G8 Earth Activist Training
27th May – 5th June 05
With Starhawk, Erik Ohlsen* and special guests
Talamh, Scotland

Extended Deadline for application! 1st May 2005!!!

Application form in Word format

Full details in Word format

This is a special, short Permaculture Course which is specially directed to helping with preparations for the planned encampments, convergence centres and community outreach leading up to the G8 protests in early July. It’s designed so both new people and experienced permies can take part, and will prepare us to aid the many other groups mobilising around the G8 in the creation of an eco-village for the protests that will be a model of the world we want.

For the actual creation of the eco-village, we will be working as individuals in the consensus meetings that will run the site or sites. We believe that an ecological perspective based on permaculture and design will be of great value, and that the skills learned in this course can be useful for not only this mobilisation against the G8 but many possible future events and to deepen our understanding in general.

The course is divided into 3 parts to allow for people with less time, or more Permaculture experience to pick and mix (although people are encouraged to do the whole 10 days).

Part I: May 27-29 Introduction and Principles
Practicing permaculture requires a shift in our awareness, from a focus on separate objects to an understanding of integrated system. This weekend begins that process with exercises in awareness and observation, and an introduction to the principles of permaculture and ecological design. How does nature work, and how do we work as nature working to design self-sustaining systems of beneficial relationships? Observation and site analysis, zone and sector analysis, and basic design processes will be covered, especially as they relate to social change and political activism. Required for those new to permaculture who wish to participate in the following week. Those who already have a permaculture design certificate may elect to skip this course, but we believe it can also be a useful review and provide a different perspective for those who do have experience.

Part II: May 29 (Evening)—June 3
Ecocamps and Convergence Centers: Applied permaculture
In this 5 day course we will apply permaculture principles, practices and techniques to the challenges of building an eco-base camp for the protests of the upcoming G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. We will design both an urban and rural centre, considering ways to provide for basic sanitation and shelter, meeting spaces, security, social spaces, etc. and how to leave both the land and the community healthier than we found them. Hands-on sessions will teach the skills necessary to realize these designs. This experience can also be applied to other encampments and situations where temporary or emergency communities are formed; relief work, refugee camps, peace camps, long-term tree sits, etc. In addition, we aim to help conceive and design projects in local communities that will be carried out during the G8 by the “Cre8 Summat” group.

Part III: June3-5 Training for Trainers
Now that we have some level of skill, how do we pass it on? We’ll review consensus process and teach facilitation techniques, discuss power and gender dynamics and present the Empowered Learning Model that we use in teaching. We’ll also create agendas and curricula, learn how to organize and carry out work projects, use games, role plays and other forms of experiential learning, and how to teach hands-on skills.

Costs:
We want to offer this course on a pay-what you-can basis, so people with little money can come. Suggested donations for accommodation and teaching are £3-15 a day (or more if you can afford it. Please be honest!)
Food is expected to cost an extra £4-5 a day.

Accommodation:
The course will be run at Talamh (pronounced 'talav') Life Centre in Lanarkshire, Scotland (www.talamhlifecentre.org.uk ). It is based on the land with “field kitchen” and courtyard buildings. Sleeping arrangements will be mainly camping and some bunks. A list of local B&B’s can be provided.

Contact:
For information, email earthactuk@123mail.org
Email your application form (below) to earthactuk@123mail.org
or post to: Earth Act Training,

c/o Wishing Well Cottage, Pitt Court, North Nibley, Glos GL11 6EB, UK

Help:

People!!!
During the time between the course and the G8 summit many people will be needed to accomplish the set-up - design, planning, and gathering materials (particularly in the week or two beforehand). Please get in touch if you can help.

Plants!!!
Are you starting seeds for your garden now? Can you start some extra, in time to be planted in mid-June to early July? Do you know how to take cuttings? Plants needed are annuals for summer gardens, perennials, trees and shrubs that can thrive in the Scottish climate.

Money!!!
Donations are much needed and will be deeply appreciated. If you can,
please help to pay for materials and living expenses for those who
create the eco-village. (Cheques payable to "Earth Act Training UK")

* Core facilitators:
Starhawk teaches Permaculture, magic and activism on The Earth Activist Training courses which run twice a year in California and occasionally in the UK.
She is a committed global justice activist and organizer, main focus for the last several years has been the global justice movement; Starhawk has taken part in many of the major actions, including those in Seattle, Washington DC, Quebec City, Genoa, New York City, Cancun, Mexico, and Miami. She co-founded RANT: Root Activists' Network of Trainers, and teaches non-violent direct action trainings for groups throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Palestine, and South America. She is the author or co-author of ten books. Her works include The Spiral Dance, and the now-classic ecotopian novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing. A personal favorite is award-winning Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising. Starhawk's new book: The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature.
(www.starhawk.org )

Erik Ohlsen is of the new generation of permaculture teachers. In his mid-twenties, he's devoted the past five years to building sustainability movements locally and internationally. Erik is a co-founder of the RITES Project (Returning Intentions Toward Ecological Sustainability), Green Bloc Sonoma County, and Adopt-an-Activist. He is active in the Sonoma County Permaculture Guild. Erik has strong skills in ecological design (theory, techniques, and application), as well as consensus and facilitation, campaign organizing, and community-building strategies. He devotes himself to being an educator and builder of workable alternatives, with the ultimate goal of implementing ecological, social, and economic change.

APPLICATION FORM

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