European Diploma in Permaculture

These are the various (but very similar) systems now being used to assess people for their permaculture diploma in Europe:

Slovakia and Czech Republic

Process for getting Diplomas

The diploma is given to a person after fulfilling all required conditions. The purpose of the diploma is to spread permaculture on a professional level of designing and teaching. It is given on a specific “field” of permaculture for the done work and moral irreproachableness according to permaculture ethics.

It is given to a person who has been working intensively for a time of min. 2 years /after finishing the full design course (has a certificate)/ on spreading permaculture in a specific category (on a specific field). This person must be an active member of PK CS Association (paying 19 € per year) for a min. time of two years (also in a year that she/he asks for a diploma); he/she is reachable (staying in contact) and he/she actively works within Association.

Formal requirements

- an applicant must choose the appropriate category /field of permaculture work/ in which he/she applies for a diploma

- An applicant chooses a teacher, who is already a diploma holder, with whom helps the applicant works for a diploma for a time of min. 2 years. This teacher then defends the applicant in front of other active members of PK CS during convergence.

- Intensively works on a project in specific category; he makes reports, documentation (photos, designs) about the done work and adds information to a permaculture curriculum

- In a year when he/she applies for a diploma he/she sends a formal application to the Council of PK CS with a filled permaculture curriculum (personal information, finished courses, all the activities connected to permaculture and specific category). The application must be send min. 1 month before the convergence.

Documentation - 1 original (stays in the country where he applies for diploma) and 1 copy (copy goes to the other country). On a cover must be: name of a person, category (field of permaculture). The permaculture curriculum must be also a part of documentation. Documentation is a written document (evidence) proving the min. 2 years works in permaculture.

Defending the diploma

- the Council of PK CS accepts the application with PC curriculum and submit it at the closest convergence meeting

- an applicant must be present at the meeting

- an applicant can use different form of defending the project (DVD, PPP, maps, photos, 3D models etc.)

- his teacher gives a testimony that an applicant has fulfilled / has not fulfilled given requirements for the specific category and PC ethics

- other diploma holders present at the meeting can give their opinions about the applicant’s work and PC behaviour

- the present active members (who have right to vote) vote FOR/AGAINST the conceding the diploma for an applicant (they might / not have to/ give a reason for their opinion)

If the majority votes FOR the diploma: an applicant becomes the diploma holder. He is given the written certificate and the title written behind his surname Anna Konckova, DPD. Diploma holder fills in a questionnaire for the Book of designers.

After getting the diploma the person can – independently design, teach courses (after being at least 1 time a Learning teacher (a teacher at the course of other PC teacher with the praxis), present permaculture in front of public on all level of society

If majority votes AGINST: an applicant can apply for a diploma on the next convergence, on the European or International convergence, in other country that has academy.

The book of designers: has two part / a book of diploma holders, a book of PC project/

This book serves mostly for public as a document that helps to choose appropriate teacher for the PC course.

There are 12 categories for diploma + 13th category - a universal soldier. It is specific category combining other categories together, so the applicant can defend not just specific field of his work but whole life with permaculture / working in PK CS, working with public, designing, teaching et./

The Nordic Permaculture Institute

see "The Convergence Method" up at TonyDiplConvergence.doc

which is one of the 5 documents presented by Tony at IPC8

France

L'Université Populaire de Permaculture

Version française disponible au site de l'Université.

http://www.permaculturefrance.com

Diplôme de Permaculture ____

Using either a mentor from the Université or passing into the Compagnons de Permaculture apprenticeship scheme a student can continue from a Permaculture design course towards the Diplôme de Permaculture. This involves 2 years minimum work and the presentation at an accreditation event of their 'masterpiece°' and their syllabus/format they would use for leading a PDC. These events have at least 2 Diploma holders present and a group of Diploma students. They are organised by the Université who undertake to present these projects on its website. The Diploma pathway/mentoring and Compagnon system are free, a part of the "give away surplus" ethic of permaculture.

The areas for potential accrediation, given in the Designers manual are the ones used, with the addition of a category of "health and well-being", here a students work in developing Permauclture systems and designs dealing with health-care, body-use, childbirth, nutrition etc can be recognised.

The standard required:____

A Diploma holder will be capable of doing a complete design with schedule of implementation and maintenance and finance strategy. They will also be capable, even though they never may, of teaching and leading a 72 hr Permaculture Design Course, guiding a student through the 2 year Diploma process and assessing work for accreditation

The criteria____

Develop a structure with their tutor-designer for their subsequent 2 years of experiential learning.

Undertake 12 designs for different sites, preferentially for different climatic areas, these will not necessarily have been installed but demonstrate a capacity to produce professional designs.

Complete one major design in detail and undertake its installation, this might not be completed but will be well underway.

Make contributions to the promption and development of Permaculture in general, for example being active with local groups and projects, creating them where needed, undertaking work for the national Association or the Université. Site design works would also accompany this area.

So, in general a student will undertake many Permaculture orientated activities and learning, they will document the entire 2 year process accompanied where possible wth photographs, film, texts etc, they will, with the helpof their tutor-deigner organise their materials to best demonstrate their ability to design professionally, peresnt that design work clearly, lead a Design course, assess the work of others and become a tutor-designer.

Assessment __

For those who consider that they have sufficient experience and knowledge (and have completed a PDC+ a subsequent 6 months of project work) to shortcut the full Diploma scheme there is an assessment system where they can pre-present their work to at least 2 Diploma holders, should these decide that the required standard is shown said person can pass onto the next accreditation event.

Les Compagnons de Permaculture ____

This involves a Tour de France/world of Permaculture sites who agree to participate with the apprenticeship system and have a Diploma holder in residence who also has at least 5 years of practical project experience. The apprentice works out a Tour which will take them to the projects most relevant to their chosen areas of specialisation. After at least 2 years thay can present their masterpiece° and PDC format/syllabus to a normal accreditation event. The pathway can be worldwide, the Université will, in October 2008, be asking Designers to apply to become hosts and Compagnon masters to the Compagnon apprentices.

Accreditation events.____

These are organised by the Université and the Association, they follow a 72 hr design course and will be over 3 days with many other activities going on, time and space is given over to each presentation on the main stage. In August 2009 the event will be in the Burgundy area of France

°A masterpiece is a the work produced by an apprentice to show they have developed mastery of their chosen field, generally for the Diploma these will be a collection of apprenticepieces which are the works completed during the 2 years.

http://www.permaculturefrance.com

UK System

Diploma Work Net ... UK Association site:

http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=educationdiploma

CriteriaUKDiploma < put here in case they move again!

• A resource page with dowloadable documents sent by Angus: www.letsgo.u-net.com/permaculture/EuPC9/**

Spain System

There are two diploma-system 'nodes' available in Spain, both

adopting the CriteriaUKDiploma so far (here up in Spanish: http://institutodepermacultura.pbwiki.com/Diploma )

One is through Permacultura Montsant, with Richard Wade and Inez Sanchez, using the UK System.

The other is through Nodo Espiral of the Permaculture Academy, see TeachersPage (in spanish CI site) for people currently working together on this.

using a new system based on 'chaordic working' and aiming at getting the portafolios up on the web (what originated this pilot for the chaordic institute) in order to:

1. more effectively share emerging knowledge base
2. use the process and the materials of the portafolios for peer-learning (there can be private as well as public parts)
3. in order to do peer-assessment more effectively (less need to travel, less administration)
4. make diploma quality and standards transparent and easily verifiable for anyone
5. make diplomats and their work more widely known and accessible to their world-wide colleague and the public in general
6. assist in making a lot clearer to all what 'design' is about in practice, it´s process and methodology, as well as possible results

This method closely resembles the "The Convergence Method" up at TonyDiplConvergence.doc adopted by the Nordic Institute, using new technologies instead of (only) live convergences. One early prototype for such an 'electronic portafolio was the diploma work of Aranya and we are hoping they will become the norm in future, for all the above reasons.

One trial "designs book" for the action-learning students at Finca Luna is starting here: http://fincalunawiki.pbwiki.com/

And diploma students are expected to add links and documents with their profile page on the Spanish Ch Institute site (the profile page acting as an index page of their portafolio)

We don´t turn down anyone who wishes to submit their diploma in a different way, we just have to ensure we have the available resources for supporting the person's situation, so each candidate is assessed individually.

Germany

Description of German Diploma pathway

Others

hopefully the EuropeAcademies group will encourage more contacts with other Nodes of the PC Academy in Europe

and then we can extend this list here

.