PDC – Permaculture Design Certificate course for peace activists and youth workers
5th until 18th of November 2021
Bozevce, Kosovo
GAIA Kosovo is inviting you to apply for a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course which will take place in Kosovo, in Bozevce village, from 5th until 18th of November 2021. This PDC is part of the 3PEAS – Permaculture as a path to peace project supported by the EU-funded Erasmus+ programme and is only open for members of the organizations who are partners in this project. There are only 15 places available! The next PDC course will be organized in Spring 2022.
Permaculture was created in the 1970’s by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist and University of Tasmania professor. He had spent many years out in nature as a wildlife biologist observing how natural systems work and became very distressed at the destruction that he saw going on around him. He decided that instead of being angry about what was happening and reacting against the destruction he wanted to work on creating a positive solution and he thought the solution would be living based on the patterns he had observed in nature.
Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture studies and applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.
WHAT IS PDC?
The Permaculture Design Certificate course is a 72-hour training experience. Participants who complete the full curriculum earn the internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate :). It provides an introduction to permaculture design as set forth by the movement’s co-founder Bill Mollison.
The course covers sustainable living systems for a wide variety of landscapes and climates. It includes the application of permaculture principles to food production, home design & construction, energy conservation and generation, and explores the social and economic structures that support a culture that cares for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The main topics of this PDC will be the following:
- the state of society and the environment, and what is permaculture
- permaculture ethics and principles
- soil analysis and soil quality improvement, composting, composting teas, malching
- reading landscapes, plant communities and succession
- growing of food in permaculture – gardening, farms, forest gardens, animals
- water – water in the landscape, water collection, purification and recycling of wastewater
- energy in permaculture – efficiency and simple passive technology, and renewable solutions (sun, wind, biomass …)
- sustainable construction – efficient construction of natural materials
- permaculture movement
- social permaculture
- permaculture design techniques
- practical design exercise – the last three days of the course, the participants create a permaculture design for the projects of their choice
an example of a permaculture design
WHO SHOULD APPLY FOR THIS PDC?
- youth workers, peace activists, staff and members of 3PEAS partner organizations or their local groups,
- very interested in permaculture, but
- also very interested in building a just and fair society,
- motivated to organize follow up activities,
- ready to get out of their comfort zone, to share the living space with at least 15 other people from different countries,
- ready and willing to share daily tasks for house maintaining,
- ready to travel by environmentally friendly means of transport and to eat environmentally friendly food for 12 days without complaining 🙂 – vegan and vegetarian,
- not interested in just another training course, travel to Kosovo, having just another point in their CV and similar,
- 18 or more years old 🙂
This is a serious thing :), therefore, we are expecting from participants to get prepared, to get into the world of permaculture, to practice and share permaculture after the course…
HOW TO APPLY?
Fill in the application form (available HERE) by 20th of October 2021. GAIA Kosovo and the sending organization will select participants, who will be informed about the selection results by 15th of October.
Important practical notes:
- participants are expected to arrive on 5th in the afternoon and depart on 18th in the morning (one or two day longer stay is possible)
- there is participation fee and maximum amount for travel reimbursements (see below)
- visa costs will be reimbursed fully,
- travel should be done by environmentally friendly means, if possible.
The PDC course is a very valuable experience for which we introduced a symbolic participation fee. The size of the fee is up to you and on the scale between 60 and 95 euro.
VENUE
The training will take place in Bozevce village, where GAIA is developing an educational program for permaculture and natural building. The place is still under (natural) construction, thus it represents a good example of a place which is being built with the help of international and local volunteers, experts and friends. Participants will be in shared rooms. Food will be vegan and vegetarian options, mainly local products, very healthy and super tasty. There are cold and hot showers ☺, composting toilets, plenty of trees and fields, and many animals such as dogs, cats, chickens, geese and bees.
The village is situated in the Eastern part of Kosovo, close to Kamenica. There are around 50 people living there, no shop, no school nor a bar.
In this table you can see partner organizations and maximum amount for travel reimbursment. Visa costs for participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. PCR/Antigen tests for not vaccinated participants will not be reimbursed. However, if this is an obstacle for your participation, please let us know.
| GAIA, Kosovo | 20 |
| PVN, Albania | 180 |
| VCV, Serbia | 180 |
| EEG, Serbia | 180 |
| Nesto vise, B&H | 180 |
| Klub finih zanata, Serbia | 180 |
| Kalen, Macedonia | 20 |
| ADP ZID, Montenegro | 180 |
| Bugday, Turkey | 275 |
| ZMAG, Croatia | 275 |
| SCI, Italy | 275 |
| SCI, France | 275 |
| SCI, Germany | 275 |
| SCI Catalunya, ES | 275 |
| CVS, Bulgaria | 180 |
| Voluntariat Slovenia | 275 |
| Paradiso Ritrovato, Italy | 275 |
For more information about the course, please write to [email protected]
