Many would say Permaculture is simply about making beneficial connections…..in all sorts of ways. Here at Permafund we want to make a connection to International Permaculture Day. It’s a day each year to celebrate and promote the many and varied aspects of Permaculture to the wider community all over the world.
It’s always on the first Sunday of May and was the founder of the movement’s birthday, so is also an opportunity to honour Bill Mollison for his enormous contribution and vision.
Why not use this day to put on an event and raise funds for Permafund?
Permafund is the name of our 8-person volunteer group who manage Permaculture Australia’s tax deductible fund. We receive funds in the form of gifts and donations…..then we send them out to needy permaculture projects through small grant rounds. As a group we’ve been together for just over 10 years and in that time have funded 64 projects in 16 countries.
This is where we need your help. We need to raise more funds so more can be done. If you are a Permaculture group, a business or a caring individual, why not consider organising a fundraiser for Permafund for International Permaculture Day?
Here at Brogo Permaculture Gardens on the far south coast of NSW we have an Open Day with all proceeds to Permafund. We open our home and property to the public with guided tours, a cuppa and a delicious lemon muffin. There’s lots of good chat and information shared.
Tickets are $35 per adult with around 30 people coming to each tour which raises almost $1000 for Permafund. That’s half a $2,000 Permafund grant for a needy community project
Making connections again, celebrating Bill by giving your time to educate the public that then benefits a project is a Win! Win! Win scenario.
There are lots of creative ways to raise funds…..limited only by your imagination!
With this year’s International Permaculure Day being on Sunday May 7th, we have 3 and a half months to plan something…..please. We here at Permafund want to also make a connection and appeal to Permaculture Australia groups, businesses, members and the broad Permaculture Movement to do something beneficial together and assist those that need a hand. It sure would put a smile on Bill’s dial.
Australian Permaculture Convergence (APC) 15 — Date Claimer! An entry for your diaries/calendars:
Sunday 19th April 2020 – Permaculture Festival at Northey Street City Farm (Brisbane, QLD)
Monday – Thursday 20-23 April 2020 – Australian Permaculture Convergence at Redland Bay, South Moreton Bay (35 mins from Brisbane – accessible by public transport).
Tours of Northern NSW and Southeast QLD will follow the convergence.
Canberra in autumn. It might have started overcast, cold and blowy but the skies brightened, the wind dissipated and the cold vanished as APC14 — the 14th Australasian permaculture Convergence — got underway.
Here’s a-photo essay of the event… SaveSave
Story and photos by PA member, Robin Clayfield, January 2018
The IPC in India recently was a feast of colour, culture and fabulous Indian cuisine with interesting presentations, much networking and diverse learning opportunities as 1200 people from over 70 countries gathered for the week near Hyderabad.
The two day Conference was held at an agricultural research college on the edge of the city and was brimming with Indian farmers. 350 people had travelled around the globe to be be part of the event and other came from all over India. Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
She also made a valuable contribution to the Conference by presenting a panel titled ‘Are Women Leading the Change’ as the finale program item for the weekend. One of the sub themes of IPC was ‘Women Leading the Change’ so, as a female pioneer in Permaculture and Social Permaculutre Robin felt well placed to gather key women from different cultures and backgrounds and address this interesting question. The panel that joined Robin was made up of Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Rowe Morrow, Robina McCurdy, Padma Koppula and Beatriz Ramirez Cruz and was later joined by Robyn Francis and two Indian Women Farmers who’s names aren’t with us to be published.
Robin began by inviting the audience to stand up, thank each other and acknowledge the positive change they were already involved in creating, even if it were just by being there at the Conference and taking the good energy and learnings home. Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
one way they felt they were personally contributing to change in the world
areas where they felt women were leading the change
comment about the qualities being modelled by women that they felt were vitally important to positive change
The whole session was inspired by Robin contemplating the theme of ‘Women Leading the Change’ and noticing that a very high percentage of the acknowledged pioneers of Social Permaculture around the globe were women, so they are the ones she invited to join her.
The Indian women farmers were magnificent at modelling the empowerment and passion of women who are standing up in India and now becoming more able to be heard.
Robin ended the session by asking everyone in the audience to contemplate one word that described a quality they heard expressed by the panel that they felt was really important to them. She then counted to three and everyone called them out all at once, inviting more of those qualities in the world, in their lives and in their home communities. A great end to the Conference. Look out for a link that will be available soon of the Live to Air Telecast of the panel session.
Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating
The Convergence was held at Polam Farm, a two year old Permaculture designed system that has received much support from volunteers to establish, especially in the months leading up to IPC. For five days 450 people were feed, housed in tents, cared for and given so much access to workshops, talks, panels, demonstrations, traditional living skills, films and networking time as well as many amazing and diverse cultural performances in the evenings.
Robin was kept very busy with offering or being part of many sessions including a workshop on ‘Teaching Permaculture Creatively as a Grassroots Action’ which saw the smallish thatched roof workshop space bulging with about 60 people.
She was on the panel for ‘Open Government and Sociocracy’, was a lead facilitator in the three CoLab afternoon sessions (which drew together those interested in an ongoing collaboration of people wanting to better respond strategically and collectively as a global movement) and also offered the now traditional ‘Jumping’ session as a finale for the Convergence. There is a photo here of Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating the first CoLab session using a ‘web of connection’ and also one of Narsanna, the principal organiser of IPC India, JUMPING his intention for future Permaculture Involvement.
Robin with several of the Australians and Ego Lemas from Timor Leste at IPC India.
Robin Clayfield is an international teacher, facilitator and author who is passionate about healthy groups, organisations and communities, their structures and governance and most importantly, their facilitation and group dynamics.
She presents and consults all around the world to support global health, well-being and whole systems change through using Permaculture, Social Permaculture and ‘Dynamic Groups’ methodology.
Robin is a Permaculture Pioneer and Elder who has lived at Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village in SE Queensland, Australia since 1988. Her books and resources include ‘You Can Have Your Permaculture and Eat It Too’, ‘The New Permaculture Principles Card Game’, ‘The Creative Community Governance and Decision Making Resource Kit’ and the ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’.
She is also the co-author (with Skye in 1995) of ‘The Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively’ plus several resources and card games for teachers and facilitators.
The APC14 team have got some great submissions in already for APC14 convergence happening from 15-19 April 2018, There workshops, presentations, a display section, a children’s education area as well as the inaugural ACT Permaculture Festival happening on Sunday 15 April 2018.
1 January 2018: abstract deadlines due.
What are your ideas?
Get your submissions for an activity you would like to run now, to help the programming team pull it all together.
Please outline your presentation in 150 – 200 words. Include:
presenter’s name(s)
working title
if a panel, include the names of panel members
the domain(s) and cross cutting themes your content will mainly focus on
type of presentation (discussion, participatory group work, hands-on, lecture, experiential, mixed, other)
any technology or other resources required (eg data projector, music, access to outside areas etc)
limits (if any) on numbers attending
anything else we should know
presentations should be either 25 minutes or 45 minutes. Please indicate the length of your presentation, with final time determined once all submissions provided and the timetable is developed.
Useful deadline info
15 December: Abstract deadlines due. 15 January: Notification of acceptance. 15 February: Final papers/outlines due for publishing etc.
Note:
presentations and final submissions of full paper will only be accepted from participants who have formally enrolled in the convergence, so you will need to ensure you have registered and paid by 15 February 2018 to be included
your full paper, presentation or workshop outline and outcomes must be submitted by 15 February to enable all presentations to be published and made available to participants at APC14
deadlines will be strictly adhered to
send your information by completing the form by following the link below or via email to APC14 at apcfourteen@gmail.com
Five days of permaculture festivity and fun kick off on Sunday 15 April next Autumn with the ACT Permaculture Festival at Canberra City Farm.
That’s sure to be a motivating introduction to the four days of the 14th Australasian Permaculture Convergence that follows. CONNECTIVITY is the theme and the attendance of permaculture practitioners from across the country is sure to make that happen.
The Convergence will be based at Greenhills Centre in Cotter, starting Monday 16 April and ending on Thursday 19 April 2018. Tours, workshops and courses will follow across southeast NSW.
The Permaculture Festival is open to the public. Permaculture Convergence attendees are expected to have completed a permaculture design course or equivalent, or to be participating in a design course.
Register now for APC14
Permaculture Australia member special
$595 includes — convergence, shared accomodation and all meals.
Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
