Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

the UK National Social Inclusion Programme; www.socialinclusion.org.
uk and the Social Exclusion Task Force; http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
social_exclusion_task_force.aspx).
Social inclusion, on the other hand, refers to the processes by which people
are enabled to participate in those key activities of the societies in which
they live. Burchardt et al (2002) have proposed four key dimensions of
social inclusion which they call consumption, production, social interaction
and political engagement.
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Consumption is the idea of being able to buy the sorts of goods and
services that other people can buy, and access the types of public
services that other people can access.
Production is the idea of being engaged in a socially valuable activity,
including paid work, education/training, child care, other unpaid work
and voluntary work.
Social interaction refers to social networks and cultural identity.
Political engagement is broadly conceived to include notions of
self-determination, ‘having a say’, empowerment, being involved in
campaigning organisations and so on.
Social inclusion may be important as a concept within green care for
describing and exploring its benefits. Sempik et al (2005) have used the
framework of social inclusion, as postulated by Burchardt et al (2002),
in their study of Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH). They have
argued that STH enables social inclusion through providing meaningful
activities for participants (production) in an environment that is deliberately
structured to promote social interaction and maximise social opportunities;
STH projects frequently involve clients in the organisation and running of
the project and in decision-making (political engagement); and often they
provide access to goods and services (consumption) that clients would
otherwise be unable to afford, for example, high quality (organic) food and
the opportunity to participate in gardening, education and training. Such an
analysis could be extended to other forms of green care.
Other green care services which include involvement with animals or
livestock also add a further dimension to social inclusion. It is hypothesized
that social support acting as a buffer against stress responses or illness
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