permaculture

[Skye <skye@tortuga.com>]

Workshop "Towards Sustainable Community"   -    Tools for the Future

Valle de Bravo, State of Mexico, Mexico.  October 29-31

This year marks the end of a century unprecedented in human history. The
rate of change in technology has been staggering. And accompanying these
technological changes has been massive environmental and social
destruction. Our planets ability to support the human species is being
threatened. Species loss is accelerating. While cultural and social
destruction are creating larger and ever urban slums, more and more
poverty.

Despite massive financial investments and the application of our
wondrous technology, poverty continues to grow rapidly. We can now
modify the very building blocks of life itself, explore outer space,
look into the secrets of the atom, but we cannot supply a stable food
system for almost one third of our people.

It would seem that more technology is the last thing we now need.
Certainly a greater money supply has never achieved its supposed results
in combating poverty.  What is now needed most, are methods of social
reconstruction. The key issues we must face are the organization of
families, communities, our society, our culture.

The one technology we do need now, is that of co-operation,  of social
planning, of creating truly sustainable communities. Communities which
support and nurture all its habitants, in all their needs - physical,
emotional, intellectual and spiritual.

Some technologies have been developed and tested along these directions.
The workshop "Towards Sustainable Community" (October 29 -31) will give
participants a change to learn and experience some of these new ideas.

Facilitated by Skye (Australia) and Cristina Mendoza (Mexico), this
workshop is directed at people seeking to form new communities, those
working within existing communities, development promoters and planning
professionals. The workshop will offer a unique blend of Participatory
Rural Appraisal (UK, Africa), Development Planning for Real (UK) and
Holistic Goal Setting (USA). The emphasis will be on exploring, using
and experiencing processes to assess the reality of a community, on
community-wide planning processes, on developing workable action plans
and on-going evaluation programs.

The methodology of the workshop is interactive and experiential.
Participants must be able to commit to attend the whole workshop.
Part-time or casual observers are not part of this process.

The workshop is to be held at "La Madriguera" a small organic ranch in
the beautiful mountains that surround Valle de Bravo, in the State of
Mexico. If needed, international participants can be met at Mexico City
Airport.

To attend you will need to bring an open, active curiosity, a
willingness to enjoy yourself while you  work on new concepts, a sense
of play, an old hat, a used jacket, your own sleeping bag, three days
worth of commitment and 600 pesos ($65US).

For further information, contact Cristina Mendoza (Tel Mex 55390716,
e-mail mendozacristina@hotmail.com) or Skye (e-mail  skye@tortuga.com).

{Anyone interested in the concepts of Permaculture may also be
interested in two other events being held in nearby areas around the
same time. 
"The Advanced Permaculture Course for Teaching Facilitators" (Oct 19 -
24) is open to anyone with an interest in teaching Permaculture or
environmental education, using creative, interactive and participative
methods. Another intensive, but fun experience.
"Permaculture Design Certificate Course" (Nov 6 - 13)  - the
internationally recognized curricula of the Permaculture movement.

Both these courses will be held at GRUPEDSAC, at Piedra Grande,
Huixilucan, State of Mexico, and will be facilitated by Skye. The
GRUPEDSAC center offers many examples of eco-technologies, such as
ferrocement, rammed-earth construction, solar food drying, mushroom
production, water harvesting, integrated animal forage systems and many
more}

-- 
Skye - Apdo # 391,  Patzcuaro, Michoacan, CP. 61600 México. 
fax  (52) 01 (434) 24743
http//www.ciceana.org.mx/permacultura
Profesor y diseñador en Permacultura
Director del Instituto de Permacultura de México A.C.
Talleres de desarrollo humano, planeación participativa y 
economía comunitaria.