It feels like we only just started 2023, but all of a sudden there's Christmas decorations for sale in the shops and I'm eyeing a certain pine tree on Green Duck Farm to bring home for Christmas in a couple of months.
The year 2023 has been an interesting one for PEA. Emotionally difficult, with lots of doors closing and new ones opening. The next year will see an entirely different Permaculture Educators Alliance.
We started in 2018 as a group of three friends: Marina (Eduveg), Fiona (Gaia Permaculture) and myself, Martina (Dandelion Permaculture). Together we took on the daunting project of organising and teaching a full Permaculture Design Course. What was scary in the beginning and admittedly included more than a few tears, ended up being lots of fun. We taught over ten PDCs together and added a Certificate III and IV to our courses in partnership with Skills Strategies International.
Look at those big smiles in 2019:
This year has seen major changes at the Permaculture Educators Alliance though. Marina has retired from PEA to be able to look after her mother and grandchildren. Fiona is now a sustainability officer with the City of Stirling. And the partnership with Skills Strategies International is coming to an end, so we will put the accredited training on hold for now. I am grateful for the time I had with my co-founders and the courses we taught together.
Is there even still an Alliance left then? YES! There are quite a few courses and collaborations with other teachers planned for 2024. So, this is the last PEA left standing for now - Martina minus the long hair (another big change this year):
I will be teaching with Amy (Grow Girl) on the Advanced Permaculture Course and Rod (Leafcutter Permaculture) on the Permaculture Living Course. The Online PDC will see guest appearances of many local permaculture and sustainability teachers and practitioners. In permaculture, we value collaboration over competition, and together we will bring many great courses to Perth and the Wheatbelt.
Grow Girl and Dandelion have been learning new building skills this year, so watch out for workshop collaborations popping up in that space.
All in all, it's going to be an exciting time with lots of new ventures, even if I will miss Fiona and Marina dearly.
So, go ahead and check out our courses. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to know about new workshops and collaborations. And subscribe to our very new newsletter if you want to stay informed.
And whatever you do, don't buy any Christmas stuff yet!!
Martina
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