Aim: To bring together work around Permaculture learning and Diploma work to create an active and vibrant permaculture educator’s pathway.

Date started: April 2024

Date ended: In progress

Principles: Mollison and Slay – Ecological Principles

Tools: Goal articulation, mindmap of what exists already, sector analysis, patterns in nature, intrinsic characteristics, holistic decision making.

Framework: GOBRADIMET

Goal

I began this process by taking time to articulate the goal of the design. I did this by asking a range of questions:

• What is the reality of my situation as an educator now?
• What would I like to do as a result of the design?

Observation – What exists already?

Next I spent time thinking about the reality of what exists already in terms of the current offer and features of my works as a permaculture educator. This included the physical offer of courses, support and community building activities alongside the things that I am involved with in terms of my own professional development and growth.

Observation – what external energies have impact?

I used a sector analysis to think about the different external energies, both positive and negative, which impact upon my practice as an educator.

Boundaries and Resources

I then explored the boundaries and resources which exist. The boundaries can be found in ORANGE circles, and the limits can be found in BROWN circles.

Analysis – how might patterns inform?

I looked to patterns in nature to think about the patterns that already exist in my work, and also to think about those which are particularly important to me and that I would like to develop and explore further.

Analysis – how do the principles inform?

I used Mollison and Slay’s Ecological Principles and explored how they may inform this aspect of my work and life.

Design – Intrinsic Characteristics

Following on from the analysis I thought about the intrinsic characteristics which were emerging and which felt central to the pathway that I would like to develop.

Design – Holistic Context

The core element created at the heart of the design was this Holistic context which will help me to make better decisions about this work going forward, and to have a clearer sense of the current whole.

Design – how may the ethics inform?

I went on to think about the way that the key elements of the holistic context deepened the reality of the Permaculture Ethics in the world.

	People Care	Earth Care	Fair Share / Future Care
Flexible and emergent offer	Programme which emerges in response to the feedback of previous / current participants	Emergent nature of courses allows a focus of earth care to grow and change as needed	Programme which develops and changes based as it develops
Culture of reflection and learning	Robust reflection process and personal CPD opportunities	Emergent nature of courses allows a focus of earth care to grow and change as needed	Programme which develops and changes based as it develops
Focus upon building connection and community	Development of personal connections through participants in the courses and the wider progamme	Earth based focus to place and community building	Create and engage with communal structures
Culture of reciprocity	Structures that allow give and take	Focus on how we can give to earth and how it gives back to us.	Increased accessiblity through fluid pricing structure
Connection to nature and wildness at core	Exploration of wildness in relation to self, and personal relationships and behaviours	Nature focused ritual and story at core of all programmes	Nature focused ritual and story at core of all programmes
Intimate and personal connection	Small group sizes	Space for personal reflection and exploration in relation to the wild world	Small group sizes allow all voices to be heard
Focus on creative and imaginative content and participants	A space for creatives to connect with permaculture ideas and practices	Earth based creative practices – regenerative creative practices	Building a community of practice
An offer focused upon the diversiry of participants and extending reach	Diverse participants and financial flexibility for all areas	Diverse voice encourages wider conversation	Diverse participants and financial flexibility for all areas

Design – Elements and yields

I analysed the different elements of my education work in relation to the holistic context to ensure that there is sufficient balance across the programme to provide the yields that are important to me.

Implementation

I created a simple timeline to outline the schedule for different elements of my pathway over the next twelve months.

Maintain, Evaluate, Tweak

I thought about the ways that I will maintain the plan and allow space for change and flexibility, whilst also making sense of how I will measure success within the design over the coming year.