation reliant on local funding and donations. Beyond funding from the Mayor’s Office, GoE has received a large one-off donation of EUR 30 000 this year. Activities such as the farmers’ market and the delivery partnership with the local social market supply the project with additional funds to reinvest into the garden and the workshop.

The founder of GoE believes that there is potential to replicate the initiative elsewhere in Austria. After visiting the garden, at least three cities are in the process of obtaining grants and looking for agricultural land to implement a similar initiative in their own community. Vienna has implemented a similar project, providing asylum seekers with clothing and furniture, as well as access to a community garden called ‘House of Hope’. GoE’s good practice has also been recognised by ‘Respekt.net’, a non-partisan organisation that is currently crowdfunding to allow GoE operations to continue. To give visibility to the initiative, ‘Snapshots from the Border’, a three-year project co-funded by the European Union, ran a promotional campaign around the work of GoE and its integration project.

GoE was nominated for the Sozial Marie award, with the jury highlighting its ‘integration through community action’ and focus ‘on respectful curiosity and meaningful employment’ as good practices.