Two Successful Weeklong Certification Courses with a Twist

Our work over the last month has been invigorating, challenging, and fun. During two Permaculture Design Certification Courses, we have learned so much about who we are and who you are. Here is a clip from an email I recently sent to a friend and collaborator: “The world is definitely changing. I’m just so wrapped up in this beautiful unfolding story. We’re riding the most beautiful wave to sweep through this ocean maybe ever.”

As we all know, the collapse of the auto industry in Michigan has been a major blow to not only the national and global economy, but to our personal sense of security – physical, mental, and emotional. The first course we ran in Michigan was powerful: there was a sense of reality that was inescapable. The basic sentiment could be characterized like this: THINGS HAVE CHANGED. THEY ARE NOT GOING BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM. WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD. PERMACULTURE IS A MAJOR PART OF THAT CHANGE. LET’S DO THIS.

We finished a second course in Minnesota on Saturday. For me, in my own experience, the power of this experience came down to our being blessed with a great team of strongback “team leaders” – or assistants to the team of instructors (Mark Shepard, Katie and myself). We now had the opportunity to pull together the ropes and threads of a “leadership in permaculture” curriculum that ran behind the scenes of the standard Permaculture Design Certification course (PDC) curriculum all week. We played with this during the first course, and were met with great success. The turn out for this second course allowed us to take it to the next level.

For me, the major message is that the world is changing, and that if the the skills and sensibilities so important for the emerging regenerative paradigm are to be conveyed, the path towards leadership must be an integral aspect of everything we do. Perhaps most significantly, this has everything to do with whether the work of regenerative design and living gets carried into the next generation. It also has everything to do with how effective we are in accomplishing the work and moving forward with purpose, unity, and meaning.

Stay tuned into our website and newsletters for upcoming courses, events, and opportunities to design, work, learn, and play with us!

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