Some feedback from our past PDCs:
“EVERYONE should do this course.” ~ Kate Dundas, (Check out her 3000acres TED talk), Autumn 2014 PDC
“It was awesome. It will change my way of living. I loved it.”
“This course is one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life, I can’t recommend it enough.”
“Inspiring, holistic, amusing, challenging, unifying, fast moving, happy, effective, practical, connected/connecting, beautiful locations, excellent food & hosts. KUDOS!”
“Very practical, nurturing, respectful. Such an enjoyable way to learn. Thank you so much xx”
“Fun, energetic and engaging is the key to learning, and Adam and Dan absolutely nailed it!”
“I have told many people that the course was absolutely fantastic! I said that while the facilitators, the education, the information, structure and location were excellent – it was just so much more than that.”
“It was life changing in the best way, inspiring, and full to the brim with all the good stuff.”
“The VEG PDC course has redirected my life forever. I can’t recall the last time I laughed, learnt and loved something so much, even with 28 strangers on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Not only have I gained new skills and knowledge about permaculture but have found an awesome permie community for life.”
“Impressed, very, by the accessibility of the content. I’ve learnt more and consolidated formerly disparate knowledge FAR more efficiently than in any other learning experience.”
“I learnt so much! I felt very comfortable to ask questions, and loved the amazing community vibe that was created. The structure was very helpful — introducing each new topic in a really flowing and relevant way! WELL DONE!!”
“I loved the spread of the experience of different contexts of permaculture from rural to urban… Dan and Adam presenting with thought, depth, fun, engagement, openness, experience and balance… The community and networking… The food. The broad context… The inspiring opportunity to visit David’s and Darren’s.”
“Honestly, this is the best educational experience I’ve ever had… I feel a bit angry my school teachers weren’t so inspiring and clear.”
What did you like MOST about this course? “I loved visiting working, real permaculture sites and seeing them in action.”
What did you like the LEAST about this course? “That it had to end.”
It warmed our heart to read this one:
This course helped me bring random pieces of information together into a framework/lens I can now use throughout life. I knew the course would be inspiring but didn’t realise it would have such an influence on the way I practice life. It helped my family make some big decisions, and has had a positive impact on many of my family and friends. How we eat, use, and share our local resources has been one of the immediate outcomes. As I’ve said before, there have been a few things in life that have made my tail wag – this course has made it wag so frantically that at times I’m still afraid it’s going to smack me in the head!
Thanks for being such inspiring teachers, and for the experts you introduced us to. I felt very lucky to meet them all and to see the range of properties we did. The weekend course format was great in allowing it all to slow, spread, soak and store – and sharing it with my family, friends and workmates was an important part of the process. The food was always wonderfully nourishing, thoughtful & gorgeous. I loved closing our eyes at times and telling stories – this is how every school kid should feel – always eager to see what might come next. An absolute blessing of an experience – I feel so lucky to have been a part of it. Meeting you all has made me feel less alone with my ideas – I have been contented and invigorated at the same time – many many many thanks!!!
~ Nikki, Spring 2013 PDC
And this was a lovely post-PDC email from Harriet (Spring 2015):
If you’re considering this PDC, if you are even contemplating it, then I cannot urge you enough to just do it. It’s worth every moment of your time and money or any other worldly item you have to barter with. These testimonials were quite an important part of why I did the course, and I remember thinking, will it be useful, relevant, technical, inspiring? Will it be just picking up a few skills on how to transform my backyard? Will it be professional, relaxed, well-run? I can whole-heartedly say that this is up there with the most immersive, life-changing, idea-creating, sense-making course I’ve ever done. Yes, there are large parts that are technically very useful (not to mention extremely interesting) about soil and water and contours and land and so on. And there’s the design process and execution, which is fascinating and rewarding and brilliantly communicated. But holding that all together is the approach that this PDC takes to get you there. This is life-skills stuff, directly relevant to your job, your home, your family. And layered on all that is a course that responds to various learning styles (you’ll learn a lot about facilitation just by observing the excellent learning environment).
If you are deciding between this PDC and another – then there is simply no question. If you are deciding between this PDC and something else or nothing else, then I also cannot urge you enough, if you give a stuff about creating a more positive future, leadership, personal development and picking up a few handy facts and skills.
Now I should say that this PDC is not for everyone. But if you are willing to go with an open-ish mind, and can imagine a better future than the one that is panning out for us now, then this is for you. Happy to chat through with any potential PDC-ers!
(If you’d like to talk to Harriet or other graduates, we can put you in touch.)
Survey Responses:
At the end of each course and we ask people to give us ratings. Here’s the average ratings from our Spring 2015 course.
Quality of information: 9.7 / 10
Quality of communication: 9.5 / 10
Relevance of content to you: 9.5 / 10
Course notes: 9.4 / 10
Venues: 9.4 / 10
Food: 9.2 / 10
Other praise…
“I turned up week after week to be talked at for three hours. There was little opportunity to question or interact with the information. It turned material I was passionate about into a chore. If I could have my time again I would sign up to a PDC that understands that it’s important to have a balance between theory and practical application.”
Yikes! But that’s feedback a student of another permaculture course forwarded to us.
“Adam Grubb and Dan Palmer are some of the most accomplished urban permaculture designers I know. Aside from being the founding forces of the Permablitz movement, they also design professionally – creating functional, edible awesomeness in small suburban spaces through their Melbourne Permaculture business, Very Edible Gardens (VEG).” ~ Kirsten from Milkwood Permaculture
