Education

Thanks Javan 🙂 you for your insights. I must say I have much self doubt and get very nervous at times, but this course and your feedback have helped me grow confident in my abilities. I have also signed up for a double helix workshop after what you said in the regional disaster and climate assessment. Thank you so much for all your time and effort!

Thank you for all your great feedback throughout this course, I’ve learned so much and feel like a lot of things have fallen into place after these ten weeks. 🙂

I just wanted to say “thank you” once again…when the course finished today, I went out and walked, walked, almost ran full of energy and a sense of happiness I have experienced many times already since I discovered Permaculture and Permaculture people.

Thanks again for another AMAZING workshop yesterday- I’m always so blown away by your wealth of knowledge!

Javan is a gifted agent for positive change on the planet. As an instructor, he is eloquent, well-rounded, knowledgeable and bright. He is able to adapt to the needs and interests of the participants, and is energetic enough to keep offering ideas and support through break times. As one participant described, Javan channels information to us as from a fire hose.

In the months leading up to the course, circumstances shifted multiple times. Javan remained professional and was able to confer and advise me (as a neophyte organizer) at each turning point. He was generous with time and knowledge on course promotion and building community. In fact, he suggested I run a monthly gathering to begin the process of networking and bringing like minds together. It was a successful endeavour indeed.

When the course finally ran, we had a great turn out of enthusiastic folks whose expectations were met, and surpassed. Javan was able to competently and sensibly channel solid and inspiring information. He subtly adapted it to stakeholders like a local city manager and teachers participating in the course, as well as to drop-in visitors such as our supportive local mayor and a doubtful city councillor.

I will always appreciate his efforts towards the inception of our local urban agriculture community. I look forward to opportunities to cross paths with Javan in the future. My best wishes to him as he continues to follow and share his bliss while encouraging others to do the same.

So, you’ve awaken to the fact that you want to change the world and your not sure what you can do. You’ve just finished a PDC and are ready to hit the ground running. But wait, how do I do that, well, Javan has developed a system that helps you help yourself. When you head out to make change you might want to take inventory of YOU. This is what you would do if you were going to advise someone about there property. Now then lets evaluate Zone 0, YOU.

Javan’s course does this and so much more. The basic questions are: What are you talented at? What brings you joy? What recharges you? This sounds easy to do? It was one of the hardest but most fulfilling exercises I have ever done. This work will help you to have laser focus on fulfilling your life’s passion, purpose and finding your bliss.

Thanks for all you do

The Galiano Conservancy Association contracted Javan as a resource person to help design a permaculture food forest at our Learning Centre site. Javan, in partnership with Richard Walker, facilitated a community design session, developed our site plan and delivered a 2 day workshop on food forest theory followed by a 3 day practicum at our site. Working with Javan is a pleasure, he is professional, passionate, creative and effective in communicating his deep knowledge of permaculture and food forest design. When it came to promoting the workshop and sourcing plants and materials for our site we benefited from Javan’s extensive network of connections in the permaculture community. The workshop received rave reviews from participants, they left energized, inspired and equipped with a solid foundation in food forest theory along with a practical set of skills.

Javan Bernakevitch is an engaging presenter, deeply knowledgeable about the whole field of permaculture and ecological design.  He helped guide our students through the intricacies of mapping and the exciting and oft-neglected arena of translating their newly-developed skills into career opportunities.  He projects great enthusiasm and our students found his participation enriching, inspiring and fun!

Thanks so much,

Starhawk

Javan Bernakevitch began his presentation to a full house promptly at 10:45am. He is a dynamic and energetic speaker. His passion is contagious and he gives a great presentation! His presentation began with a discussion of finding your niche and explaining to us that there is not one true niche. We limit our potential when we try and find just one. “Humans are biodiverse in all ways. Avoid monocropping your life.” It was interesting to hear him talk about perennial polycultures and how that applies to our own personal living systems. Reviewing my notes of each presentation in order to write the article, I can’t help but notice the number of notes and ideas created during Javan’s discussions. He radiates enthusiasm which was conducive to the generation and flow of ideas. It was remarkable.

During the 2013 Teacher’s Training a student, who had particular trouble deciphering their learning style, exclaimed, after Javan’s guest presentation, “Javan is my learning style”.

I was particularly impressed with his teaching a new module he created called Finding your Niche in Permaculture. Using Permaculture design, Javan helps students to match their skills with Permaculture interests to create a personal road map to right livelihood.

He thoroughly knows his material from personal experience and brings a sense of confidence and humor to the classroom setting. I recommend him as an instructor and designer to anyone interested in working with a passionate, capable and innovative individual.