Insect hotel building workshops for seniors at the Przestrzeń Trzeciego Wieku in Wrocław – November 13 and 14, 2025
Insect hotel building workshops for seniors at the Przestrzeń Trzeciego Wieku in Wrocław – November 13 and 14, 2025
On November 13 and 14, 2025, we organized two special environmental workshops for seniors at the Przestrzeń Trzeciego Wieku in Wrocław. Participants built their own insect hotels, which were later placed on their balconies, in gardens, and in small green spaces around their homes. In the coming months, these structures will provide shelter for pollinators and other beneficial species, strengthening the city’s green infrastructure.
The workshops combined hands-on creativity with learning how small actions can positively influence the urban environment, allowing participants to see that even simple constructions made from natural materials can create small but essential support points for nature. The meetings became an opportunity to discuss everyday choices, care for immediate surroundings, and the possibilities each person has in shaping more nature-friendly spaces.
Creating nature-friendly spaces
In a city where greenery often gives way to concrete, such initiatives take on special significance. The insect hotels built by seniors will become microhabitats that support nature, attracting insects in search of shelter and safe living conditions. For many participants, it was eye-opening to discover that a small wooden structure placed on a balcony or in a garden can provide real assistance to local ecosystems.
Conversations during the workshops also highlighted how much seniors value the opportunity to take part in actions that directly influence their surroundings. The insect hotels became a symbol of care for the urban landscape, showing that nature-friendly initiatives can be created even in small spaces and simple settings.
A communal experience
One of the most beautiful elements of the workshops was their integrative and community-building atmosphere. Manual work turned out to be not only a way to create something useful but also an activity that fosters connection, wellbeing, and shared experience. The pace of the sessions encouraged conversation, exchange of stories, and mutual support, creating a meaningful space for spending time in a calm, creative, and valuable way.
For many participants, the workshops provided a moment of relaxation and a chance to experience the joy of doing something with their own hands. Such activities promote mindfulness, stimulate creativity, and give a sense of tangible impact — both on the environment and on everyday life.
Long-term impact of such initiatives
The meetings at the Przestrzeń Trzeciego Wieku showed that ecological activities can bring inspiration, joy, and positive energy. The insect hotels created by seniors will now support urban biodiversity, while also standing as a lasting sign of their involvement and care for nature. This is also an example of how including different age groups in environmental actions helps build stronger, more aware communities.
Such initiatives demonstrate that change begins with small, local steps — with a single insect hotel, a single engaged participant, a single afternoon spent together, which may become the beginning of a broader shift in how we relate to the natural world.
A joint initiative
The workshops were organized together with the informal group “Mali Wielcy Ekolodzy” and the Mały Wielki Świat Association.
The project “Let’s Build It Together – Environmental Workshops for Children and Seniors in Wrocław” is co-funded by the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship as part of the Dolnośląskie Małe Granty program.
