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Re: Ecovillage workshop in Australia




Hello Mikal...
I have forwarded your message to Robina McCurdy in New Zealand, who is
organising the program.

...Russ Grayson

---------------------
PACIFIC EDGE
Permaculture & Media
Russ Grayson and Fiona Campbell

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Member, Board of Directors, Permaculture International Limited.




on 17/10/00 12:02 AM, Mikal Jakubal at mjakubal@asis.com wrote:

> The workshops sound really interesting, especially the Introduction to
> Ecovillage Design and Development, but the location is a bit far away for
> me right now. Has the curriculum been put into any books or Web-accessible
> form? I'm particularly curious about the "13 key issues of social design."
> Eleven years ago I co-founded a community land trust/intentional community
> that had serious problems from the start. I left it about six years ago I
> came here, and I'm now thinking of making my place here into a sort of
> Pc-based mini village (say, 5-8 people with houses, gardens and craft shops
> for site-based cottage industries). But, the bad experiences at the first
> place, and very negative impressions of and experiences with other
> "communities" and collective projects have left me rather skeptical. I
> still have too many unanswered questions to open the door to all the
> potential problems of a group project. Doing this alone is difficult, but
> still easier than always having to fight five other people just to get
> anything done.
> 
> Mikal
> "When I hear the word 'consensus' I want to run screaming."
> 
> 
> 
> At 07:25 PM 10/16/00 +1100, you wrote:
>> Hi friends & colleagues
>> you might be interested in promoting the following workshops at Crystal
>> Waters Ecovillage, Australia:
>> Warm regards
>> Robina
>> ---------------
>> 3 Days of Workshops with Earthcare Education Aotearoa
>> 
>> at The Kiosk, Crystal Waters Ecovillage, near Maleny, Queensland
>> 
>> Day 1:  Mon 27  November (9am - 5pm)
>> 'Taking Down the Fences'
>> - creating community from just where you are!
>> 
>> 
>> Days  2 & 3:
>> Tues 28 & Wed 29 Nov (9am - 5pm)
> 
>> plus public slideshow Tues eve 8pm - 10pm.
>> 
>> Introduction to Ecovillage Design & Development
>> 
>> Cost
>> Day 1:             $60 - $95
>> 
>> Day 2 & 3::   $95 - $160
>> 
>> All 3 Days::   $160 - $230
>> (on a sliding scale according to income).
>> Lunch is being provided for an additional $7
>> 
>> Registration:   By Fri 17 Nov, send a non-refundable deposit cheque  (made
>> to Earthcare Education) for $35 total, with your name, contact details,
>> name of specific workshop/s, lunch - yes/no?
>> 
>> to:   Earthcare Education Aotearoa,
> 
>> C/o Robin Clayfield, Lot 58,
>> Crystal Waters, Maleny 4552, Queensland, Australia.
>> 
>> Receipts issued at workshop.
>> Note:  No number limits, once you register, just come!
>> 'Taking Down the Fences' - creating community from just where you are!
>> 
>> This workshop is for urban dwellers who want to stay where they are, and
>> still experience the richness and benefits of community life, or for
>> permaculturalists and community development workers who want to facilitate
>> this happening.  It is divided into two parts:
>> 
>> Community Development through 'Small Space' Permaculture
>> 
>> An introduction to Earthcare Education Aotearoa's multi-tier community
>> development strategy underlying the methodology they have developed for
>> accelerating the 'permaculturising' of suburban properties.  'Taking down
>> the fences', the neighbourhood amalgamation of arable urban land and joint
>> sharing of labour and food production related resources is a natural (and
>> encouraged) outcome of the approach that Robina McCurdy and Margaret Kwok
>> facilitate throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand, under various titles:
>> 'Permaculture for the Suburbs'/'Small Space' or 'Backyard' Permaculture.
>> These workshops are for urban dwellers with small sized properties, who want
>> to work in harmony with nature to produce an abundance of food, in an
>> environment of beauty.
>> 
>> The methodology works with low cost overheads and happens on the property to
>> be designed and developed.  The outcome of the weekend is a permaculture
>> design of the host's property, based on their wholistic goals.  Part of the
>> workshop strategy is an efficient and effective approach for collective
>> implementation of the design and further workshops tailored to people's
>> interests, with an emphasis on organic methods of production.  The 'Small
>> Space Permaculture' workshop provides the potential of part time employment
>> to local permaculturalists who have the flair for both education and design.
>> A 'package' of  resource materials, including teaching aids, visuals and
>> participants handouts is available for people who attend a full training
>> course.
> 
>> 
>> Resource Centre's for Community Outreach
>> 
>> An introduction to the range of neighbourhood resource & recycling centres
>> and community gardens that Margaret and Robina have worked in or visited.
>> Such centres play a valuable demonstration role, providing education and
>> offering resources (eg plant materials and composting systems) for purchase.
>> They work as a catalyst for, or an outcome of, the 'Urban Permaculture'
>> workshops.   We will look at how to go about setting up a community resource
>> centre.  This will include forming the group, local networking, the legal
>> structures and funding support mechanisms which make them work effectively,
>> and ownership, labour and sustainability.
>> 
>> Introduction to Ecovillage
>> Design & Development
>> 
>> This workshop is for anyone who is interested in ecovillages/intentional
>> communities, from those who want to apply the concept to a new or existing
>> settlement to those who want to better understand the broad implications of
>> the ecovillage movement.  It will especially benefit people living in
>> land-based communities, permaculture designers and community development
>> workers.  The workshop is designed to work as a consecutive one, but people
>> can attend just one day if they choose.
>> 
>> 
>> 1st Day:   Participatory Approach to Ecovillage Design
>> 
>> • An overview of Earthcare Education Aotearoa's entire design process, using
>> slides of Robina's work with ecovillage design in New Zealand, Ireland and
>> South Africa.
>> 
>> • Ecovillage & Intentional Community
>> Range:  Communal - Private
>> - examples of 7 Community-Villages which illustrate a wide  range of
>> options, from kibbutzim to  freehold 'ecological sub-division', and how to
>> find where a (your) group is placed within this range.
>> 
>> 
>> • Social design, for clarity and workability on consequent rights,
>> responsibilities, ownership and power (these social issues will be addressed
>> from the angle of 'being in it' on Day 2).
>> 
>> •  Wholistic goal setting using Earthcare Education Aotearoa's three
>> templates: Community Culture, Social Structure and Physical Environment.
>> 
>> •  Site Analysis, involving all generations (children, adults, elderly) in
>> the process.
>> 
>> • The Use of Models in participatory design.
>> 
>> • Approaching Ecovillage Zoning from several perspectives, to arrive at a
>> marriage of tthe needs of the people and the needs of the land.
>> 
>> • The Web of Ecovillage Infrastructure - integrating natural, social,
>> cultural, physical and economic elements.
>> 
>> Day 2:  Skills for Living in an Ecovillage
>> 
>> • The Ingredients of a Successful Ecovillage, including methods to develop
>> the following:  social & physical action planning, capital investment and
>> internal financial systems, skills, labour and time management.
>> 
>> • 13 key Issues of Social Design
>> Robina, together with Robert Gilman has researched and unearthed thirteen
>> major issues which block the success of intentional communities and
>> ecovillages worldover.   Robina will share these, then we will address the
>> issues most pertinent to the participants, using interactive processes they
>> can adapt to working with their own groups.
> 
>> 
>> • The Group as an Organism  - phases and cycles of a group;  forming new
>> groups;  defining group identity;  shaping a healthy code of behaviour;
>> clarifying and activating common purpose;  creating alignment;  building
>> group power for effective action.
>> 
>> •  Group Process Skills - some keys to good communication; designing out
>> conflict and designing in trust and safety; conflict resolution strategies;
>> leadership and power; meeting facilitation; formats for successful meetings;
>> decisionmaking methods; working with the consensus process.
>> 
>> 
>> TUTORS
>> 
>> Robina McCurdy, has been working in permaculture design and community
>> development for the past fifteen years with households, schools,  farms and
>> communities in NZ, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Brazil and USA.
>> Through this experience she has developed a powerful and effective
>> facilitation methodology for creating sustainable community, anywhere.
>> Robina lives at Tui Community in Nelson Province of Aotearoa/New Zealand,
>> where she manages the orchard and is part of the community garden team.  She
>> is currently organising and will tutor in two international training courses
>> within her bio-region:  'Design for Sustainable Community' and 'P.L.A.N.E.T.
>> Organic'.  Robina's bio:
>> http//www.context.org/PEOPLE/RMBio.htm
>> 
>> Margaret Kwok  (Day 1 only) is an experienced and highly creative
>> permaculture designer and organic gardener.  She has worked developing the
>> St Benedicts Community Gardens and the Beachlands Resource Depot in
>> Auckland.  Margaret has co-facilitated hands-on workshops in urban
>> permaculture strategies, and taught in permaculture design courses.
>> 
>> 
>> 
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