Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning Dynamic Courses, Books, Resources and Tours for Healthy Groups, People and Culture with Robin Clayfield

1’st in the series entitled – Make your own Rules

By Karl Fitzgerald of ‘Grounded’ – Community Land Trust Advocacy.

With Robin Clayfield (Crystal Waters Ecovillage, Qld), Megan James (Tuntable Falls, NSW) and Peter Cook (Moora Moora Ecovillage, Vic)

Here’s a link to the website where there is the 1 1/2 hour recording to watch and also a written transcript.

If you’re interested in Community design and living, particularly the design of governance and decision making, how to live and work together, intentional communities and villages, this is a great resource.

Great initiative by Karl, and he will be doing more…

Robin adapted a quote she wrote some years previously to present at the Deep Ecology Weekend recently.

Here’s the latest version…

“The Great Remembering

It is the time of the Great Remembering…

Remembering as humans that we are part of the Earth. Remembering our nature intelligence as many indigenous cultures still do. Remembering we are part of a symbiotic and amazing ecosystem that bubbles and pulses with life.

Yes, we can remember our hunter-gatherer roots, yet we can still purposefully gather all the tools, resources, courage and companions to connect together for a healthy world.

We are powerful, creative and co-creative beyond measure and we are a tiny speck in the web of life, finding our way back home.

May each speck be a spark of illumination and remembering of our ancient roots and deeply intimate relationship with Earth and all beings…

for a better world.”

– Robin Clayfield

Sept. 2015 UK during a Social Permaculture Course + Revised May 2023

What a delight it was for John Seed to come all this way up to Crystal Waters to offer his weekend Deep Ecology workshop.

Robin Co-facilitated with him and it was a full house with 35 people booked in.

25% of the facilitation fee went to the Rainforest Information Centre to support their work on the Ecuador rainforests campaign.

Here’s a link to John’s Work. https://www.facebook.com/johnseed.deepecology

Here’s a lovely unsolicited email received last week with great things to say about attending Robin’s Creative Facilitators course from back in the mid 90’s.

“Hi Robin,
It was great to see you again and to be at Crystal Waters.
It’s amazing how many years ago it was since we did the courses with you.
After I saw you it occurred to me to say how much influence the ‘Dynamic Groups’ course had on the way I came to eventually facilitate groups myself.

In 1994 I had no expectation of ever doing that but since 2007 I guess I have been facilitating groups!!!

Always therapy or spiritually based, including for a while I taught at the counselling college where I myself trained, Sophia College and I taught Bush Flower essences for Ian White for a while too.
On reflection my surprising ability to do this was certainly inspired by what we did with you 🙂“

Ruth Donnelly. Holistic Counsellor, HeartMind Connections

The last PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) Course at Crystal Waters in March was a hoot with 13 wonderful Participants, some of them with great senses of humour. We laughed a lot, learnt heaps and eat much delicious and nourishing food.

The team that organizes the Co Op fundraiser did an awesome job and people were looked after really well. A highlight is always a field trip to ‘Green Harvest’ with Frances and Jeff Michaels. Also included was a site tour then Hands-on Hot Compost making, Fruit Tree Guild planting and Sheet Mulching at Regeneridge Permaculture Farm.

The final design exercise, which was conducted in five stages over four afternoons and the final presentation morning. Each stage was a step in the process of designing for a real piece of land for one real and one hypothetical client. The results and effort put in by the Participants in their three groups was a credit to their learning and developing skills.

The Celebration night was the ‘best ever’ according to Dawn and Robin who looked after the group for the two weeks.

The next PDC at Crystal Waters is from 13th to 27th August and is already over half full. Here’s a link to look at the information or to book in.

and the Humanitix link to book directly.

Late April saw 350 Permaculture Folks converge on Mt Barker in South Australia for the 16th Australasian/Australian Convergence.

The event had sold out quickly so live streaming of a few of the sessions was made possible. So much great information was offered and shared and the most luscious and locally sourced food was a delight for all.

The most commented on element was that of connection and catching up with old friends and new. A Chai Tent supported the social design of the space and the Waldolf school buildings and environment enhanced the whole experience.

‘The three Robin’s’ shared a cabin together for the event and were together again for the first time in many years. Quite amusing really – Robyn Francis, Robina McCurdy (who was a Robyn) and Robin Clayfield, all wise ‘old’ Permaculture Elders.

Robyn Francis and Robin Clayfield are celebrating 40 years since doing their PDC (Permaculture design Course) together in November.

Robin also ran a two day ‘Social Permaculture’ workshop with Robina McCurdy as one of the Month of Permaculture Festival events, right in the middle of Adelaide at The Joinery in the week after the APC.

Robin also visited the Brookman’s ‘The Food Forest’ in Gawler, which was awesome and such a helpful example of a semi-arid Permaculture farm producing tree crops and education, among a diverse ecosystem.

Many thanks to all the organizer and volunteers of the APC and Festival Events.

Such a special time.

Watch this space to hear when the next one will be, most likely in 2 years time in a different state.