A weekend experience looking at how Permaculture can be applied in communities in need. 

About the workshop

Many communities and families around the world are living in circumstances of critical need, lacking basic needs like sufficient food and water, sanitation and shelter as well as other needs like employment, education, healthcare, justice and safety.  This course will demonstrate a range of examples of aid projects from a range of countries where permaculture or permaculture-type techniques have been applied to make a difference.  It will demonstrate the valuable roles that individuals can play in supporting communities in assisting them to recognise needs and undertake change.

This workshop will help you understand the complexities of aid, development and assisting others.  It will introduce how to develop and support good projects and be a project worker in a community.  It will provide an overview of how assessments are made, how funding is sought, how partnerships are established to sustain long term benefit and how lessons are recognised and shared for future benefit.

This course is intended as both a practical time those interested in this work and a time for support for those wanting to share their story with others.  This will be an informative and important weekend for anyone wishing to work abroad or to contribute to aid and development for situations of need.

The Course will be presented by two long-term members of the permaculture community who have worked and volunteered in a wide range of countries from Cuba to Indonesia, Haiti to Afghanistan as well as many community initiatives in Australia.  They are also both involved in the Permafund Committee, the charitable arm of Permaculture Australia that supports aid and development projects and an update will be provided on the Permafund Committee’s work and it’s 2013 Grants.

About the Trainers

John Champagne

John Champagne has been active within the Permaculture movement since 1992 in areas such as a designer, teacher, promotions, regional development and the establishment of many properties including the BEND Eco-Village near Bega and his own property in Brogo. He is currently the President of SCPA-South East Producers, a position he has held for 12 years and a current Board member of Permaculture Australia where his respondsibility is as the convener of Permafund. John has taught PDCs extensively in the temperate regions of Australia and the tropics of SE Asia.In 2009 he attended the International Permaculture Convergence in Malawi, Africa and visited many permaculture projects in eastern Africa.

John McKenzie

John Mckenzie has been interested and active in the Permaculture for 30 years.  For the past 20 he has worked in the overseas aid sector, working with a number of International NGOs in a range of countries, including the original permaculture work in Cuba in the  early 1990s.   He has worked most elements of the project management cycle –  project design, organisational learning and staff capacity building and project evaluation.   He grew up in outer urban Melbourne and progressed through various employment sectors from farms and building sites then later in forestry and schools before ending up in overseas aid.   He is an active member in the Permaculture Melbourne Association and  a Board member of Permaculture Australia and it’s Permafund committee.

There will also be films and discussion in the evening for those that want more. This is a whole weekend experience with the trainers not just a come and go workshop.

Workshop Program

This workshop will include:

• What does good Permaculture Aid look like? Examples around the world.
•  Resilience, Disaster preparedness, and survival
•  Cultural sensitivity.
•  Getting prepared and skilling-up.
•  Project management –  Assessment, Design, Implementation,  Learning
•  Evaluation and Assessment.
•  And a range of other issues.

10% discount for PSI members (if you have done a course of workshop with PSI in the last year).  LETS accepted.