Description

Patrick’s Debrief:

The role you played

In addition to being a paying participant in the convergence, I was also a represented three distinct entities. The first was my local bio region. Colorado had a large representation at this convergence and I was happy to be a part of such an awesome group. Folks like Sandy Cruz, Jason Gerhardt, Avery Ellis, Kelly Simmons, John Anderson, Adam Brock and many others (Including Gaia U folks!) from Colorado attended the convergence. I know we all made an impression on the collective and there may be some future yields that come of it such as possibly hosting the next national/continental convergence in our beautiful State!

The second role I played was as a representative for Gaia University. In addition to wearing an identifying button, I engaged in conversations with people while wearing the hat of an associate on the pathway to earning a master’s degree.

The role others played

I was very impressed by the dedication and passion demonstrated my Kirsten, Jennifer, and Ava. Their commitment to Gaia U was revealed to me through their constant dialog with each other about strategies, ways to improve, and through conversations that they had with potential new associates.

There were also a handful of other associates present such as Kate, Coco, Benjamin, and others who all wore a Gaia U button “Is Gaia U 4 U?” and took turns tabling the booth.

How Gaia U was viewed

I think Gaia U was very well received by the permaculture community. The happy hour session was such a brilliant way to draw people together and have dialog around this particular option for formal permaculture education.

Potential associates from events like these

I do believe that a handful of other potential associates engaged in some wonderful conversations that might lead to new enrollment.

The value of joining a Gaia U gather-in to events like these

In addition to getting to know some of my friends a bit better (it helped that I got to ride with some of them to the conference in their RV!!) I also felt proud to represent the organization and to be a part of a group rather than just an individual as I walked around the conference. The merging of a Gaia U gather-in with the NAPC made so much sense. I foresee Gaia U gather-in events to consistently correspond with permaculture gatherings including the international gatherings (which I think there are already plans to do!)

The type and quality of the PR materials

The bound op documents were a nice touch to give outsiders a feel for what it is that associates actually produce. Also, the map with all of the associate and faculty flags provided a great visual for the scope of Gaia U.

The Gaia U Tent

The Tent was nicely organized and felt very welcoming.

Our presentations

I was not present for any of the presentations

Suggestions for future events

Be sure to continue to host a happy hour!!

What you learned about “product/market fit

I learned that there seems to be many people in the permaculture community, even folks higher up like the PINA folks, who envision the same sort of organized educational network that Gaia U is actually doing. Many people, I think, desire to be the umbrella organization but the fact of the matter is that Gaia U is already leaps and bounds ahead of many of these visionaries. Gaia U is a great market fit for the permaculture community.

North American Permaculture Convergence Write Up

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