People Centred Facilitator Training

Photo by Bernard Joseph

​Last month I completed a 10-day residential course ‘ People and Permaculture Facilitator Training (FiT)’ run by Looby McNamara and Peter Cow, at Ragman’s Farm in the Forest of Dean. I only heard about the course a few weeks before it was due to commence, but the timing and content seemed to fit perfectly with everything else in my life.
 
Being back at Ragman’s was really special for me. This was the amazing permaculture site where I spent time learning much of my core permaculture knowledge from Patrick Whitefield on his PDC in June 2011,  and then again for a weeks course in Organic Horticulture the following January.
 
The whole FiT course was an incredibly special experience, and perfectly timed to coincide with thinking about my next steps as a permaculture designer.

Here is a summary of some of the many positive outcomes of the training  for me: -
 
Spending the duration of the course getting to know the most fantastic group of social permaculture/people centred  designers and facilitators from all over world – being really motivated by the prospect of continued learning and growing alongside them over the next year, and hopefully much further ahead, through regular online meetings and connections.

The FiT training was a very different style and aspect of permaculture learning from Patrick’s courses. Being there in the same landscape with those connected  experiences  enabled me to further widen understanding I had built up in my Diploma, about the importance of putting people care at the core of any permaculture design, for a design to be be resilient and successful. 

A much more detailed and in-depth understanding of using the Design Web as an intentional process for Social Permaculture/People centred permaculture design.
 
Developing skills, confidence and  knowledge in facilitation – exploring the ability to see how this can be applied to and transferred to work and life situations beyond permaculture focused settings.
 
The creation of the first phase of my  Facilitators/Right Livelihood Pathway as an umbrella design to incorporate several other smaller designs.

The FiT course will run again in November 2016 at Ragmans Farm. See the Thriving Ways website for further links and contact.

Photo by Bernard Joseph