Cooperation Offer

Support for emerging regional permaculture networks

Offer name: 
Support for emerging regional permaculture networks
Expiry date: 
30/09/2018
Country:
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Looking to cooperate with

Type of partner: 

Countries where refined permaculture education structure exist.
Countries willing to refine their permaculture education structure.
Permaculture associations.

Country(ies):
Type of area:
Assets of the area:

Project idea

Project type:
Project topic:
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Context: 

Nature Attitude is a local association that seeks to change society through environmental education and active citizenship. Three years ago, the association started promoting permaculture (workshops, introductory week-ends, and 12 days PDC). The proposed activities meet the public’s needs and Nature Attitude is willing to carry on in that direction.

Accreditation by the Permaculture Network is required for teachers to be able to deliver the PDC, and give the participants a “certification”. However, in many regions as in Wallonia, the accreditation process of local teachers is far from being clear or established. As a consequence, the certification of the PDCs requires the participation of external accredited persons – which means additional coordination and costs for Nature Attitude.

At a broader level, the lack of accreditation process means there are very few permaculture teachers, leading to a situation where only few or of uncertain quality PDC take place. Also, the teachers themselves are isolated and tend not to benefit from other teacher’s feedback and experiences.

Project idea summary: 

Since the 70’s, Permaculture spread throughout the world in a rhizomatic way – without much institutional support. However, a particular educational structure has been promoted and put in place in many different countries, assuring consistency of the teachings, and networking between permaculture practitioners or teachers.

Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) is a 12 days course format which gives the participants access to a certification. Once certificated, one can hold, by himself, the two day introductory course. Once certificated, it is also possible to go further and obtain an accreditation. Accreditation allows to teach the 12 days PDCs and to deliver certifications to participants. Accreditation is also a way to gain peer recognition, build community amongst experienced permaculture teachers or designers, and bring permaculture to a better quality level.

The idea of this project is to identify pathways and first steps towards the setting up of accreditation processes at regional levels, and to promote best practice exchange between permaculture teachers.

Objectives: 

The objective of this project is to identify paths and firsts steps towards the installation of accreditation processes at a regional/transnational level. Targeted participants are local permaculture associations or structures willing to activate a regional accreditation pathway on their territory. The idea is to meet and exchange best practice with associations of other MS where there is a longer story of permaculture teaching (Denmark, Germany, England, Italy…).

Concomitantly, the project will promote best teaching practise exchange between existing teachers and the organisation of specific permaculture teacher training courses (cfr www.permateachers.eu program).