Permaculture Week: From Local Roots to a Growing Movement

Permaculture Week: From Local Roots to a Growing Movement

Permaculture Week began as a simple idea in the Yarra Valley (Victoria, Australia): create a shared moment in the calendar where permaculture could be visible, accessible, and celebrated beyond individual sites and courses. Initiated by Permaculture Yarra Valley, Yarra Valley ECOSS, and PEACE Farm; the first Permaculture Week brought together local talks, garden visits, workshops, and gatherings. There was no central festival and no single organiser running
everything. Instead, it was deliberately decentralised, with events hosted by community groups themselves. That principle has remained at the heart of Permaculture Week ever since.

Now entering its seventh year, Permaculture Week has grown well beyond its regional beginnings. Events are now held across multiple Australian states and increasingly internationally, reflecting the expanding relevance of permaculture as a
response to ecological, social, and economic challenges.

Permaculture Week 2026 will run from 21–29 March, aligned with the autumn equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. This year’s theme, “Regeneration: People, Place, and Planet,” highlights regeneration as more than landscape repair. It
recognises the interdependence of healthy ecosystems, strong communities, and empowered people, including future generations.

At its core, Permaculture Week is about participation. There is no expectation that events be large, polished, or resource-heavy. A short talk, an open garden, a working bee, a film night, a walk-and-talk, or a shared meal can all be powerful ways
to make permaculture visible and welcoming. Events may be free or ticketed and are shaped entirely by local hosts.

A key focus for 2026 is creating accessible entry points for new and younger audiences, while continuing to value the depth of experience held within established permaculture networks. By opening gardens, sharing stories, and creating spaces for
connection, Permaculture Week helps bridge generations and invite fresh energy into the movement.

All events will be showcased on the national hub, www.permacultureweek.org, making it easier for people to discover what’s happening in their area and for local efforts to gain wider visibility.

Whether you’re part of a long-established permaculture group or just beginning to explore regenerative living, Permaculture Week is an opportunity to contribute in a way that feels achievable and meaningful.

This March, the invitation is simple: share what regeneration looks like where you are.

APC Circle – 2025 Summary

APC Circle – 2025 Summary

The APC Circle was formed after the intended Kangaroo Valley event was postponed in August 2025. It was important to reach out to the movement and engage in many conversations to identify how to proceed, ensuring that we were designing an event that was true to the needs and wants of the Australian permaculture community and the greater movement as a whole.

Ian Lillington of Victoria, a Permaculture Elder since 2015, came forward to lead this group, and together with those who answered the call for contributors to the effort, embarked on the following.

Here is an Overview from the group – [the map is not the territory] – and then some more detailed links and action steps to move forward in 2026.

Our work in the APC circle has been a useful exploration of what the next APC might look like, and it has pointed out gaps in the system that we have been able to start to fill; or refer to other parts of PA for attention. 

Our work on APC has also been at a time when PA is undertaking a major management restructure.  So – as well as keeping the ‘normal’ business flowing there is a lot of time going into making sure that the new ‘circles’ – where the work gets done – are integrating.  [The challenges of holistic design made real!]

There have probably been more “people-hours” worked at PA in the last 6 months than perhaps in the last 6 years.  Behind the scenes there is diligence and attention to detail, with many working groups actually working, daily.  There’s  a willingness to listen and to identify and fix the leaks.  The time spent, and thoroughness will pay off, but it is a long term project, and the timing and nature of a national body having a national ‘gathering’ is a part of a bigger whole.

I think the absence of a local/group stepping forward and saying ‘we will do the next APC’ could be partly a reflection of loss of morale after KV was postponed, partly a reflection of the global situation [where we are inclined to stay closer to home, maybe?], and maybe because the ‘old’ model of APC no longer appeals.

2023 APC - Adelaide
APC 2023 – Mount Barker SA

*******

In more detail, this is my summary of the last few months with the APC circle – and some thoughts/answers, though I am not the one with THE answers – it’s still a time for asking questions , and thanks everyone for asking questions and being patient.

For an APC to happen,the People and the Place have to emerge together. [thanks Ben for that succinct phrase].  Our circle is not the team that will actually run an APC, though some of us might join that team.  Rather, we are creating a fertile ground. where the people and the place for converging can happen.  We are a more generic “convergences-circle” that is about asking “how do permies connect in meaningful ways?”  

A group like this that can draw on past experience, and looking to the future is necessary.

APC 2021 - Brisbane
APC 2021 – Brisbane

Pieces of the puzzle:

1.  Planning/design – Prue has offered to do a draft gantt chart and also suggested that we might pay an event organiser to do a gantt … interesting way to test if a business like Future Collective could deliver what they say they can. 

2.  venue spreadsheet – see the link.   [ANYONE can add possible venues, details, comments; it would be great to have this populated before the next meeting on 5 Feb.]
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GO6xd1JEhrbgarO4uJjva96Zrh9mPm0v/edit?gid=456596563#gid=456596563

3.  Permaculture groups – you can help complete the spreadsheet in the link.  As PA does not yet have a complete list of the many permaculture groups across Australia.  Ben suggests “We should formally reach out to them and ask if they are interested in being involved in the organisation.”  

There is a mainly unpopulated list. It comes from the survey that we did.  Lots of gaps to be filled by anyone who knows the answers or can research them.  And/but in central Vic, where Commonground is located, there is a lot of p’c happening and very little of it happens in or through local groups. rather it is word-of-mouth and I guess SE Qld is the same.  

ANYONE can add to this sheet – it is quite a good start – over 60 groups – but needs a lot more https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VUQ2Brxy9mncCe8joSxLdb5O9GoBee8wUPAk4tGnRg0/edit?gid=0#gid=0

4.  Outreach – the survey was a good start – showed that we can reach 45+ age group and that there is a solid core in that age who want an APC – and it’s not just the same people who have always been in the past.  But I think we have only reached about half of who we need to – the big challenge is to reach a wider demographic.  

Sonia and I will adapt the survey – it is a useful tool and now others in the community are just becoming aware that there is some APC action:

  • The Youth circle could get the survey out – But they are  building their own network data – not many in the youth database yet.  [see 5 and 6]
  • The PIP magazine will advertise the survey
  • and PRI may be allow us to spread the survey through their mailing list.
  • Morag gamble – any one with connections to Morag – or similar ‘influencers’?

5.  Media, PR
Robyn Rosenfeldt, who has built up PIP magazine over 10 years and who has sponsored innovation awards at previous APCs is keen to help.  She has great ideas about how to use APC as a way to get good media.

What else – social media … Do we need a video maker, and insta/tiktok and ways that will at least reach the 16-40 year olds?

This area is where I feel least equipped …

6. Youth connections 

Ben and Ian met with Karla and Meka who are part of the Youth Circle.

Meka, who went to the IYPC in Timor [as a PA Ambassador] in October had lots of helpful observations about future Apcs.  

Definitely want to add music, add hands-on projects, and allow participants to do “real things”  at the venue, {eg CERES} where p’c people can contribute to things on site that will last.  Not so sure if young people would go to the site before the event to [say] build rocket stoves or harvest food for the catering.  Maybe Youth led permablitz/permablista as part of APC

7.  finding the Change makers – this is where a lot of work is still to be done

8.  a designer for a new logo

Ian Lillington
Permaculture Australia APC Circle Lead

Youth Ambassadors attend IYPC in Timor-Leste

Youth Ambassadors attend IYPC in Timor-Leste

Arrival in Timor Leste

I arrived in Timor-Leste with a mix of excitement and exhaustion. At the airport, we were greeted by the most relaxed border officials I’ve ever met, smiling broadly, waving us through, and apologising for the 1990s computers that couldn’t quite load the digital arrival forms. The internet was patchy, everyone confused, but their warmth made up for it. As the afternoon “home time” for the border officers approached, one simply shrugged and said, “No worries, just go.” Outside, the friendly young Edison from the Permatil team welcomed us to his country. We gathered in the shade, melting in the tropical heat, and began to meet some of our fellow IYPC participants, each one from a different corner of the permaculture world. There was Michael and Curtis from Jagun alliances on the Northern Rivers, Aboriginal fire practitioners. Finn from Adelaide, a fresh PDC graduate and friend of Lachlan McKenzie, who carried his excitement like a seed ready to germinate. Sandhān from Bangalore, linked with Aranya Permaculture, handed out delicate seed-paper business cards. We were soon ushered into a minivan, unsure of where we were headed, the sense of mystery part of the charm. After nearly meeting our fate at a chaotic roundabout, we all laughed, realising: yes, we’d truly arrived in Southeast Asia. A quick supermarket stop revealed an amusing discovery, beer cheaper than water. Naturally, we toasted to being here, representing our communities and hard work back home.

The Warm Welcome at Centro Tibar

Our accommodation turned out to be at Centro Tibar, a secondary education college with a vibrant atmosphere and smiling volunteers who greeted us like long-lost friends. We were shown to our dormitories and met Thomas, another German working with Permatil. Dinner brought us together in the student built canteen, a mix of laughter, fatigue, and storytelling. The school’s owner, Simon, joined us and shared tales about the land and why goats were casually roaming the school grounds. Dinner was a simple and delicious buffalo curry with rice followed by sweet milk bananas, fresh mangoes, and maize for dessert. That night, I fell asleep to the whir of the fan motor and the soft crowing of distant roosters, a foreign sound that somehow felt familiar.

First Morning in Timor

Morning light brought life in motion, brooms sweeping verandas, hoses washing concrete, and students greeting me with eager smiles.

Centro Tibar impressed me. Students came from across Timor to study here, supported by government funding and international partnerships with Germany and Korea among them..

Breakfast was served at the hospitality bar and café, where I had my first taste of Timor coffee, smooth, earthy, and absolutely divine. The café was decked out in festive decorations, each corner hiding another curious trinket.

Into Dili – Meeting the Permatil Team

Later that day, we travelled into Dili to visit the Permatil office. There we met Lachlan McKenzie who gave us an introduction to the organisation’s incredible community projects, and Ego’s wife, who kindly welcomed us into their home. The conversations flowed about soil, water, youth, and the quiet revolution of permaculture taking root across Timor.

Short History of Permatil and Permatil Global in Timor-Leste

Permatil (Permaculture Timor-Leste) was founded in 2001 by a group of passionate local educators, farmers, and youth leaders including Ego Lemos who saw the urgent need to restore degraded land and rebuild food security after the country’s independence. Emerging from the devastation of war, Permatil became one of the first grassroots organisations to apply permaculture principles to healing both the land and the people.

Through school gardens, community training, and local resource mapping, Permatil pioneered a “whole village” approach, integrating water management, soil restoration, agroforestry, and traditional knowledge. It worked closely with schools and youth to develop the Permaculture in Schools program, which is now part of the national education curriculum across Timor-Leste.

Over the years, Permatil’s work spread through all 13 districts, training thousands of teachers and farmers, establishing demonstration sites, and promoting the permaculture ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.

In 2018, Permatil helped launch Permatil Global, an international network connecting Timorese permaculture experience with global partners. Its aim is to share tropical permaculture knowledge, support youth leadership, and link climate-resilient projects across Asia-Pacific, Africa, and beyond.

Today, Permatil and Permatil Global stand as leading examples of how local wisdom and global collaboration can regenerate landscapes, empower youth, and strengthen community resilience.

In that moment, it struck me: this wasn’t just a conference. It was a living network of people growing hope: one seed, one smile, one story at a time. Tadeius, Ego’s son, made me a necklace, a gesture that melted my already warm heart.

Timor-Leste: Struggle, Resistance, and Prospects

Timor-Leste (East Timor) was colonised by Portugal for over 400 years, remaining largely neglected until the 20th century. After Portugal’s withdrawal in 1975, Timor-Leste declared independence, but within days, Indonesia invaded and occupied the country. The 24-year occupation was marked by widespread violence, famine, and human rights abuses.

ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL INDONESIAN STATISTICS, TIMOR-LESTE HAD 653,211 INHABITANTS IN 1974.

IN 1978, THE FIGURE HAD DROPPED TO 498,433 INHABITANTS.

THIS MEANS THAT TIMOR-LESTE HAD LOST MORE THAN 23% OF ITS POPULATION IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF INDONESIAN OCCUPATION!

Despite the odds, the Timorese people waged a remarkable campaign of armed, underground, and diplomatic resistance. Figures like Xanana Gusmão, José Ramos-Horta, and Bishop Carlos Belo became international symbols of their struggle, earning the Nobel Peace Prize (1996) for bringing attention to their cause. In 1999, under UN supervision, the Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence, a decision met with violent retaliation by pro-Indonesian militias before UN peacekeepers restored order.

Timor-Leste regained full independence in 2002, becoming one of the world’s newest nations. Today it faces challenges of poverty, unemployment, and oil dependence, but remains a resilient democracy with strong community spirit and rich cultural identity. The nation invests in education, agriculture, and youth empowerment, and is building new partnerships across the Asia-Pacific. Its people’s enduring values of resistance, solidarity, and self-reliance continue to shape a hopeful path toward sustainable development and peace.

IYPC 2025 – Planting water, growing communities

BRINGING YOUTH, ENVIRONMENT, ARTS, CULTURE AND MUSIC TOGETHER IN ONE EVENT

As we were greeted by the village elders and Permatil volunteers, we connected with more people arriving from all over the world while chewing on a beetle nut seed. Slowly getting used to the much slower pace of Timor time, we waited in the shade of the handcrafted bamboo structures. The camp was separated into three sections one for men, for women and one for couples. Compost toilets and bucket showers were provided for the participants, the camp kitchen and servery was all crafted from bamboo and palm leaves.

The site was prepared with swales, terraces, retention ponds and a new research facility that captures data from the local spring to measure the flow and impact, permaculture water restoration at work. The research is undertaken by the university of New South Wales lead by Martin Andersen.

Permaculture Conference Experiences in Timor-Leste

Since the early 2000s, Permatil and its partners have hosted several Youth Permaculture Conferences (YIPC) and training camps in Timor-Leste, designed to empower young people to become leaders in regenerative agriculture, community resilience, and climate action.

The first youth gatherings emerged soon after independence, as part of Permatil’s education outreach in schools and communities. These early programs focused on practical skills, seed saving, composting, and water management, while helping youth reconnect with traditional land wisdom.

By the mid-2010s, these evolved into more structured Youth Permaculture Conferences, drawing participants from across Timor-Leste and neighbouring countries. The conferences became platforms for cross-cultural learning, where local and international youth shared solutions for reforestation, food security, and sustainable livelihoods.

Workshops were held in schools, farms, and community training centres, combining hands-on permaculture design with music, art, and cultural exchange. Many alumni went on to start community gardens, school projects, and youth-led NGOs, extending the conference’s impact across rural and urban Timor.

Supported by Permatil Global, these youth conferences now form part of a wider international network connecting young people from Asia-Pacific, Africa, and beyond, continuing Timor’s legacy as a living classroom for permaculture education, peace-building, and resilience.

Presidential Support for Youth and Water Conservation

During his visit to the International PermaYouth Convergence in Gleno, Ermera organised by Permatil under the leadership of Ego Lemos, President José Ramos-Horta expressed strong admiration for youth-led efforts in water conservation and sustainable management.

Addressing the more than 800 participants from 17 countries, the President emphasised that “water is the most essential resource for our community, for agriculture, for the environment, and for our daily lives.” He praised the spring restoration projects that have already revived over 600 water sources nationwide, calling them a model of community collaboration and ecological citizenship.

Ramos-Horta urged for the expansion of water restoration programs across all regions and encouraged the world to see Timor-Leste not through the lens of hardship, but as a beacon of innovation, sustainability, and youth leadership.

His presence at the Convergence reaffirmed the State’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the empowerment of young people as key drivers of a resilient and green future for Timor-Leste.

Issues Around Seasonal Work, Exploitation, and Skills Gaps in Timor-Leste

In my time during the camp I spoke to many young Timorese about seasonal work. It was a highly contentious topic among the communities. In recent years, thousands of young Timorese have left their communities to work in Australia and other Pacific countries under labour mobility programs. These opportunities promise higher income and financial support for families back home, yet they have also revealed serious social and economic challenges for Timor-Leste.

Economic Opportunity and Social Cost

Seasonal work offers wages far beyond what is available domestically, providing much-needed remittances for rural families. However, the loss of young labourers has left gaps in local agriculture, education, and trades, particularly in the countryside. Many villages struggle to maintain food gardens or local enterprises as their most capable youth seek work abroad.

Exploitation and Limited Protection

Reports from Australia and other host countries highlight cases of exploitation, underpayment, poor housing conditions, and excessive working hours. Workers often face cultural and language barriers and have limited access to legal or union support. For many, the dream of earning a better life comes with emotional strain, isolation, and risk.

Lack of Training and Skills Development

A deeper issue lies in the lack of vocational and agricultural training within Timor-Leste. Many workers depart without strong technical, financial, or language preparation, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and less able to translate their experience into local enterprise upon return. The result is a cycle of dependency, where youth continue leaving instead of building sustainable livelihoods at home.

The Need for Regenerative Solutions

Addressing this issue requires investment in local education, permaculture, and vocational training that empowers youth to create meaningful work in Timor-Leste. Programs like those led by Permatil and Permatil Global show how training in food production, eco-enterprise, and land restoration can strengthen communities and reduce the need for migration.

Ultimately, the goal is not to stop mobility but to transform it into empowerment, where returning workers bring home new skills, fair experiences, and the confidence to grow Timor-Leste’s future from within.

As the days unfolded, the dry season heat pressed down like a second skin, yet the energy of the PermaYouth Convergence only grew stronger. The air pulsed with loud music, laughter, and the scent of and charcoal grills, where volunteers served plate after plate of spicy Timorese dishes: rice, beef stew, cassava, pork and mangoes and pineapple so sweet they silenced conversation.

Amid the dust and rhythm, hundreds of conversations bloomed; between farmers and students, elders and youth, activists and dreamers. Friendships crossed languages and continents; ideas sprouted like seeds carried by wind. In every handshake,coffee and meal, late-night jam sessions, the shared vision of a greener, fairer world took root a little deeper.

By the time we parted, it was clear: these were not just conference connections. They were the beginnings of a global family, united by planting water, song, and the unshakable belief that regeneration starts with us.

Our role as Youth Ambassadors feels clear now: to weave connections between people and communities, to tell our stories with courage, and to amplify the spirit of permaculture wherever we go. Let’s keep inspiring others and stay open to being inspired ourselves.

Sincerely,

Felix Leibelt

Youth Ambassador and Board Director
Permaculture Australia
My location: Dharawal, Jerrinja tribal land, South Coast NSW
M: 0412 361 165
E: felix.leibelt@permacultureaustralia.org.au

About the Author:

Felix Leibelt is a South Coast-based permaculture designer and the founder of Geco Gardens. He loves building living systems that care for people and the planet. As a Youth Ambassador for Permaculture Australia, he’s focused on connecting communities, sharing real stories, and inspiring others to grow change from the ground up.

It doesn’t get much better than this!!

It doesn’t get much better than this!!

The inaugural International Permaculture Youth Convergence (IPYC) is to be held in Timor Leste from October 20 –25 this year. 

Drone photo of Fatequero village where IPYC is to be held
Drone photo of Fatequero village where IPYC is to be held

Permatil of Timor-Leste & Permatil Global of Australia are co-hosting the event with The PermaYouth Association of Timor Leste. 500 permie youth leaders from Timor Leste are planning to host another 500 from around the world with the intention of building an active global PermaYouth network of future leaders & change makers and global environmental stewards.

The day program includes permaculture practice and development of leadership skills in:

  • Water resilience
  • Sustainable Agroforestry
  • Agro ecology
  • Permaculture in action
  • Art, music and indigenous culture
Water Catchment
3D model for learning water catchment techniques
Artists
Artists creating new illustrations for Permatil guidebooks

The night program can only be described as a festival, with participants coming together to share a celebration and exchange of indigenous knowledge, culture, music, art and friendship. 

This event rides on the shoulders of 8 years of Timor Leste National Youth Convergences and promises to be an unbelievable learning, and sharing cultural event. The IPYC fits Permaculture Australia’s Permafund charter of promoting and supporting educational and environmental projects around the world that have a strong permaculture basis.

Permafund is providing funds to sponsor and part sponsor international participants who financially may not be able to attend otherwise. In addition, letters of recommendation and promotional material to support this awesome initiative have been provided. 

Our most challenging contribution however is to activate youth from Australia to participate in the International Permaculture Youth Convergence. Members of the Permafund committee put the message out to their communities about IYPC being an opportunity to see permaculture in action in a youth orientated international setting. Currently 16 young adults will be participating, all paying their own way. One group is from the NSW south coast and another from South Australia. All are excited, learning a few Tetun words and getting organised to attend.

When asked why they were attending, responses from some of the South Australian contingent included:

  • I feel really connected to nature and the idea of living in harmony with the earth. 
  • After doing my PDC, I want to keep learning and growing, not just in land design but also in how permaculture can bring people together, heal communities, and create a better way of living. 
  • I’d love to meet other young people who share the same passion, exchange ideas, and bring back inspiration to my own community.
  • I dream of starting a little community around rehabilitating a heavily disturbed section of the low rainfall Mallee in eastern SA. I would like to turn parts of it into a food forest. I have the dream and the property, I’m just lacking the knowledge, people, and the extra bit of passion to see it through; I’m hoping the IPYC can help me with these things.
  • I’m very keen on building more sustainable ways of living into everything.
  • I dream of creating an eco-friendly little village with sustainable and affordable housing. 
  • I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn about permaculture and PermaYouth initiatives at this convergence
  • I want to return to my beloved tropics and learn a lot about Timorese life and culture.

For these reasons, or any others, if you are between 17 and 35 and would like to attend the IPYC or would like to talk about it but don’t have a group to support you, no matter where you come from, don’t hesitate to contact us at permafund@permacultureaustralia.org.au

Planting out a water catching small reservoir

The proceeds of fundraisers and donations to Permafund are gratefully received. Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible in Australia and can be made here. 

So far,  Permafund  has provided seed funding grants for 93 community projects in Australia and 16 other countries around the world.

Article by Jasper Simmons

International PermaYouth Convergence 2025

International PermaYouth Convergence 2025

Chuffed - Help fund Youth from across the globe to attend IPYC-2025


The International PermaYouth Convergence (IPYC–2025) is a celebration of permaculture, youth leadership, arts, culture, and music across six days in the mountains of Timor-Leste.

Taking place in the village of Fatuquero, Ermera, this inaugural event is inspired by the highly successful PermaYouth movement already thriving across Timor-Leste.
At its heart, the IPYC–2025 is a call to action for young people across the globe. By sharing permaculture knowledge and practice, we’re building an active global PermaYouth network, future leadership and global environmental stewardship.

Planting Water, Growing Communities
Co-hosted by Permatil (Timor-Leste), Permatil Global (Australia) and the PermaYouth Association (Timor-Leste), the IPYC–2025 brings together delegations of youth (17 to 35 years) and their community leaders from six continents to camp onsite in Fatuquero, Ermera.
The theme for IPYC–2025, “Planting Water, Growing Communities,” reflects the powerful work already underway in Timor-Leste—work that’s having a nation-changing impact. With the backing of the President of Timor-Leste, The Hon. José
Ramos Horta, we want to expand this movement across Timor-Leste and internationally to communities that urgently need these solutions.

What to expect at IPYC–2025
Over the six days, participants will be immersed in all things permaculture to share and engage in practical activities about food, water and climate resilience, leadership training and cultural exchanges. The program will highlight innovative and effective watershed management practices including in water and ecosystem restoration and catchment management, working with your community, and the benefits that come from learning and sharing together.
By night, participants will come together to share and enjoy a celebration and exchange of knowledge of indigenous culture, music, art and friendship. After the convergence ends, participants are invited to explore more of Timor-Leste—whether by visiting cultural landmarks in Dili or venturing into the country’s diverse landscapes and communities. And the journey doesn’t stop there: the PermaYouth Association (Timor-Leste) will continue to support attendees post-event, helping to establish and strengthen the global PermaYouth network.

Why it matters—and how you can get involved
At the core of IPYC–2025 is an urgency to share tools of resilience and skills for our youth to utilise at the forefront of climate action, land care, and community leadership.

That’s where you come in.
We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund the event and support youth from across the globe—especially from under-resourced communities—to attend. Your contributions will help us identify and engage emerging youth leaders, cover their travel, and offer free tickets that include all transport, meals, camping, and participation in the entire program.
If we exceed our fundraising goals, we’ll be able to further subsidise costs for selected attendees, helping us ensure that the IPYC–2025 truly reflects the diversity and strength of a global youth movement.
Or join us in Timor-Leste—you can get directly involved by registering to attend as a participant, a volunteer, or a presenter.

Building a regenerative future together
We invite you to support this global Convergence, share it with your networks, and help us bring together the next generation of earth stewards, community builders and changemakers.
** Join us in Timor-Leste, for IPYC–2025.
** Donate to the crowdfunder.
** Support global youth leadership in permaculture.

Click here for more information and to register for IPYC–2025

Watch the video of last year’s event HERE

Permaculture Adventure, Leadership & Connection

Permaculture Adventure, Leadership & Connection

If you are between 17 & 35, you can be a Permaculture Youth Ambassadors  representing Australia at the 2025 International Permaculture Youth Convergence (IPYC) at Timor Leste (East Timor) in the hills above Dili from October 20 – 25 this year!  

Come to the 2025 International Permaculture Youth Convergence

This is the opportunity of a life-time to take the next step in your permaculture journey. Connect with hundreds of other like minded permie youth change makers from around the planet learning about and working towards creating “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible”. 

500 East Timorese Permie Youth Leaders will be hosting another 500 from around the world with the intention of building an active global PermaYouth network, future leadership and global environmental stewardship. 

The day program includes permaculture practice and development of leadership skills in: 

  • Water resilience 
  • Sustainable Agroforestry 
  • Agro ecology 
  • Permaculture in action 
  • Art, music and indigenous culture 

The night program will be a real “hoot” with participants coming together to share a celebration and exchange of indigenous knowledge, culture, music, art and friendship.  

After the event, we will spend another three days touring the many cultural sites in and around Dili and enjoying some additional permaculture site visits.  

The cost of the convergence including food and accommodation will be minimal (yet to be confirmed) but my intention for the South Australian team is to collaboratively fund raise to offset associated transportation and additional food and accommodation costs.  

 I am looking to support and co-ordinate a team of up to 10 inspired South Australian Permie Youth Change makers on this journey. I am also looking for a non male permie to jointly share this responsibility with me.  If your state or territory does not have a group attending, and you would like to be part of this amazing event maybe you can join up with us.
To learn more about this awesome opportunity, contact Jasper Simmons on  85289113 or jasperearthwizard@proton.me