Stories From the garden
In the making: Partnership with Heatherwick studios
Young people’s creativity is often stifled by modern pressures, but engaging with nature can help revive it. Jemma, Global Generation’s Head of Funding writes about a collaboration between Global Generation and Heatherwick Studio for In the Making programme, giving young people space to reconnect with creativity, explore new possibilities, and feel empowered. The initiative has inspired over 1,000 participants, helping them see creative careers as accessible and encouraging imagination.
Changing perspectives
Global Generation Joint CEO, Nicole Van den Eijnde, reflects on why we are called Global Generation and what the local and global dimensions of our work are. Through gardening, togetherness and time to reflect, we work to inspire real change in our communities and a deeper change in how we think and care about the world
What does deep learning really mean?
Senior Garden and Education Programmes Coordinator, Seth R-G, reflects on how in gardens that are always changing, like the meanwhile Paper Garden, deep learning can take root. Through gardening, we can link past and present: we can learn from plants that even brief moments can grow into something lasting.
Interwoven – a story of people, plants and community
Community and Education Gardener Georgie reflects on how school children explored the idea of interconnectedness by learning to weave. Inspired by the Paper Garden’s “Hairy people” story, they created collaborative artworks using fabrics and natural materials, ending with a shared tapestry.
Designing the Triangle Site: The Trainees take on Permaculture
As part of the garden traineeship, we completed a permaculture design course (run by Rakesh from Roots n Permaculture). Since May, we’ve taken a deep dive into permaculture; what it is, how it works and how it can be applied anywhere and in any context. Here’s what we’ve been up to.
RHS Learning day at Story Garden
We hosted the RHS Learning and Education team at the Story Garden. It was a warm sunny day, and myself and my colleagues Jemma, Samika and Maedeh were excited to have the opportunity to share Global Generation’s educational approach with others.
The Big Story Garden Move: Circularity in practice
The Story Garden closed on Ossulston Street in September 2025 and we launched a massive giveaway and resource distribution project. It was a learning on
‘Through your eyes, words and hands’
This exhibition gathers images and moments made by young people in the story garden that is now closed. Through some photographs and reflections, we see how the space was lived in. As 2025 closes, this collection is a goodbye and a thank you—for what grew, what was learned, and what was felt.
Meet the trainees: Cohort three
With our #TriangleSite we launched a formal build traineeship focused on sustainable design and building, heritage crafts and landscaping skills. Learn more about cohort three.
Explicit vs Implicit
Ever wondered how community building shapes the was we learn and share knowledge? Garden Trainee Betsey Maeve sheds light on what ‘implicit’ knowledge is, and how this learning model has shaped their journey at the Triangle Site.
How Bertha Earth Ambassadors informed my approach to facilitation
The Bertha Earth Nature Connects days were for Cassie an opportunity to reflect on how she works with young people. The experience reminded Cassie that facilitation is about guiding, not perfecting—and that young people often teach us as much as we teach them.
Reflecting on waste and Circular Economies
Global Generation’s Garden Trainee, Famka Brittles, discusses the power of circular self-sustaining communities, and the role it can play in combating societies’ wasteful consumer culture.
A feeling of home
A look inside — a stream of consciousness by Ellie Awcock—Global Generation’s former Designer and Operations Coordinator, whose creative vision helped shaping our visual identity. Written a few days before spreading her wings to new lands, this piece is a reflection of what is home, the role of creativity in this changing world and a visual celebration of the now gone Story Garden.
The importance of ‘space’ for young people today
From Generator to Events & Communication’s Assistant, Sola Adeaga discusses how ‘space’ has shaped them across their personal and professional journey
Dead Wood: What I learnt from John’s little and Martin Crawford’s Gardens
Global Generation’s garden trainee Betsey Maeve explores how two gardens use dead wood in different ways to sustain life.
Gardening with waste
Joint CEO Nicole, looks back at 20 years of building gardens using construction waste. From the Skip Gardens to the Triangle site (on the making), her recent visits to other gardens, inspired a new perspective: construction waste is not just for building, but also for creating biodiverse habitats.
Cultivating Urban Forests
Isabel Davies, Gardening Trainee, explores how small urban green spaces and wildlife-friendly designs—like those seen in John Little's and Martin Crawford's gardens—can make nature more accessible in cities like London, even in the most unusual and unexpended places.
Rethinking Farming, Restoring the Earth.
Global Generation Trainee Famke learnt about regenerative agriculture and permaculture, opening eyes to the damage caused by industrial farming. Read about a visit to a food forest that showed her how diverse systems can benefit both people and the planet.
John Little and Gabion Mosaics
Samika, Junior Action Researcher, visited John Little’s green spaces and felt inspired with new ideas for using waste creatively at the Triangle Site, where they are currently working. Could industrial areas become eco-friendly sanctuaries that support nature and community?
Parenting as an act of activism: why our stories matter
Jemma, Head of Fundraising, reflects on the power of storytelling across generations, particularly within immigrant families and how the stories we choose to tell act as profound form of resistance and vision for a more compassionate world.