Group Diploma Adventure (Online)
Online program for those doing
a Diploma in Permaculture
Course Start Dates
- Next intake February 2024
Facilitators:
Location:
Online - Welcoming people from around the world.
Course Description
An adventure in learning and designing. Join like minded people to build momentum, activate creativity, get support and have fun completing Diploma designs.
The Diploma in Permaculture is an advanced programme that follows the PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate). For your diploma you create a portfolio of designs. This will give you a strong grounding in permaculture design and develop your skills as a designer.
This group diploma adventure will support you to complete a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design with the Permaculture Association or The Peoples Diploma with the Permaculture Institute.
To learn more about the Permaculture Diploma programs go to
- Permaculture Association UK Diploma www.diploma.permaculture.org.uk
- Permaculture Institute Diploma www.permaculture.org/diploma
During the first 6 months you will be guided to design, do and document 2 designs. On completion of these designs you will receive a Foundation Diploma certificate. You can renew your commitment to this group adventure every 6 months as you work through all the Diploma designs.
As part of the programme you will participate in the CEED - Cultural Emergence Effective Design course (with Looby Macnamara, Jon Young and CEED team) starting in Jan 2023.
Inspire your learning journey to become a better designer of life and livelihood, home and garden, relationships and community. Apply the tools of Permaculture and Cultural Emergence to unlock the next level of your life including any projects you want to focus on. A practical opportunity to develop Permaculture and Cultural Emergence skills, moving you forward on your Diploma designs with an uplifting group of collaborators.
Join Looby Macnamara, one of the co-founders and developers of the Cultural Emergence toolkit, Design Web and 7 Ways to Think Differently. Highly experienced with in-person and online facilitation, she brings a unique set of tools to support your journey as a designer. She is a Senior Diploma Tutor with the Permaculture Association and prolific teacher at Applewood Permaculture Centre. Her videos, podcasts, books, and courses have uplifted people all over the world.
Accompanied by Delvin Solkinson, co-creator of Visionary Permaculture at CoSM as well as the Permaculture Design Deck, Game and Notes. With 20 years of permaculture teaching and facilitation experience, Delvin shares a growing design toolkit with creativity and passion. He is the Diploma Program Coordinator for the Permaculture Institute and a Diploma Tutor with the Permaculture Association. His articles, videos, books and tools are all offered freely as downloads online.
- Design Skills and Literacy
- Tools for successful decision making
- An experiential understanding of the Cultural Emergence toolkit
- An advanced understanding of the permaculture design toolkit.
- Ways of goal setting and working to completion
- How to learn and facilitate learning
- To develop and share your gifts
- Learn about yourself as a designer
Course Structure
- Every other month there will be an inspiring 2 hour group call on zoom on the 2nd Monday of every other month
- Online meetups with a peer support Learning Guild
- Online course site with material to go through at your own pace (this will evolve as we go through and focus on the needs of the group) and a forum for comments and connecting with the group
- 3 hour design assessment including 1 hour one-on-one with assessor (this will be for 2 designs every 6 months)
- 1 hour long Personal Design Tutorial one-on-one with your choice of either Looby Macnamara or Delvin Solkinson
- Support to complete diploma designs
Course Content
- Design tools, methods, frameworks and processes of Permaculture
- Principles and core routines of Cultural Emergence
- Core concepts for ecological literacy
- Collaborating & co-creating & successfully working in groups
- Design practice
- Create and share designs
- Meet regularly to share progress and build momentum
Resources
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Worksheets & activities
- Articles
Inspirational, supportive and evolutionary course culture that uplifts and motivates participants.
Being held by a grounding group taking action in their own lives by doing a Diploma
Supportive learning community
“Give and receive encouragement”
Flexibility and acceptance
Chance to “plan then flow” with our designs
- Inspiration & momentum
- Confidence as decision maker and designer
- Support to complete the Diploma
- An expanded design toolkit
- A deeper working understanding of Cultural Emergence
- More agility using the Permaculture design toolkit
- The experience of learning together in community
- New friendships
- Opportunity to share the journey inspiringly with supportive, like minded people
- Chance to reflect about your life and future, considering new possibilities
The course is for anyone doing a Diploma with the Permaculture Association or Permaculture Institute that want to be part of a Group Diploma Adventure including online meetups.
It is open to those just signing up for the diploma, and those that want to begin with the Foundation Diploma of 2 designs. It is also open to anyone who has been enrolled in the diploma for a while and wish to have some support to complete.
It is for anyone who wants to deepen their commitment to permaculture, their own self development, and making the planet a better place.
Prerequisites for enrollment - you need to have completed your PDC Permaculture Design Course to enroll in the diploma.
During this programme you will also be enrolled in the CEED (Cultural Emergence Effective Design) course, which will begin your design journey. For details of the CEED course see here
"I immediately got excited when Looby and Delvin introduced the idea of a Group Diploma Adventure! Growing towards my Permaculture Diploma not as a lonely desk activity in dark winter months, but an adventure! With like minded people! The possibility to connect and cooperate and learn also from each other. This adventure gives me the feeling that there is a flow or natural pace of things and that I am not the only one being responsible for this flow." - Barbara Scheltus - van den Berg
www.bogatasuma.eu"Being part of the Group Diploma Adventure gives me momentum and inspiration on my diploma journey. I feel hugely supported and grateful; engaging with the group, the tutors and the design processes help in manifesting my vision of integrating connection, wholeness, play, and creativity in my work and life. The many gifts each step of the way, and the excitement as to what the journey ahead might hold, lifts my spirit." - Helene Bohler
www.permakultur.no“Deep immersion in the Group Diploma Adventure and it's Design Web processes make my life more flowing with ease and grace. Weaving and connecting all the Design Web anchor points nourishes all aspects of my life. It supports me to be more productive, optimizing my fullest potential with creativity. The program helps me conscientiously live in harmony with others and more than human world in my day-to-day living in order to better achieve my goals. I am becoming more aware and discovering more of my self; my patterns and dynamics, thoughts and actions. This anchors and guides me along the process of manifesting effective design through action in health, wellness and well-being. The Group Diploma Adventure creates a container of group coaching that is very beneficial. It is cost-effective, powerful in reaching more people, and creates collaborations in participatory design, a great opportunity to journey with other apprentices as part of a learning guild.”
- Dharlyn Gomez"Thank you so much to Looby for your generosity, wisdom and support over my Diploma journey. The whole process has been transformative, and your guidance has been quietly present throughout. Thank you also for the opportunities to ‘come into the light’, and the encouragement to move more deeply into work with Cultural Emergence. The process has been one of creative rediscovery - and affirmation of the radical interconnectivity of all things. Thank you for your insight, youramazing vision, and your kindness along the way.Kate Gathercole“I really appreciate Delvin’s way of teaching and I truly believe it is his gift. Delvin brings ritual together with deep learning. I always come away from a class motivated by his passion, impeccable choice of words and the skillful ways in which he engages others. I feel honoured to learn from him!”Sarita Moody www.somlanddesign.com"Looby's fluency in design tools and frameworks were a vital key to me completing the diploma effectively and deepening my permaculture practice and later work. Looby's grounded expertise and creative insight, means she is an excellent mentor for supporting you to use the diploma process to maximise your productive edges."
Logistics
Facilitators & Venue

Delvin Solkinson is a community gardener, student and teacher from British Columbia, Canada. He has done a PDC, Diploma and Masters Degree with Bill Mollison, a Doctorate with Larry Santoyo, 2 other Diplomas, 13 teacher trainings & 13 advanced courses. Diploma Program Co-ordinator at Permaculture Institute, Diploma Tutor with Permaculture Association and currently pursuing a Post-Doc in Permaculture Education. Delvin lives and works at CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors with his beloved wife Grace, collaborating to create free learning and teaching tools, write articles and make videos.
www.pemaculturedesign.earth and www.visionarypermaculture.com
Applewood Permaculture Centre
Applewood is home to Looby and family. We have a stunning 20 acre smallholding. We are in our early days of setting up permaculture gardens and demonstrations. We have a variety of indoor spaces as well as a marquee in the orchard as an outdoor classroom in good weather.
There are many beautiful, diverse habitats here, with much mystery and magic and opportunities for deep nature connection.