Education

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.

It’s a pleasure and a privilege to meet someone who lives, breathes, and loves what they teach so completely. Javan’s approach to permaculture is rooted in experience – it’s gritty, practical, authentic, profound, and very often hilarious. No matter how much or little we knew about permaculture when we arrived, Javan had a way of meeting us where we were with exactly the right lesson or demo or story to help us take it to the next level. I left every single one of his classes feeling deeply inspired and better equipped to live creatively and skillfully in this world. Much gratitude!

Since leaving school I have been taught by numerous teachers and instructors in the german forces, at scuba/sky diving and sailing. In each case I became an instructor myself. I attended University in England and later had the chance to go back there to teach journalism and filmmaking after many years of working for the BBC all over the world. Out of all those tutors three also became my mentors. Albeit only having Javan as my permaculture teacher for 6 weeks, he is one of them. Javan does not stop teaching when the class is over. His integrity, demeanour and total honesty enriched my life every time he was present. And present he is! Clear, sharp, focused, utterly reliable. He turned up for every class well on time and perfectly prepared. Who needs Wikipedia when Javan is around? However, instead of being this nerdy superbrain he is the well grounded, social and sensitive type. He helped me find my holistic goal, see the comprehensive complexity of Permaculture and life. Javan leads by example and I am very grateful for all that he has given to me as a teacher and contemporary and I therefore highly recommend to anyone to have him help you with your project or course.