This study aims to explore how a gardening project with elderly living in Djuröhemmet, a nursing home outside Stockholm, affected them regarding psychological well-being and their experience of participation during the planning and construction of the memory garden. The gardening project is new in its kind by allowing the residents to influence the design of the garden by sharing the project leader their gardening memories from previous parts of their life and by wishing for specific plants and items.  The method being used was qualitative interviews where we interviewed seven people living in Djuröhemmet who participated in all or parts of the project. The theoretical framework is Molins (2004) definition of participation, but also theories of meaningfulness, social needs and gerotranscendence were applied. The results indicate that the participants did not realize that their involvement during the planning helped developed the garden. Also, they did not feel that their participation during the gardens construction by attending and commenting the work was considered to be participation as they lacked the ability to be physically active. Their view of participation differs from the theoretical definition. Nevertheless, we found several benefits of the garden regarding its impact on psychological well-being.

This qualitative case study concerns the educational processes undertaken in an environmental programme of Timeleni Bomake group at Nsingweni, a rural community in Swaziland. At the time of the research most of the group members were elderly women with about four men among whom is the facilitator, a teacher at Nsingweni Primary School. The inquiry occurred through fieldwork involving interviews, observation and photography. Data analysis followed an inductive process that builds concepts. Formed in 1990, the group saw dramatic economic gain in the 1990's through a gardening project supported by Yonge Nawe environmental action group and the facilitator. At the beginning of the new millennium the participants' intrinsic abilities to sustain the group were put to test. Challenges emerged that reduced the enthusiasm of some group members such that the study found the group at the edge of collapse. This report concludes with recommendations on ways to sustain community programmes. / Educational Studies / Thesis (M. Ed. (Environmental Education))

This qualitative case study concerns the educational processes undertaken in an environmental programme of Timeleni Bomake group at Nsingweni, a rural community in Swaziland. At the time of the research most of the group members were elderly women with about four men among whom is the facilitator, a teacher at Nsingweni Primary School. The inquiry occurred through fieldwork involving interviews, observation and photography. Data analysis followed an inductive process that builds concepts. Formed in 1990, the group saw dramatic economic gain in the 1990's through a gardening project supported by Yonge Nawe environmental action group and the facilitator. At the beginning of the new millennium the participants' intrinsic abilities to sustain the group were put to test. Challenges emerged that reduced the enthusiasm of some group members such that the study found the group at the edge of collapse. This report concludes with recommendations on ways to sustain community programmes. / Educational Studies / Thesis (M. Ed. (Environmental Education))