This practical course will bring the possibility of significant and positive life changes. Although permaculture is most commonly thought about in connection with gardening & farming, its principles, ethics and design methods can also be  used in one's own work, interests, community and home to bring about a more harmonious & sustainable and regenerative lifestyle. This course will explore this people-based Permaculture alongside the more usual land-based applications. Permaculture offers a perspective on all aspects of building a sustainable future, encouraging us to use our individual skills, knowledge and interests whilst drawing on traditional wisdom, science and our innate ability to observe and learn from the world around us.

Course participants will be awarded the Permaculture Association (Britain)'s internationally recognised Certificate in Permaculture Design on completion of the course.

The course will be taught in a variety of venues and site visits. The first week introduces Permaculture theory and some of its applications, and we will be based in the lovely Manor Barn at Thanington, near Canterbury in Kent.

The July weekend will be a tour of different sites to view Permaculture in action, and includes two days at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. We will also visit Chris Dixon at his Permaculture holding - Tir Penrhos Isaf  and two more Permaculture Association LAND projects. Close friends and family are also welcome on this tour (please contact Jo for more details and costs).  

The September and November weekends will be based again near Canterbury, and will focus in on participants' final design projects alongside sessions exploring more areas of life that can be redesigned using  the Permaculture toolkit, such as economics and city living.

We use group work, discussions, videos, slide shows, observation, sit spot, talking circles, guided walks & practical activities as learning methods. These are supportive of different learning styles & for people with learning difficulties. We will also be visiting projects where permaculture theory is being put into action.

Design courses are not just about imparting information to the students, there is plenty of knowledge out there, the important thing is knowing how to use this & feeling confident to do so.

Empowerment is the essence of the course. We will be using practical, experiential and theoretical teaching methods to create a fun, lively & inclusive course. The course culminates in the main design activity that helps to consolidate all of the learning & empower students to take permaculture back into their own homes, lives & community. As a group we will benefit from collaborative learning & from having fun together. We don't expect any previous knowledge & recognise that everyone has their own unique skills, knowledge & areas of interest to bring to the course.