From the beginning, the founding members of the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute articulated that a goal for the organization was to improve access to our programming, and in particular to our Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) course held each summer.
Eight years and eleven PDCs later, we are proud to announce two initiatives to increase the affordability of this intensive and life-changing course.
The course is an investment in one’s future, and we believe a worthwhile one. But running a PDC is not cheap. Camp infrastructure, support staff, teachers, and cooks, plus providing three mostly local and organic meals a day to learning community of up to 30 people for 16 days adds up quickly.
We are proud as an organization that we’ve been able to remain persistent and offer the PDC each year to a wide range of students, despite challenges. Yet we recognize that not all people can afford $1400 for a course, so have developed options for reduced tuition. The following discounts are an abundant yield from years of successful courses and generous alumni.
Learn more about the PDC (videos.)
Work Trade
We need hard workers who will raise and revive the infrastructure of a summer learning community devoted to permaculture education. We seek mature, patient and communicative people who will be living together in labor, study, eating, and camping. Social skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to work hard, are a plus.
This will be an intense and fun two weeks of community living, with time off for the Grassroots Festival of Music. It is followed by your participation in the PDC course and a few days of clean up. Applicants should be willing to camp in the woods of Cayuta Sun, a small woodland farm where the annual summer permaculture course is held.
Your PDC tuition is reduced to $700 in exchange for your contribution.
Your full commitment is needed from July 15 through August 14, 2013.
Apply to the work trade program.
Scholarships
With fiscal sponsorship from the Permaculture Institute of the North East (PINE), FLPCI is offering four scholarships for the 2013 Permaculture Design Certification (PDC).
These scholarships are both need and merit-based. It aims to support community organizers, educators, and activists to share their permaculture knowledge with their communities.
Each scholarship award is $700. Funds will be disbursed by PINE upon completion of the course. Each recipient will be expected to successfully complete FLPCI’s 2013 PDC, and to submit a 2-3 minute video describing how they will utilize their permaculture skills to serve their community.
Women, people of color, and individuals from other historically marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.