At the beginning of June, participants from Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia gathered for a pilot training within the Erasmus+ project Design Locally, Apply it Globally (DLAG). The training took place from 3 to 9 June at the permaculture farm Sončni grič in the village of Hrvoji, near Koper.

This training played an important role in the project, as it served as the first practical testing of the DLAG methodology and its tools before their publication on the platform.

The project is implemented by Zeleno doba (Serbia), ZMAG (Croatia), and the Društvo za permakulturo Slovenije, with the aim of developing a methodology and practical tools that support youth workers and educators in exploring community challenges together with young people and developing sustainable solutions.

From the very first day, the farm itself became an important part of the learning experience. The owner of the farm, Manja, guided us through the space and shared the story of how the place had developed over the past fifteen years. At every step it was clear how much care had been invested in the design of the space — from rainwater harvesting and water purification systems to the thoughtfully organised zones of the garden, orchard, food forest, and animal areas.

During the training, participants had the opportunity to test the DLAG methodology in practice, which combines the Design Thinking approach with the perspective of social permaculture. Working in two groups — Jagodice and E70 — they moved through different phases of the process: exploring community challenges, analysing relationships within the system, and developing ideas for possible interventions.

Participants also tested the educational board game, developed within the project. The game introduces the basic ideas of permaculture in a playful and collaborative way and encourages participants to reflect together on how different elements of a system are interconnected.

Beyond the programme itself, an important part of the experience was living together on the farm. Over the course of several days, participants quickly formed a small community — sharing space, conversations, and everyday moments that enriched the learning process.

The insights and feedback gathered during this pilot training helped the project partners further refine the DLAG methodology and shape the final version of the tools that are now available on this platform.