The BeePathNet Reloaded Boot Camp was a five-day intensive training opportunity. The BeePathNet Reloaded partners Ljubljana (lead partner), Bansko (Bulgaria), Bergamo (Italy), Osijek (Croatia) and Sosnowiec (Poland) got to know each other and familiarise themselves with Ljubljana’s Bee Path and its URBACT local group (ULG) members. Participants attended a round table on green city management and started to plan Bee Paths in their cities. Boot Camp also gave all participants an opportunity to share knowledge.
The Boot Camp article in 6 languages:
On the first two days participants had the opportunity for a first-hand experience of Ljubljana’s Bee Path points. This meant learning from ULG members how and in what ways to incorporate their stories into a Bee Path. Among others they visited the beehives at Gimnazija Jožeta Plečnika Ljubljana, where the headmistress Ms. Lidija Žigon presented plans to incorporate beekeeping into their education program. Beekeeper Ales Sussinger presented the Beekeeping Society Barje and their cooperation with the Gimnasium Jožeta Plečnika and at the primary school Livada. We also visited the melliferous teaching garden at Grba managed by Nina Ilič, Zavod za razvoj empatije in ustvarjalnosti Eneja. We concluded the day at the Tourist farm Turistična kmetija Pri Lazarju where we also had the opportunity to taste the products of Čebelarstvo Jere.
To present wider horizont of urban beekeeping and assure basic common understanding of bee's life and needs to new partners representatives two presentations took place. Ms. Nataša Jazbinšek Seršen, head of the Department for environmental protection of the City of Ljubljana presented several Ljubljana bee and environment related projects and initiatives and gave them an insight how they encourage citizens to actively participate in their neighbourhood development. Afterwards PhD. Fani Hatjina from Nea Propontida, a partner in the first partnership and a head of section for bees' health in the international organisation Apimondia, gave a lecture on key aspects of bees.
The third day was dedicated to group work where we learned about the incorporation of the networks aims into different areas of public life. This gave everybody ideas about how to integrate their Bee Paths into city life. Partners built on this foundation and started mapping out the possibilities and design of their Bee Paths, which was also continued on Thursday.
Thursday was also an important day as the URBACT team addressed participants and gave information on how to implement the project.
On the last day participants attended a round table on green city management. The importance of this issue was presented by Maruška Markovčič, Klemen Strmšnik and Vesna Erhart who pointed out Ljubljana’s green areas and spatial planning, allotment gardens and support for local food producers. Mr. Luka Šparl (JP VOKA SNAGA) talked about the importance of the landscape Park Tivoli, Rožnik and Šišenski hrib (Krajinski park Tivoli, Rožnik in Šišenski hrib) for residents as well as for pollinators.
Later on Mr. Jurij Kobe presented the participatory management of forest areas (project Urbfordan on Golovec). Ms. Barbara Novinec and Ms. Mateja Funkl from the kindergarten Vrtec Galjevica, Ljubljana presented their experiences with the implementation of the API kindergarten programme developed by Ms. Nina Ilič from Zavod za razvoj empatije in ustvarjalnosti Eneja. It was a really intense five days for everybody but our new partners are going home “fully well pollinated” with knowledge and tools to start the bee story in their cities.