Tag Archives: Community

Passionate Italian Permaculture woman, mother and PDC Diploma Assessor Barbara Garofoli hosted Robin in the little Swiss alpine village of La Forclaz last year to offer her ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ 6 day training for Permaculture people from across Switzerland and also to follow this by facilitating a Wise Women’s Wisdom Weekend. The experience of being at 1300 meters for two weeks in a traditional village with the venue being a delightful old school building was a big highlight of Robin’s three month European tour. The course was definitely one of the best ever, and that’s certainly saying something, with every participant giving outstanding feedback at the end and so inspired and on fire to take the inspiration and many learnings back to their groups and work places. The food was outstanding and created by Barbara’s mum Antonella from Italy. She brought with her home dried herbs including specially grown …

Robin was delighted to re-visit Lebensgarten after 19 years and be hosted by the amazing 82 year old Declan Kennedy for her ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ course and then have some gentle time off for a few days, including witnessing a ‘Global Water Dance’ and receiving a visit from Queensland friend Kestral who’s now living in Netherlands. Lebensgarten is one of the original three EcoVillages that started off the GEN (Global EcoVillage Network) along with Crystal Waters Permaculture Village, (Robin’s home in South East Queensland) and The Farm in Tennessee. One of the ‘Glue’ aspects of the 32 year old community, established in a cluster of old disused WW II barracks, is Circle Dancing which happens every Saturday and Sunday morning and on weekdays if there are courses or gatherings running. Declan’s leading of the dances during the course was energizing and empowering as well as promoting health of the …

by Mandy Merklein 9/6/17 on FaceBook A big thank you to Robin Clayfield for her time here on Mallorca, six workshops, PDC support, over 60 participants and sharing loads of information and materials on dynamic groups, decision-making and facilitation! In addition we shared fun, gardening, sailing, sunsets, garden meals and inspiring stories. Thanks to all the workshop participants for your creative involvement, and to Ana Digon for your amazing translation, and Miquel Ramis of Artifex Balear for co-hosting. And thanks to the PermaMed and Escola Kumar team and Bruce and Elias Robson for your support! Robin left us with lots of ideas and resources to share. Today Robin heads off to continue her tour in Europe. We highly recommend her upcoming workshops- for more information see https://dynamicgroups.com.au. Locally on Mallorca Ana Digon will be offering a follow up workshop on dynamic groups June 14 at the Biogranja La Real.   …

An invitation from the Education Team at Braziers Park Community enticed Robin to the experimental group work and social research community in South Oxfordshire for four days. This completed her stay in UK. Members were interested to participate in a ‘Dynamic Decision Making’ one day workshop and Robin also encouraged some community cross pollination by giving a presentation about ‘Crystal Waters Permaculture Village’ on her last evening there. The community is housed in a small Gothic style castle, quite an extraordinary building that was originally a farm house built in 1688 and extended with the Gothic turret type wings in 1799. The community has a large Permaculture garden and hosts many volunteers, workshops, seminars and four festivals a year including WOOD which Robin was luck enough to participate in on her first day there. Each day the community has a half hour morning circle where people share anything they feel …

by Erin Young The Brus Ecovillage ‘Village Development Program’ (VDP) guides 120 people through Ecovillage design education for five weekends over 12 months.  As part of the facilitation team currently bringing this potent curriculum to an enthusiastic group of future Ecovillage residents, it has not only felt natural but also very necessary to utilise ‘Dynamic Groups’ processes to support the content to be fully conveyed and received. Small group work is an effective way to navigate a group of this size to support the intention for robust individual and group engagement.  Grouping processes have been essential, energising, and connective.  The group is invited to mill about each other, sharing smiles and recognition, having them bopping to fun lively music in the background.  They are invited to connect “five right thumbs” to which the group excitingly scurries to create.  They ’are back to milling about as the next instruction comes through. …

Almost all of us work, create, meet, play, volunteer or live in groups of some kind. They might be environmental groups, political branches, and local interest or lobby groups. They may be sporting teams, work places, families or housing buddies. Learning, teaching or facilitation teams, exercise classes and school grades are all groups with their own special features. Think about a group that you spend most time with or that you’re very passionate about or intimately connected to in some way. Then do this simple activity of brainstorming all the things you put into the group on one side of a page and all that you receive from being part of the group on the other side, a little like the photographic example. You could also do this activity for the group as a whole. What are all the energies, resources, skills, needs, money, time, legalities, support etc that go …