• 'Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning' Creative teachers, Facilitators and Group Leaders Courses

    6 day trainings, shorter workshops and consultancy

  • Robin's Full Re-edited, Reformatted 3rd Edition Book

    Now over 5000 copies sold

  • Robin's New Dynamic Groups Book Due for Release Mid 2016

    Robin's partner Rob Clark has just produced a stunning flier about it

  • Brand New 'Permaculture Principles Card Game'

    PLUS 'Creative Process Wild Cards'

  • Introducing ELFy The Magician to the World

    DaDarrr! Mascot, champion and colourful jigsaw puzzle symbol for Dynamic Groups

  • 'The Love Feast' Dynamic Relationships Retreat and Methodology

    Shorter workshops and private couples sessions available

Recent Posts

Successful Trip to England, Wales and Spain

Robin spent a full 5 weeks in August and September 2015 on an amazingly full and fruitful adventure to UK and Spain, presenting courses in three countries, attending the International Permaculture Conference and Convergence, offering workshops there and also on the core facilitation team for an exciting global Permaculture initiative called Permaculture’s Next Big Step. She came home exhausted yet deeply satisfied at the response to her work and managed to cover the costs of her trip and sell lots of books, manuals and training resources that went home to dozens of different countries. One outcome is invitations to offer her ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ Creative Facilitation and Teacher Training course in something like 7 European countries and the UK again in the middle months of 2017.

PermaMed Creative Facilitation Workshop
One of our hosts in Mallorca with the Paella he made for our lunch

Her trip began in the Mediterranean, on the Spanish island of Mallorca where she was hosted by PermaMed to run a one day Creative Facilitation workshop. RuMi had made the invitation three years previously so it was a joyous day to finally connect these two dynamic women.

Next stop was the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, England to offer ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ as a five day training for dedicated Permaculture people, with Looby Macnamara, author of ‘People and Permaculture’ as her special guest facilitator.

Lammas Eco Village Hub building
The Beautiful ‘Hub’ Community Building at Lammas

A quick trip to Wales saw Robin spend less than two fabulous and very interesting days at Lamas Community, the first legal Eco-village in UK. Robin was there to support her friend Robin McCurdy from NZ present an Earth Nature Spirit Workshop. While there resident and natural house builder Jasmin Dale and Robin celebrated their reconnection after 15 years since Jasmine did her PDC with Robin in Australia.

Social Permaculture in UK with Starhawk, Looby Macnamara, Robina McCurdy, Peter Cow and Robin Clayfield
The Amazing Facilitation Team at the Social Permaculture Course in UK

Back at the Sustainability Center Robin linked up with Starhawk (US), Looby (UK), Robina (NZ) and Peter Cow (UK) to facilitate a five day Social Permaculture course, joined by 40 participants and several staff from the center. Wow! This certainly was a full, rich and powerful time.

Watch some of the highlights here.

The IPC UK (International Permaculture Convergence) attracted people from approximately 60 to 70 countries who spent two days in central London at the Conference and five days in Essex for the Convergence. Highlights for Robin were catching up with many old and new friends, launching her new ‘Permaculture Principles Card Game’ to a very appreciative audience and facilitating with StarHawk, Jennifer English, Andy Goldring and others as the core facilitation team to support Permaculture to be more able to strategically respond to global issues and challenges.

Permaculture and the Next big step
Permaculture’s Next Big Step Initiative with Robin on the Facilitation in UK
Australians at International permaculture Convergence
Many of the Australians at IPC UK

Called Permaculture’s Next Big Step Initiative, Robin greatly enjoyed the culmination of 15 months Skype meetings across several countries in the lead-up and finally being able to weave in many other keen Permaculture practitioners in the five afternoon sessions on topical themes and interests. 

Robin’s trip ended with two relaxing, informative and beautifully hosted days with Jo Barker in Canterbury, recouping and visiting and eating from forest gardens she’d designed and implemented.

Forest Garden feast of Mandala Salad
127 Ingredients for the ‘Mandala Salad’

Jo did an ‘Advanced Permaculture Creative Teachers Facilitation course with Robin and Skye 17 years previously when they were in UK training teachers so this was a great way to reconnect and complete such and awesome journey so many years later. Jo’s speciality is following up with her clients and together picking as many edible salad ingredients as possible to share a meal together. Her previous record was 80 something and on this occasion all records were broken and a massive 127 ingredients were picked from the back yard Forest Garden visited. As you can see from the photo there were many edible flowers and from all accounts the lunch was absolutely delicious.

Seeding Social Permaculture

“Social Permaculture supports People Care and healthy Group Culture”  – Robin Clayfield

Softening the Edges
Social Permaculture and Beyond

There was a special charge in the air and woodland gardens at the Sustainability Centre in the British Countryside. It was here, under the full moon, that a colourful mosaic of people from all ages, languages, cultures and countries was woven together, representing the fabric of the World Community. We met in a circle, bright eyed and open to a creative journey ahead. What followed could not have been known by anyone, not even the facilitators. The Social Permaculture Course emerged through a series of interaction between the core facilitators, a team of apprentices and a host of participants, shaping itself like a permaculture design to the site specific situation, elements and energies, influences and ideas that sprang out of this incredible transformational environment.

At the heart of this new magic was four incredibly powerful and pioneering women of permaculture; Starhawk from the USA, Robina McCurdy from New Zealand, Robin Clayfield from Australia and Looby Macnamara from England. Integrating the male element was Peter Cow, an inspired and inspiring permaculture designer also from the United Kingdom. The facilitators were supported by the ‘elves’, a team of apprentices including JJ, Klaudia, Pauline, Kerry, Jo, Alex, Kym Chi, Dana, Annaliese and Delvin.

Read More below

https://vimeo.com/gaiacraft/socialpermaculture

Our ring gathered together in a beautifully hand crafted wood and canvas classroom lit by a small fireplace, and amongst the woodland surrounding. Amidst the bird songs and sun rays, we had what might be described as a Social Permaculture Experience. The learnings were nested and stacked into each other, we learned about Social Permaculture while we actively lived Social Permaculture in the midst of a fully functional Social Permaculture site.

Our world is made of systems within systems, an interconnected web of life more complex than humanity has the capacity to grasp all at once. Similarly the Social Permaculture journey we took passed through countless processes, discussions, classes, workshops, councils, experiences and learnings, all connected together in many different ways. Our time was full to overflowing with illuminations, touchstones, and moments of realization as well as games, songs, rituals and dances, lit up by lots and lots of laughter.

What we witnessed was indescribable, it was an experience that cannot be described despite a heavy focus on creative note taking alongside video and audio recordings. A series of articles and short micro-videos will emerge from this magical media mosaic to share some shimmering reflections of the territory explored in this truly transformational learning experience. Feels like the course is just the beginning of the learning, a whirlwind of new concepts, tools, processes and understandings which will come to light as we carry them out in our life bundles to people, communities and organizations all over the world.

Social Permaculture is a new wave of activism and inspiration pouring forth from permeable edges of the Permaculture Movement. Those surfing the wave of this evolution can cast an eye towards a hopeful future where all beings and things are cared for. Its up to each of us to make a personal commitment and dedication to play our own part in co-creating the harmonic and healthy future, helping take Social Permaculture beyond the edge and into ‘the everything’.

Looby Macnamara designedvisions.co.uk
Robin Clayfield dynamicgroups.com.au/about-us/
Starhawk starhawk.org
Robina McCurdy earthcare-education.org
Peter Cow livingincircles.com
Sustainability Centre sustainability-centre.org
Permaculture Publications permanentpublications.co.uk

Text : Delvin Solkinson
Photos and Media : Dana Wilson
Team : Annaliese Hordern and Kym Chi
gaiacraft.com

 

‘Permaculture Principles Card Game’ Feedback

The amazing Delvin Solkinson from Canada just sent this photo and feedback about using Robin Clayfield’s new ‘Permaculture Principles Card Game’ with his groups. Permaculture Principles Card Game

“I so love the amazing new permaculture principles game from the visionary amazitude of Robin Clayfield.

Its a key booster for bringing creativity, fun and intelligence to learning” Delvin Solkinson   http://gaiacraft.com/

Heart Permaculture

Permaculture is part of a world wide transformation of human consciousness emerging through the growing awareness of the ecological crisis, its causes and solutions. By applying ecological principles to education, Robin Clayfield has revitalized permaculture learning and teaching. Her creative design methods, transformative mentoring and eldering, as well as learning tools and books have uplifted and empowered thousands around the world.

This is the second in a short series of permaculture life stories told by a series of Permaculture Pioneers at a historic Social Permaculture course at the Sustainability Centre in the UK.

https://vimeo.com/gaiacraft/heartpermaculture

“We all grow each other up” – Robin Clayfield

Robin Clayfield dynamicgroups.com.au/

Thanks to Dana Wilson, Delvin Solkinson and the dynamic Gaiacraft Team, Robin Clayfield’s life grab, entitled ‘Heart Permaculture’ is now available for you to look at. Robin was invited to be interviewed on camera and the outcome is four short video clips plus this one, presented to a 45 person audience during the Social Permaculture Course in UK last September. Can you tell there are 45 people watching? It’s also way there’s no direct eye contact with the camera as she’s scanning and speaking to the whole audience.

Filming : Dana Wilson
Envoy : Delvin Solkinson
Gaiacraft Team : Kym Chi and Annaliese Hordern
gaiacraft.com

 

Other videos by the Gaiacraft Team about Robin’s work and thoughts can be seen on the Video’s page

Dynamic Groups and Creative Facilitation

Future Permaculture

and the Seeding Social Permaculture Slide Show to Music from the course in UK, September 2016

Enjoy and share if you’d like to show others and support Robin’s work.

Brand New ‘Permaculture Principles Card Game’ Launched

Robin Clayfield’s ‘NEW Permaculture Principles Card Game’ is now complete, finished, edited, proofed, dressed up with amazing art and design, printed, collated and now available. It was launched internationally at IPC UK (International Permaculture Convergence) in September. FaceBook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/469474966546675/

The set is a card-matching game for teaching and learning the latest Permaculture Principles and Ethics and comprises 80 A6 full colour cards and a fold-out booklet. Robin Clayfield Permculture card game

It incorporates David Holmgren’s updated principles with the original principles and icons by Richard Telford and David Holmgren.

It includes photographs, mind maps, key principles, explanations, solution map and instruction booklet.

It’s an interactive tool for engaging all learning styles and enables ‘speaking and doing’.

It expands on the understanding of Social Permaculture and introduces the 4th Ethic, Spirit Care.

With thanks to Rob Clark for beautiful art and design work and Eve Witney for amazing editing and InDesign skills.

Thanks also to Skye who together with Robin created the 1st ever ‘Permaculture Principles Card Game’ over 20 years ago.

The set is printed and produced on the Sunshine Coast in Q’ld and packaged in a 100% cardboard box using soy based inks.

Thanks everyone who’s supported and encouraged the journey and may this resource support teachers and facilitators of Permaculture to make the learning journey more fun, successful and memorable and may more people learn Permaculture easily.

Dynamic Groups and Creative Facilitation

Video : Dynamic Groups and Creative Facilitation with Robin Clayfield 

 

 
With new understandings of learning and intelligence, the way we approach education and decision making processes is evolving. The realization that creativity and dynamic facilitation is more successful in supporting learners to cultivate an applied understanding implies a whole system redesign for education and governance. Robin Clayfield has dedicated her life to teaching and facilitating groups while pioneering applications for holistic and multi-sensory learning and interactive educational methods. She teaches courses, facilitates groups, offers books and cds, and has a variety of educational card games, resources and learning kits. 
 
Film produced by Dana Dana S Wilson http://gaiacraft.com
Robin Clayfield http://dynamicgroups.com.au
envoy : Delvin Solkinson 
Team : Kym Chi and Annaliese Hordern
http://gaiacraft.com
Filmed on Location at the Sustainability Centre
http://sustainability-centre.org