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CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS:
Earth-Spirit Nature Celebration
Permaculture Design
Urban Permaculture (NZ)
Sustainable Rural Design (NZ)
Earthspirit Retreat (NZ)
Design your own Edible Landscape

Other courses available:

PRESENTATION & WORKSHOP OFFERINGS: Robina McCurdy

The following workshops are being offered by Robina McCurdy of the Institute of Earthcare Education Aotearoa, a non-profit charitable trust committed to the ethics and practices of sustainability. Earthcare offers a range of consultancy, educational and facilitation services, its current major programme being PLANET Organic (<www.planetorganic.org.nz>).

SUMMARY

SLIDESHOWS
(Duration: typically 2.5 hours, including dialogue, some questions/sharing..)
Robina is offering a range of 17 slideshows compiled from her work in permaculture & community development around the world. They serve as an introduction to a workshop theme, an inspiration for practical work and a catalyst for dialogue.

1. Participatory Processes for Community Development
2. Participatory Processes for Permaculture Land-use Design
3. Building Techniques & Design
4. Permaculture Gardens around the Planet
5. Integrated Animal-Food-Forest Systems
6. Water Harvesting
7. Transforming Schools through Permaculture (S.E.E.D. programme)
8. Gardening for Kindergartens & Schools
9. Tui Community (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
10. Permaculture around the Planet
11. Urban-scale permaculture - ‘Small Space - Big Harvest’
12. Community Mobilisation through Permaculture
13.. Ecovillages & Sustainable Communities around the Planet
14. Community Glue
15. In Service of Gaia
16. Where Nature Meets Culture
17. Ecovillage Living - a Sustainable Solution

WORKSHOPS
(* = longer than 1 week, and typical broad programme is outlined)

PERMACULTURE/SUSTAINABLE LANDUSE
- The Instant Organic Garden (2 days)
- Gardening with Little Folk ( 1 day)
- Design your own Organic Urban Property (1 eve + 2 days)
- Design your own Organic Rural Property
( 1 - 10 acres: 3 days, 10 - 30 acres: 5 days, 30 - 80 acres: 7 days, 80 +acres: 9 days)
- Creating a Seasonal Calendar (1 day)
- Permaculture for 3rd World & Indigenous Peoples (2 - 5 days)
- Community Landuse Facilitation (2 - 5 days)
* Organic Growing, Permaculture Garden & Orchard Design (5 - 10 days)
(7 - 10 day Practical Programme: detailed permaculture design, soil fertility, crop rotation, plant guilds, pests & diseases prevention, seed saving, water systems, food forests, agroforestry, shelter, integrated animal systems)

EARTH/NATURE RELATIONSHIP
-Nature Attunement (1 day)
-Where Nature Meets Culture (2 – 7 days)
- Design in Partnership with Nature (1 - 3 days)
- Landuse Design with & For Nature (1 - 2 days)
- Living on the Edge of Nature & Culture (1 - 2 days)
- Council of All Beings (1 - 2 days)
- Kaitakitanga (1 eve)
* Earth-Spirit Nature Retreat (2 weeks)
(Programme includes: eco-literacy, deep ecology, land-energy dowsing, meditation/reflection, journal keeping, yoga /tai chi, solo vision quest, group support work, biographies, wildcrafting.

SPECIFIC PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
7- Empowering Life Direction (1 - 2 days)
- From Soul to Society (1 - 3 days)
- Earth as Healer (1 day)
- Creating Sacred Space & Personal Ritual (1 day)
- Healing the Separation between Nature & Culture (1 - 3 days)
- Co-creative Living (3 - 4 hours)
- 'SERVE' - Leaping Beyond the 'Me' Culture (2 - 4 days)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
- Wholistic Goal-Setting Process (1 - 2 days)
- ‘Taking Down the Fences’ - Creating Community from ‘just where you are!
(1 - 2 days)
- Resource Centres for Community Outreach (1 - 2 days)
- Design for Bioregional Sustainability: an introduction (1 - 4 days)
- Creating a Culture of Abundance (1 - 2 days)
- Group Harmonising (consultancy - open duration)
- Sustainable Social Organisation
* Introduction to Ecovillage/Sustainable Community Design & Development
(7 Day Programme: The Formation of an Ecovillage, Participatory Approach to Designing
Ecovillage & Intentional Community, Skills for Living in an Ecovillage/Intentional
Community, Heart-Sharing Circle. Wholistic Goal Setting Mandala - 7 days)

* Design for Ecovillages & Sustainable Communities ( 2 - 5 weeks)
(4 - 5 Week Programme: Design for Cultural Sustainability, Design for Physical Sustainability, Design for Nature Conservation & Food Security, Design for Sustainable Organisational Structures, Integrated Eco-village Design Practicum)

CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
- ‘Pixie Play’ (for children - 1 day)

S.E.E.D. (Schools Environmental Education & Development)
- School Grounds Design (Consultation of 1 - 2 days)
- School Grounds Design (for the whole school community - 4 days)
- Bringing Gardens and Grounds into the School Curriculum (for school teachers & principals: 2 - 3 days)

* ‘Transforming Schools into Productive Learning Environments ‘- (Comprehensive S.E.E.D. Programme - for environmental educators, landscape architects, permaculture designer/facilitators, and green-fingered gardeners with a love of children)
(2 Week Programme: Introduction to the SEED programme, Introduction to Permaculture Design, Permaculture within Environmental Education, 'Site Survey' Demonstration and Landscape Design Practice Day in Schools, Creating an Integrated Whole School Development, School-Community, Practice of Facilitation methods, School Grounds Development, School Grounds Implimentation Practicum, Putting it All Together.

 

SLIDESHOW & WORKSHOP DETAILS

SLIDESHOWS: SOME DESCRIPTIONS

1. PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - an overview of the innovative interactive techniques Robina uses in her work with developing sustainable communities. The main application context is schools, human settlements and urban neighbourhoods. The process begins with participants’ 'personal vision' and 'sense of place', and culminates in economic and social renewal. Robina's approach includes an analysis of "invisible structures", to determine a realistic baseline for livelihood, self reliance, social and biological systems, and the integration of cultural/social, physical, environmental & economic elements in sustainable systems design.

4. PERMACULTURE GARDENS AROUND THE PLANET
- examples of differnt environments around the world where dedicated gardeners, using methods appropriate to their conditions, have produced an abundance of organic food, whilst creating nature havens of beauty, harmony.

7. TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS THROUGH PERMACULTURE - slides depicting the stages of S.E.E.D. (Schools Environmental Education & Development), which Robina began developing in NZ schools and later piloted as a fully fledged 'environmental education in action' programme in squatter settlements of Capetown, South Africa, funded by the Danish, British & NZ High Commissions.

9. TUI COMMUNITY in AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND - slides of Robina’s home, Tui Community, a 20-year-old intentional community pioneering new forms of social organisation that bring spirit into practical aspects of life, including work, money, gardening and sexuality. The information presented in the slideshow, together with viewers' questions, offer an opportunity for a stimulating dialogue about community living. Tui Community is featured in the book 'Creating Harmony: Conflict Resolution in Community', published by Permanent Publications and Gaia Trust.

11. ‘SMALL SPACE - BIG HARVEST’ - slides showing how to growing plenty of organic food in a environment of beauty and harmony, on an urban-scale property. Slides from examples around the world.

12. COMMUNITY MOBILISATION THROUGH PERMACULTURE - Robina's experiences in applying permaculture to bring about social change, restore degraded environments, provide food security and build community, throughout the world.

13. ECOVILLAGES & SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AROUND THE PLANET - slides of ecovillages and communities throughout the world, their similarities, differences and common learnings. The presentation includes some of the processes Robina uses to build sustainable community and her participatory approach to permaculture landuse design and development.

14. 'COMMUNITY GLUE' - global examples of processes and activities which build healthy community and bind it together, followed by some discussion.

15 ‘IN SERVICE OF GAIA’ - a selection from the all of the slideshows, with a spiritual/philosophical emphasis. Images and stories of Robina’s global work in permaculture facilitation, community mobilisation, cultural empowerment, ecovillage development, organic food production and environmental restoration.

16. 'WHERE NATURE MEETS CULTURE'
We look at vibrant working examples of the application of ecological
principles and permaculture design tools to social-cultural, physical,
technological, environmental and economic systems, in different parts of the
world where Robina has lived and worked. We telescope in on Robina's
homeground, 20 year old Tui Community, in Aotearoa/New Zealand, a land trust where new forms of social organisation are being pioneered. Tui is dedicated to human capacity building, living with minimal impact on the earth, working with the rhythms of nature, generating ethical livelihood, learning through doing - and overall, creating a sustainable small village culture. Tui features in the book 'Creating Harmony: Conflict Resolution in Community', published by Gaia Trust and Permanent Publications (Britain).

7 17. ECOVILLAGE LIVING: A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION
- The valuable role ecovillages have as possible models of sustainable living, in these pivotal times of societal breakdown and global conflict. Robina will show slides of ecovillages and communities which she has visited and worked with throughout the world, and talk about their similarities, differences and common learnings. . She will also share some of the community building processes used in Robina's ecovillage, Tui, in Aotearoa/New Zealand - a land trust where new forms of social organisation are being pioneered.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

PERMACULTURE/SUSTAINABLE LANDUSE

'THE INSTANT ORGANIC GARDEN’
A beginner’s workshop in simple methods of building soil fertility and building garden beds based on ‘template designs’, the principles and ‘how to’ of companion planting and interplanting for year round (seasonally dependent), vegetable production plus species lists and planting calendar
(Duration: 2 days)

GARDENING WITH LITTLE FOLK
Creating a sheet-mulch/no-dig garden with children from 3-5 years old, and planting it with fast-growing plants in fun patterns, plus forage-type veges and ground fruits. (Duration: 1 day)

DESIGN YOUR OWN ORGANIC URBAN PROPERTY
This workshop is for people with small properties who want to work in harmony with nature to produce an abundance of food in an environment of beauty. It takes place in the home of the person whose property we use as our learning ground, culminating in a permaculture design and practical activity in organic growing on their land. The workshop includes vision and goal setting, observation skills, site analysis and assessment, permaculture principles and tools. Through an interactive and hands-on approach, participants will learn how to integrate the following into the small space of a typical sub/urban section: productive organic vegetable gardens, fruit trees, herbs and flowers, children's play spaces, small animal systems and small wilderness areas.
(Duration: typically a weekend, 1 evening + 2 days)

DESIGN YOUR OWN ORGANIC RURAL PROPERTY
Approach and topics are similar to the Urban Scale workshop, applied to a larger scale. Additional design and management topics depend on host’s interest, property size and features. They could include: broadscale food production, forest garden, woodlots, animal integration, wilderness areas, soil fertility, crop rotation, greywater recycling, value added products. Surplus for economic return is intrinsically designed into the system.
Duration: relative to the property size: 1-10 acres: 3 days); 10-30 acres: 5 days); 30-80 acres: 7 days; 80+ acres: 9 days.

CREATING A SEASONAL CALENDAR
In this workshop we learn the participatory steps in compiling a large circular or linear calendar containing information about nature’s rhythms and cycles. It contains information such as: climate, animal cycles, biomass production peaks, treeplanting, seasonal festivals — and up to around 20 other categories, depending on the region, area and culture. The calendar serves as a strategic planning tool, an antidote to crisis management, a huge time and money saver (can potentially replace a manager); facilitates effective recycling of resources; guides observation; makes recordkeeping easy and offers a more wholistic approach to land management. Robina has used this tool extensively in her permaculture, organic and community development work, and will share several examples of calendars she has developed.
(Duration: 1 day)

PERMACULTURE FOR THIRD WORLD & INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
This workshop addresses the issues and realities relevant to introducing Permaculture in such a context. Topics include: pattern learning, effective methods of communication, working with nonreaders and other language groups; adapting permaculture to local conditions, knowledge and culture; food security; health issues; facilitating self-determination processes; funding projects. Robina would offer this course together with a person experienced in working with such cultures of the American continent.
(Duration: 2 - 4 days)

COMMUNITY LANDUSE FACILITATION
For sustainability educators and practitioners, permaculture designers & facilitators, environmental educators, community development workers and urban & rural planners.

This is a training workshop in Earthcare Education Aotearoa’s highly effective, accelerated methods for community landuse design & development - with application to urban & rural family properties, schools, community gardens, residential communities, villages, towns amd entire bioregions. In Earthcare’s participatory, ‘stacked learning’ approach, personal empowerment, vision-building, concensus decisionmaking, group bonding, nature attunement permaculture design and strategic planning, are overlayed.
The outcome of our methods is an integrated plan for sustainable systems specific to communities of any scale - in which organic food production, land restoration and cultural renewal are inseperable. With this comes group responsibility and a high level of motivation for implementation.

The workshop will include:
* learning modalities, groupwork skills and motivation methods;
* applicable principles of sustainability;
* fast-track teaching of permaculture basics;
* Earthcare's specific facilitation tools for collective landuse groups (eg holistic goalsetting mandala, seasonal calendar, project resource inventory, sustainability analysis) with template handouts of what we practice;
* PRA (participatory rural/rapid appraisal) methods and how to create your own to meet specific needs.
* Earthcare's physical 'interactive teaching toolkit', how to use it and how to make your own.
(Duration: 2 - 6 days)

ORGANIC GROWING, PERMACULTURE GARDEN & ORCHARD DESIGN A residential hands-on course, covering detailed permaculture design, soil fertility, crop rotation, plant guilds, pests and disease prevention, seedsaving, water systems, food forests, agroforestry, shelter, integrated animal systems.
(Duration: 5 - 10 days)

EARTH/NATURE RELATIONSHIP

NATURE ATTUNEMENT - an experiential workshop with a human development focus, introducing participants to: local ecology, seasonal calendar, observation & awareness skills, eco-literacy, land-energy dowsing, deep ecology, the cycles & rhythms of nature and their application to our daily lives.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

LANDUSE DESIGN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATURE
What happens when deep ecology lies at heart of permaculture design!?
- an introduction to permaculture design principles, tools and process, and applying these to needs of the land, specifically to identify, enhance and create sacred spaces, restore areas in need of healing and balancing, and to protect and create wildlife habitat. This means learning to design from 'zone 5 inwards (outwards!),' - applying eco-literacy, bringing nature's 'calendar & clock' into our lives, .working with earth-energy patterns, prioritizing biodiversity and sharing habitat. These skills are applied to the specific land the workshop takes place on.
(Duration: 2 - 3 days)

COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS - this is a process originally developed by deep ecologists Joanna Macy and John Seed, to enable people to bring sensitivity and compassion into environmental activism. It has its own culture, which involves meditation, art, craft and sacred ceremony. Through this process, in a short timespan, people become sufficiently intimate with nature to articulate the perceived needs of its various creatures and elements, and representing them in the 'Council of All Beings.' This can happen (in a shorter duration) as part of the above.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

LIVING ON THE EDGE OF NATURE & CULTURE
Acknowledging the place we earth activists stand in these turmultuous
times; some of my own thoughts and experiences as a change
agent/environmental educator at this edge; bringing nature back into
culture; experiential activities regarding accessing our intuitive/spiritual
self, earth as healer/empowerer and nature as tarot/guide.

KAITIAKITANGA
- an evening presentation with a cultural flavour (eg song, dance, myth,
true story) about traditional Maori (NZ native peoples) ethics, principles
and practices regarding guardianship of and service to the natural world.
(Duration: 2 hours)

EARTH-SPIRIT NATURE RETREAT - a shared and guided experience of immersion into the natural world, within a co-created strong and supportive group culture. It is for people are committed to self-growth and wholeness, and care about who care our environment and culture. The programme includes: eco-literacy, deep ecology, land-energy dowsing, biographies, meditation/reflection, journal keeping, yoga /tai chi, solo vision quest, group support work, wildcrafting.

The intention and design of the retreat is to provide the conditions, knowledge-base and experiences for participants to:
* experience ‘belonging’ on many levels
* develop deep relationship with self, other and nature
* discover the intricate relationship between nature and culture
* learn skills of self-reliance for ‘living in place’
* develop ‘ecological literacy’ - to find our place within this ecosystem, on this living planet
* be still and silent within the awe and power of natural world
* gain insight into our own life direction and purpose
* cultivate kaitiakitanga (stewardship/guardianship)
* generate motivation for environmental activism and social change, coming from a place of compassion and self-empowerment
* develop attitudes and practices which provide sustenance in daily living

NB: Robina would only offer this retreat in association with two or more co-workers who intimately know their bioregion and its biological systems, as well as have well-developed group skills & experience working cooperatively.
(Duration: 2 weeks)

SPECIFIC PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

’EMPOWERING LIFE DIRECTION’ - an experiential workshop, guiding individuals within a group context to reflect on their lives and bring in new energies, using effective personal empowerment tools for exploring, identifying and realising their skills, gifts, talents and passions, to develop an ethical livelihood.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

‘FROM SOUL TO SOCIETY’ - how to create communities of common
purpose, from that place of what gives our life meaning, fuels our passion, and motivates our work in the world. We will explore how we can bring the four quadrants of sustainable community (physical/environmental, spiritual, economic, and social/cultural) into balance in our lives to create and strengthen the kinds of communities which support and sustain us, whilst uplifting the society we live within. We will use Earthcare Education Aotearoa's transformative personal and social development tools, together with creative expression through art, music and movement, building our learning community in the process.
(Duration: 1 - 3 days)

EARTH AS HEALER - an experiential workshop in two parts:
(1) Simple breathing & body contact techniques for working with the Earth’s healing frequency for the purposes of attunement, relaxation, balancing, emotional release and recharging. Also techniques for charging energy into the Earth in depleted, eroded, drought-stricken etc areas.
(2) Identification and preparation of some plants which are ‘indicators’ for soil conditioning, and various stages of ecological succession, which can also be used for daily rejuvenation and natural healing purposes. Also learning about ‘doctrine of signatures’ and how to make flower essences.
(Duration: 1 day)

CREATING SACRED SPACE & PERSONAL RITUAL - an experiential workshop in four parts:
(1) Overview of nature’s rhythms and cycles; overview of the four main stages of ritual-making;
(2) How to create your own sacred space on your own property (or wherever you are);
(3) How to create your own ritual for healing, intentionality, empowerment, transformation;
(4) Creating and doing a personal ritual relevant to your life now, with group support.
(Duration: 1 day)

HEALING THE SEPARATION BETWEEN NATURE AND CULTURE
This interactive workshop will go deeper into aspects touched on during
Robina's presentation-workshops at the Congress. It aims to personally
deepen and empower; to impart skills and tools to use in daily life, as well
as environmental/permaculture work - to enable people to be awesome agents of positive cultural change, totally supported by nature, anywhere and
everywhere. We will:
* look at the principles of deep ecology and share how they can be applied
in our lives.
* journey on an 'inner trail' to remember our roots in nature and
sustainable culture and reconnect with that place of belonging, and learn
some ways to bring nature back into culture;
* learn and practice accessing our intuitive/spiritual knowing, how to
relate to the earth as healer/empowerer, and work with nature as
tarot/guide;
* learn how to detect and map earth-energy fields, and various ways of
balancing them if they are out-of-kilter;
* apply permaculture methodology to the creation of sacred spaces on any
area of land (including an urban section);
* work with Earthcare's 'Use of Time' template, to bring more nature
connection into the rhythm of our lives;
* learn how to draw up a seasonal calendar of nature for our own area, and
place our daily lives within it.
* share ways of establishing 'representatives of nature' anywhere and
everywhere (including in the midst of a 'concrete juggle').
(Duration: 1 - 3 days)

‘CO-CREATIVE LIVING’ - a one-on-one session utilising a tool Robina has developed—the ‘Personal Wholistic Goal Setting Mandala’ (see Community Development section)—to facilitate accessing and focusing on your passion, vocation, livelihood, spiritual purpose and creative expression, and cut the ‘deadwood’ out of your life.
(Duration: 3 - 4 hours)

'SERVE' - Leaping Beyond the 'Me' Culture - creating an empowering and fulfilling personal life, through contributing to cultural regeneration and environmental repair. This workshop offers effective personal empowerment tools, provides a historical context for the era we are currently living in, shares inspiring examples of people who have made/ re making a significant difference, and teaches methods of working with cultural and environmental change.

It is for people who are:
* asking these kinds of questions: 'What am I doing here', 'What is my life purpose and what are my gifts to develop and offer', 'Why was I born into this era, when the world is in such a mess', 'How can I be more effective in what I am doing', 'How can I prevent burnout’?.

* making these kinds of statements: ‘The pace of degeneration is too fast, what I do won't be of any use', 'Globalisation has overpowered the world, what I do won't make any difference', 'Stop the world, I want to get off!'

* at a time in their life when: they are fed up with focusing on their own small lives of consumption and self-gratification, have opened their eyes to the wider context they live within, and to the critical time we are at in Earth's evolution, and want to make a difference - to become an agent of change.
(Duration: 2 - 4 days)

 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

WHOLISTIC GOAL-SETTING PROCESS
This workshop is for people living or working with any size community group of any common purpose. It is a highly practical and powerful tool for building group alignment, alleviating conflict, clarifying values, creating a mission statement and strategic planning. Its application varies from an individual trying to determine their life direction to a very large group of people wanting to undertake a multi-faceted project together. I have facilitated it around the world with households, schools, youth groups, environmental organisations, illiterate farmers, businesses, ecovillages, marriage partners and families.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

‘TAKING DOWN THE FENCES - Creating Community from ‘just where you are’.
This is the step after ‘Design Your Own Organic Property’ workshop. Build neighbouring community by joining forces with neighbours to create greater productive space for staple crops, seedsaving, soil fertility building and recreation. Build neighbourhood community through seed exchanges, working bees, shared biological resources. 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/community development workers who want to facilitate this happening.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

RESOURCE CENTRES FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH
This section introduces participants to a range of neighbourhood resource centres and how they operate, with a focus on community gardens and recycling centres, in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. 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. Such centres play a valuable role in demonstrating what is possible in local conditions, providing education and offering resources, eg plant materials and composting systems, for purchase. They work as a catalyst for or an outcome of Earthcare’s ‘Urban-scale Permaculture' workshops.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

DESIGN for BIOREGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY: an introduction
This workshop takes a broad yet deep look at what constitutes a dynamic and prosperous bioregion, then shares some tools to create just that. The bioregion which is hosting the workshop will be used as the case study and mini design exercise.

Definition of Bioregion - a geographical area which is defined by natural boundaries such as rivers or particular landforms which set it off as distinct from adjacent regions. Bioregional borders, created by nature, often cross the arbitrary political lines drawn by humans in their creation of nations, states, and other sub-units. A bioregion is further defined by the kinds of flora and fauna that grow within it, which may be unique to it, or just exist in greater numbers or density than in adjoining areas. Unique human cultures which are shaped by the rigours, abundances, and general nature of the bioregion also contribute to its definition.

Broadly, the workshop will cover:
* Bioregional mapping - analysis of "invisible structures", to determine a realistic baseline for livelihood, self-reliance, social and biological systems.

* Bioregional Sustainability - the design, organisation and management of a bioregion, which aims for a high quality of life for all. The includes food security, economy and governance.
(Duration: 1 - 4 days)

CREATING A CULTURE OF ABUNDANCE
The relationship between economic activity and human contribution. The workshop will be a sharing of attitudes, models, working examples, practical tools & techniques. The workshop may include, depending on the group's interest and focus: internal community labour systems, trading within the wider community, different economic approaches to ecovillage/intentional community membership, including rights, privileges and responsibilities, commercial businesses supporting community endeavours, creating an economic activity centre, LETS system, permaculture principles applied to economic development and staging for economic sustainability, economic indicators of sustainability, quality of life as an economic advantage.
(Duration: 1 - 2 days)

Creating a Culture of Abundance in Urban Ecovillages
The theme of this workshop is the relationship between economic activity and human contribution, to build sustainable social systems. The workshop will be a sharing of attitudes, models, working examples and practical tools & techniques, which Robina has worked with and learned from, globally. It is relevant to shared-land communities (eg co-housing and ecovillages) and also to neighbourhoods wanting to develop more community culture.

The workshop will include: permaculture principles applied to economic development including staging for economic sustainability, internal community labor systems, trading within the wider community (including LETS system), different economic approaches to ecovillage/intentional community membership (including rights, privileges and responsibilities), entrepreneurial attitudes and commercial ethical businesses (including small green co-ops and sole proprietorships), supporting community endeavours, economic indicators of sustainability, quality of life as an economic advantage. (Duration: 1 - 2 days)

GROUP HARMONISING
A consultative-style workshop for working with an established group on their specific needs and issues. The themes outlined in ‘Sustainable Social Organisation’ give an indication of possible content.
(Duration: based on needs of the group)

SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL ORGANISATION
This workshop is suitable for people working with any organisation of common purpose. Topics and methods will be selected from the following, depending on the priorities of the group:

* The Social Change Process - how social change happens and the steps towards being an effective cultural innovator; interface with the world outside the group; 'translating' from one cultural language to another.

* A selection of any of the following topics (for description refer to ‘Introduction to Ecovillage/Intentional Community Design & Development’ below):
- Self Nourishment & Self Empowerment
- The Group as an Organism
- Group Process Skills
- Some 'Human Ecology' issues
- Designing for Social Ecology.
- Facilitating Group Alignment
- Group Process Skills
(Duration: 1 - 4 days)

DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY
The course gives attention to all facets of sustainability, by balancing and integrating cultural/social/economic design with environmental/physical design. It aims to equip practitioners with the skills and knowledge to work effectively with neighbourhood-community, co-housing, ecovillage and bioregional design. This is an advanced training course for sustainable land use designers, community development workers, intentional community pioneers, and regional planners

Duration: 2 weeks - 1 month (if shorter than 1 month, some topics would be dropped or done superficially - course would be co-designed with organiser).
NB: If there is interest in this course, Robina would only co-tutor it with two or more. ecovillage/community design colleagues.

Topics Covered in Month-long Course
DESIGN FOR CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
Self Nourishment, Wholistic Culture & Social Change, Group Process Skills, Facilitating Group Alignment, Designing for Social Ecology.

DESIGN FOR PHYSICAL SUSTAINABILITY
Site Observation, Sensitive Terraforming (earthworks), Ecological Buildings, Water Harvesting, Recycling of 'Human Waste', Appropriate Energy Systems, Creating a Sustainable Home Base.

DESIGN FOR NATURE CONSERVATION & FOOD SECURITY
Nature's Patterns, Rhythms and Cycles, Designing with and for Nature, Bioregional Mapping, Sustainable Food Production (veges, herbs, animals, treecrops).

DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE INVISIBLE STRUCTURE
Community Law, Community Finance, Cooperation in Business, Integrated Ecovillage Design, Sustainable Bio-regional Design.

ECOVILLAGE DESIGN PRACTICUM
A week of practical experience 'in the field' where, under the guidance of course tutors, the participants apply the skills they have learned to the design of a real ecovillage, with adherence to the municipal authority bi-laws. The week includes presentations from local authority representatives on resource management, building and sanitation requirements, concluding with a public presentation.

INTRODUCTION TO ECOVILLAGE/INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY
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. It is most suitable if this course is residential, in which case it could be for shorter duration, as some evenings would be included.
The workshop is designed to work as in progression, and it is up to host organisers to select the duration, sections and themes.
(Duration: 1 evening + 1 - 7 days).

Evening & 1st Day:
The Formation of an Ecovillage
Definitions and descriptions of "ecovillage" based on the research experience of Robert Gilman (writer of 'Ecovillages & Sustainable Communities'' for Gaia Trust) and Robina.

Evidence of ecovillages as a sustainable solution to ecological decline.

Ecovillage diversity: a slideshow of some ecovillages around the world.

Ecovillage & Intentional Community Range (Communal - Private): examples of seven Community-Villages which illustrate a wide range of options, from kibbutzim to freehold 'ecological subdivision', and how to find where a (your) group is placed within this range.

The various stages of ecovillage formation, some typical highs and lows of each stage, and ways of moving forward, propelled by the learnings.

'Human Ecology' issues, such as communication, power, ownership,
gender, labour, freedom and governance.

Designing for Social Ecology - integrated community systems,
organisational structures and physical layout for ultimate 'energy flow' to
serve intentional group culture.

Cooperation in Business - dealing with money together; systems for
internal community accounting; social and physical design for ethical
business in community.

Land Purchase - some wise prerequisites.

2nd & 3rd Day:
Participatory Approach to Designing Ecovillage & Intentional Community
An overview of Earthcare Education Aotearoa's entire design process, using slides of Robina's processes in her global ecovillage work.

Introduction to Social Design - for clarity and workability on the consequent rights, responsibilities, ownership and power. (These social issues will be addressed from the angle of 'being in it' on Day 2).

Some facilitation techniques for working with emerging ecovillages, with application to the common needs of the workshop group.

Introduction to Wholistic goal setting using Earthcare Education Aotearoa's three templates: Community Culture, Social Structure and Physical Environment.

Introduction to Site Analysis, involving all generations (children, adults, elderly) in the process and the use of 3D models in participatory design.

Approaching Ecovillage Zoning from several perspectives, to arrive at a marriage of the needs of the people and the needs of the land.

Introduction to the Web of Ecovillage Infrastructure - integrating natural, social, cultural, physical and economic elements.

4th & 5th Day:
Skills for Living in an Ecovillage/Intentional Community
• The Group as an Organism - phases and cycles of a group; forming new groups; defining group identity; shaping a healthy code of behaviour; honouring each person's role and contribution.

• The Ingredients of a Successful Ecovillage, including methods to develop the following: social & physical action planning, capital investment and internal financial systems, skills, labor and time management.

• 13 Key Issues of Social Design - Robina, together with Robert Gilman of Context Institute (USA), researched and unearthed 13 major issues which block the success of intentional communities and ecovillages worldwide. 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.

• Facilitating Group Alignment - social mapping, identifying the
reality of ‘what is now’ as a springboard for visioning the future;
clarifying and activating common purpose; operating in synergy;
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.

• Self Nourishment & Self Empowerment - keeping ourselves centred and balanced "in the midst of it all"; working in harmony with nature's rhythms and cycles to optimise our energy and time; sustaining vision, maintaining energy, and choosing appropriate action when faced with ‘opposing forces’.

6th Day (can be 1 - 3 days)
Heart-Sharing Circle - in depth with your group. This is a process adapted from the NZ Maori whaikorero and used by Tui Community to address issues which are too deep and contentious to deal with through meetings or other usual means of communication. Outcomes have always been a deeper appreciation and acceptance of each other’s differences, and moving forward together into new territory, both energetically and practically.

7th Day (can be 1 - 3 days)
Wholistic Goal Setting Mandala - in depth with your group. This is a process adapted from Holistic Resource Management’s approach to decisionmaking. The outcomes are consensed decisions, conflict resolution, mission statement, all elements to include in your permaculture design, staged action plan, full reference for future discussion and decisions.

CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

'PIXIE PLAY' - an interactive environmental education workshop for children aged 5 - 11 years.
Lots of fun sensory experiences to explore the colours, textures, sounds, shapes, tastes and feelings in the fascinating world of nature.

S.E.E.D. (Schools Environmental Education & Development)
S.E.E.D. is an Earthcare programme which Robina developed and piloted over seven years, that is now established in South Africa and Brazil and influencing school programmes in Australia and NZ. These workshops are trainings for practical educators in the principles and methods of Earthcare’s S.E.E.D. programme. They take place within a school setting, as we can immediately apply what we learn in a ‘hands on’ way with classes.
S.E.E.D. works in cooperation with teachers, students and parents to create a practically applied integrated land-use design for the school grounds as a comprehensive outdoor classroom It combines the following elements: community participation, culture (eg song, drama, dance), environmental awareness, permaculture design, practical implementation of the design by children, teachers and parents together. S.E.E.D. recognizes schools as community resources and communities as school resources, and the training incorporates strategies to strengthen this relationship.

Besides the workshops below, Robina also offers
Consultations on School Grounds Design (Duration: 1 - 3 days)

S.E.E.D. WORKSHOP DETAILS

SCHOOL GROUNDS DESIGN: a workshop with the School Community
A microcosm of the whole S.E.E.D. process (see below) is offered as full participation workshop at a school, involving parent and teacher representatives and school students. (For a school under 100 pupils this will involve all students, for larger schools it will involve class representatives.)
The outcome will be a broadscale permaculture design of the school grounds, with a small garden(s) area designed and prepared.

To be successful, the workshop requires the support of all teachers, and the full involvement of some, including working with their class in the process or as leaders of small mixed-age groups. This workshop will cover:
* holistic goal setting for the school grounds,
* site survey (teaching & drawing on cross-curricular knowledge skills),
* permaculture design of the site.
* a simple implementation experience,
(Duration: 4 days)

‘BRINGING GARDENS & GROUNDS INTO THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM’
- a workshop for School Teachers & Principals (Duration: 2 - 3 days)
Day 1
* School food gardens as a component of whole school grounds development.
* Related programmes in schools around the world.
* Research evidence of the educational and social benefits of creating and using 'the outdoor classroom'.
* School food gardens - how to develop them with each class level.
* School gardens and grounds as an educational resource:
- concept & design stage
- implementation stage
- development & maintenance stage
* Practical work with school children: a mini exercise in site survey & design.
* Feedback and evaluation of the process.

Day 2
* Core principles of Outcomes Based Education and the practice of these in developing an educational programme,

* Cross-curricular opportunities arising from a programme such as S.E.E.D. in your school. Examples from SEED's lesson plans working with South Africa's Outcomes Based 'Curriculum 2005'.

* Designing the educational programme to provide for the needs of
children's different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), with
emphasis on emphasis on kinesthetic learning..

* Designing and operating a theme-based Whole School Programme.
* Resources and teaching aids.
* Networking and backup support.
* Feedback and evaluation of the workshop.

Comprehensive S.E.E.D. Programme:
‘TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS INTO PRODUCTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS’ - for environmental educators, landscape architects, permaculture designers/facilitators, and green-fingered gardeners with a love of children (Duration: 2 Weeks)

Introduction
This training course will take teachers through the entire SEED methodology for whole school community development through interactive environmental education. The course itself will be taught using internationally acclaimed 'Accelerated Learning' methodology, which generates an interactive and dynamic atmosphere catering for all individual learning modalities, making learning easy and joyful. Each day will include practical sessions to integrate and anchor what is learned pedagogically. Teaching aids include:
* audio-visual material on SEED in action in South Africa & Brazil;
* a manual on all of SEED's process steps and the participatory methods used in working with the school community;
* handouts on the 'how to' technical side of permaculture development and landscaping of school grounds;
* culturally relevant stories and songs on environmental themes;
* sample lesson plans at all levels.

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants should be able to work comfortably with the SEED programme adapting it to the specific needs and character of their school and its surrounding community. Once sufficient experience is gained, participants will be in a position to train others.
NB: As this is an intense programme, Robina may only offer it with a co-tutor.

Proposed Course Outline:
Week 1
Day 1 : Introduction to the SEED programme - philosophic and educational basis, operating structure, relationship to the current State Education curriculum, process steps, the role of culture, developmental benefits for the local community. Addressing your local needs. Related programmes in schools around the world. Research evidence of the educational and social benefits of creating and using 'the outdoor classroom'.

Day 2 : Introduction to Permaculture Design as a wholistic approach to transforming school grounds into productive learning environments.

Day 3: Permaculture within Environmental Education, connecting all subjects within the school curriculum at all educational levels. 'Site survey' and landscape design using permaculture approach - content and methodology at every class level.

Day 4: 'Site Survey' Demonstration and Landscape Design Practice Day in Schools, focusing on one theme, and using each step, culminating in doing a small design project in the school grounds, with groups of selected students of all ages.

Day 5: Creating an Integrated Whole School Development Programme using the planning methodology of permaculture in all phases, from visioning and goal setting to implementation. Designing the educational programme to provide for the needs of children's different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), with emphasis on kinesthetic learning. Planning an Annual Environmental Education Programme using SEED: for the whole school, for your class.

Week 2
Day 1: School-Community Symbiosis - methods for facilitating community participation and parent/student/teacher empowerment. The use of these methods at specific stages of the SEED programme. Beyond the school: influences of S.E.E.D. on the wellbeing of school communities and how to extend the good work at school into the wider community.

Day 2: Practice of Facilitation Methods with actual school communities, arriving at wholistic goals for the school, and broad curriculum content as an outcome.

Day 3: School Grounds Development - organising the practical work at all class levels, with guidance through the principles and process of implementing the design. School grounds and gardens as an educational resource at every stage: concept & design, implementation, development & maintenance. Strategic action planning, with focus on acquisition of funding and other material resources.

Day 4: School Grounds Practicum - a day of implementation with student groups, using the principles and techniques from the course, using the information gathered during the previous community participation day and student site survey.

Day 5: Putting it All Together - Review of all stages. Methods of assessment of students' learning. Resources and teaching aids. Assessment of the SEED programme and its relevance to the represented schools. Future networking and support. Feedback.

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POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT BY AN ORGANISATION (i.e. a contracted job)
Robina is also experienced in and willing to do any of the following work:
* co-tutoring in permaculture design courses, including complimenting other tutor’s work by offering interactive activities/processes eg games, ,song, meditations, to re-enforce their content through other learning modalities.
* running children’s holiday programmes or children’s areas at cultural events.
* co-ordinating/managing any group of people in garden or orchard development.
* facilitating groups of any kind, at any stage of development, around any issue/theme.
* organising or being part of an organising team of any kind of event.
* managing any conference/meeting, preferably using the ‘Open Space Technology’ system.
* ‘training of trainers’ in any kind of field, in participatory methodology.

If you are interested to follow up any of the above, Robina will forward specific information regarding past experiences and skills.

CONTACT DETAILS: Email: info@greenworld-earthcare.org Phone: +64 3 5258488

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FACILITATOR/TUTOR’s BACKGROUND: Robina McCurdy:
Robina is a New Zealander who also identifies herself as a planetary citizen. She is co-founder/resident/trustee of Tui Land Trust & Community and founder/trustee of the Institute for Earthcare Education Aotearoa. She is a state and Steiner trained primary school teacher, and has a Permaculture Diploma in Trusteeship, Media and Education, and qualifications in Seed Technology. For three decades Robina has been engaged in broadscale community development, and for the past 18 years in permaculture design and teaching, organic growing, the development of environmental education resources and the creation of participatory processes for decision making and collective action. She has taught and applied these powerful community-building methods with households, neighbourhoods, schools, farms, ecovillages and bioregions, in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Brazil and USA.

Robina was the originator/coordinator of Golden Bay's 'PLANET Organic', a year-long vocational training in community-scale sustainable landuse design, management & facilitation. Throughout her life, she has worked with minimal resources to bring about significant changes in the lives of people, their communities and their environment. Consequently, human capacity building is one of Robina's special skills - inspiring, guiding and offering specific tools and techniques for people to access their gifts, develop their potential, build their resourcefulness, and live their dreams.

Specific background relevant to any of the presentations or workshops below can be forwarded on request.

INSTITUTE OF EARTHCARE EDUCATION AOTEAROA
Most of Robina's educational programmes have been offered under the INSTITUTE OF EARTHCARE EDUCATION AOTEAROA (Aotearoa is the indigenous Maori name for New Zealand, which is used widely in our country), a non-profit charitable trust dedicated to the ethics and principles of sustainability. Earthcare offers facilitation, education, design, consultancy and original resource materials. In its national and international work, it commonly builds partnerships with organisations which have compatible aims. Earthcare's aims:
- to provide and promote education in environmental awareness, sustainable land use and responsible resource management.
- to promote a wholistic approach to education by teaching the principles and practices of cooperation, community participation and sustainable culture.
- to promote, conduct and publish research and educational materials on sustainable systems.

Some organisations which have partnered or financially supported Earthcare are: the NZ High Commission, NZ Natural Heritage Foundation, DANIDA (Denmark), Fundacio Gaia NGO, Rio Grande du Sul and Santa Catarina Education Departments (Brazil), Global Ecovillage Network (Australia), Village Development, Novalis Institute and Abalimi Bezekhaya (South Africa), PELUM (Zimbabwe), Context Institute (USA) and the British High Commission.
   

Interested in learning more? Please contact us at info@greenworld-earthcare.org