Hi. I teach
Permaculture in the Seattle area. I have tons of students that are highly motivated. I am offering counseling sessions with each individual student to help them to find their niche in the
Permaculture field. Once I have helped them to figure out their goals, I focus on finding them resources aimed at helping them achieve these goals. I feel this is a vital part of a
Permaculture Design Course. We need to help these students design their own succession plan for maximizing and fast tracking their own growth.
Where this gets difficult is trying to find the perfect internship that will help the student reach their overall goals of developing certain skills. My hope is to develop a list of internship programs with a brief description of what that internship offers as far as skill development. Every internship has something it specializes in. Having a list like this would help us all better recommend what internships would be best for each individual student.
Here is an example of responses I think would be very helpful.
Inspiration Farm: Bellingham, WA
Approximate Dates: February-November, Possibly Year Round
Specialties: Biodynamic, Plant Nursery/Propogation, Swales/Earthworks
Other Skills: Appropriate Tech,
Seed Saving, Tree Crop Establishment/ Maintenance, Annuals, Mobile Small Livestock Units
Livestock: Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys, Dairy Cows, Sometimes Others
I was an intern here for 3-4 months Fall 2016. Overall, I learned a great deal in a short amount of time. Brian and crew are really great people that I enjoyed living close to. Brian has been working this
land 20+ years and is a highly intelligent and skilled Permaculturist. He offers several educational courses annually at the farm with an occasional
PDC. Brian also does some
Permaculture consultations in the area, but focusses and his own farm, and glass
art in the winter. The farm supplies a large amount of food for residents of the farm and stocks a roadside farm stand. This farm has one of the best examples of an effective
Swale system in the Northwest.
Bullocks Brothers Permaculture Homestead: Orcas Island, WA
Approximate Dates: February-November, Possibly Year Round
Specialties: Professional Plant Nursery/Propogation, Resilient Systems, Education:
PDC's, APDC's, Intro Classes
Other Skills:
Irrigation Systems, Mechanics, Annuals, Tree Crops, Fertility Management,
Food Preservation, Community Living, Landscape Installation Opportunities
Livestock: Chickens, Duck,
Deer Processing
I have never interned at the Bullocks. I spent a month on the Homestead Summer of 2017. I was a co-instructor for the PDC and took their APDC as a student. This is what I have gathered from my time spent on the Homestead. This internship is one of the best opportunities in the world (in my opinion) as far as learning from a ton of
experience. They have been working this land for around 35 years and many of the residents have vast experience in Permaculture from all around the world. Their internship is a very intensive program. Long days working in paradise, great food, and opportunities to learn a wide variety of skills make this internship very popular.
Obviously internships are not the only option for developing skills. I would love to hear any suggestions you have for a young instructor, hoping to help students achieve their dreams.
