Educational Structures in Portugal
Introduction
Table of contents
- Educational System in Portugal
- Permaculture organisations, courses and teachers in Portugal:
- Projecto Novas Descobertas
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- Number of courses run in 2012
- Update – How have the Permaculture Educational Structures changed in Portugal in the years 2012 – 2014?
- Diploma Pathway
- Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities (PDF)
Educational System in Portugal
Notes of a presentation given by Leslie Martin follow:
- Leslie did a diploma in the UK, then moved to Portugal about 13 years ago
- Portugal is very hungry for information
- 4000 participants on website
- Portugal operated under the wings of the British PC Association
- A second tutor was trained when it was required, so now there are two diploma tutors in Portugal
- They felt the need to simplify the system and to make it cheaper (many people are unemployed)
- The system works via Training Credits. Students have to collect 200 points (at least 80 on design, 70 on training credits)
- There are a network of projects recognised by the organisation
Update – How have the Permaculture Educational Structures changed in Portugal in the years 2012 – 2014?
André Carvalho, Portugal, interviewed by Alberto Jiménez 28th of July 2014
1) Has the interest in permaculture increased in your country, and how do you respond to this?
Yes. There is an exponential growth of permaculture designed projects and an increase in permaculture design interest catalysed mainly by the social networks and media platforms. It is becoming obvious that we need to re-engineer the way we do things across all dimensions of human activity, from social design to ecological regeneration. There is an increase in engagement from all walks of life: from local governments, to public school teachers, land owners, and urban dwellers. We see a raising awareness on the subject and the importance of regenerative design processes. We respond to this need by organising clarification sessions and events where people get to know better what permaculture design is and how it can be applied to any situation, anywhere on earth, that requires holistic systems-design.
2) Do you have more active permaculture teachers in your country now? / Are more foreign teachers coming to your country to deliver courses?
Yes. Potential permaculture design teachers were given tools and methods for efficient learning. There is an evident growth in permaculture design courses taught in portuguese language, there are foreign teachers focused in delivering courses focused on teacher training and communication tools. There is a decrease in foreign teachers delivering permaculture design courses.
3) What has your organisation learned from the presentations/exchange with other national organisations?
Our organisation has learned about the challenges and strategies applied in the different national contexts, and how they are improving and widening the participation of population in permaculture design education.
4) Has there been changes on your national level (organisation wise) and in the pathway to diploma?
After the meeting in Portugal a work-group was created to explore the needs of permaculture education development on the portuguese context, and how these needs would be met by design. This group has been meeting regularly and has already a beta-system in place that is based on peer-to-peer support, learning guilds, with focus on the roles of tutor in student support and guidance, raising permaculture standards through quality support.