Julianne King
Public Servant - CanadaLife Design, Life Design for Permaculture, PDC StudentI was a student of yours when I took Verge’s PDC course in 2015 in Invermere. I owe you a huge thank you for the wisdom you brought to that course – it left a lasting impression on me!I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the Holistic Management and Life Design tools and frameworks. I’ve refined my personal holistic context and kept it relevant, and I’ve used the HM framework for project management too.I see the most valuable aspects of the context work to be 1. the innovative holistic “framework” approach that differs from both linear project management tools and typical self-help programs or practices, 2. doing visioning work without setting specific goals or making decisions, 3. the testing questions that make the context operational (praxis, if you will), 4. having an approach that scales well and is transferable/adaptable to almost any “project”. This is how I see the value and this is how I’ve explained it to my friends. From what I’ve heard so far, they agree that these things are uniquely valuable. One friend said that the fact that the HM approach isn’t Oprah’s or Wayne Dyer’s thing but is a tool designed and taught by many permaculturists was significant for them and helped them put faith in the utility and effectiveness of HM. I thought that was interesting. Overall, I think that (as with so many things) you get out of it what you put into it, and you can’t expect HM to do the work for you, which is to say, it’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
Esther Boreel
Midwife - NeatherlandsEducation, OSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThis was the perfect timing and opportunity for me to take the OSU PDC because it was online and I had to make a design for my new site. I have learned so much about everything! I though I knew it all, but I realized I didn’t. I observe differently and I see a lot of opportunities now that I never saw before; my brains just works different and I love it!
Your feedback helped me to get a better understanding and you start with a compliment which is really nice if you expect the worse. The reading, lecture and video’s were good and gave a lot of information. Thank you so much Javan. I realize that this was just the beginning; I already changed my plan every day and I’m already feel an urge to do the next permaculture-isch course.
Brian Croker
International Security - Okinawa, JapanOSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThe Oregon State University Permaculture Design Course is an expertly organized course of instruction that appropriately leverages an online learning environment, and along with dedicated and professional instructors, conveys an important body of knowledge in a relatively short period of time. The course materials (videos, text, and supplementary content) coupled with the weekly assignments allows students to quickly put concepts into practice. Doing peer reviews in large groups exposes you to your classmates, a variety of locations, and varying methods for implementing the course content. Peer reviews add an additional dimension to learning the course material while allowing you the space to make your personal journey. I took the OSU Permaculture Design Course to improve my family’s access to food which is frequently impacted by natural disasters. I left the course with the tools I need to be successful in designing my own site, but I also gained a deeper appreciation of nature as well as curiosity that will push me to seek additional knowledge. I emphatically recommend this course to anyone who is interested in Permaculture, desires to gain a better understanding of the natural world or is simply interested in being more involved with their food.
Gernot Premper
VenezuelaOSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThis was my first experience with online learning and I was quite amazed how good it worked for me. I found the examples and the material prepared to help me understand the topics, easy to digest and helpful with the sometimes challenging tasks for every week. The comments I received from our instructor Javan gave new insights and let to improve the final result.
Starhawk
Educator/Activist/Author/Change MakerEducation, Land Design, Life Design, Life Design for Permaculture, PDC Student, SpeakingJavan Bernakovitch has presented several times in our Earth Activist Trainings, and I’m always so happy to have him! His work combines personal empowerment with a hard-headed business sense and a deep understanding of the permaculture principles and their practical applications. Our students find his work helps them determine their own niche in the permaculture world, and is especially useful when they have some basic knowledge and are looking at what direction to take next. He has my highest recommendation!
Jessica Levine
Visual Artist and College Professor - VA, USAOSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThank you for your work in the world. This course has been thrilling, grueling and most points in between. I feel well prepared to go forth and let a food forest come into being on the little piece of land 1/10th of an acre, of which I steward.
Many thanks to you, the teachers, graders, students, permaculture colleagues.
Dave Andrews
Professor of Horticulture and Sustainable Agriculture at Cosumnes River College, CaliforniaLand Design, OSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThank you so very much for this wonderful course! One of the best online experiences that I have had. This course has allowed me to grow as a professional and as an educator. Thank you for the tremendous amount of time you all have put in to this program, and for all of your teaching, mentoring, and support!
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Amy Rougler
Manager - FranceEducation, General, Land Design, OSU PDC Student, PDC StudentThank you for your support and instruction for the Permaculture Design course. The course was incredibly challenging, and each week I would wonder how I was going to do the homework. Then I somehow did thanks to many hours of research, redos, and support.I found the videos you and Neil made to be essential! So essential that I’m not sure how students in other groups get the homework done!It really helped to see examples and clarify expectations. I think if I didn’t have the videos, I might have found the course to be frustrating. For an online course it was rigorous and I am glad I had the time to dedicate to it and I am really proud of myself for completing it.I appreciated you encouraging us not to focus on grades but on learning, since I was definitely that student in school that cared way too much about grades. Since it was such a challenging course for me, it was validating to see that I was understanding the essentials and able to apply it to a real place.I really enjoyed the format of the course – each week using a different lens to go through the design process. I feel as though my observation and analytical skills have been sharpened and I see the world in a much more interconnected and complex way. I am excited to build on what I have learned now that I know all the things I need to learn more about!Thank you again for your support, teaching, and time.
Sophie Strobele
Gardner - GermanyEducation, General, Land Design, OSU PDC Student, PDC StudentI’m so grateful for your detailed response, feedback and the great input! Really motivating to get the design started.
I noted all the points you mentioned and would love to keep in touch over the design process. Your and Neils idea of the support group is really wonderful!
All the best to you and good luck for upcoming projects, looking forward to staying in touch.
PS – And as a little extra to my euphoria of finsihing the PCD course, i gave birth to my daughter last week, just on the finishing day of the course. She waited for me to finish the master plan 🙂 Very excited to bring up this child in the permaculture environment and mindset. Thank you so much for teaching and guiding us so patiently and professionally.