Thriving in Comminities

An interactive workshop for those already living in an intentional community or a close-knit neighbourhood.  Robina will facilitate community evolution using her participatory processes for collective decision-making and action, with a focus on balancing private needs and collective endeavours.  Themes include: the Life Cycle of Communities, Community Powerbase, Conflict Resolution, Sustainable Businesses, Labour Sharing, Grounding Vision.

About Robina McCurdy

Throughout her life, Robina McCurdy has worked to bring about significant changes in the lives of people, their communities and their environment. She is co founder/resident/trustee of Tui Land Trust & 38 year old Tui Community and founder/trustee of the Institute for Earthcare Education Aotearoa. Globally, for the past 25 years she has been engaged in
permaculture education and community development of various forms.

During this time, she has produced a range of environmental education resources and participatory processes for decision-making and collective action, culminating in the publication of her community facilitation manual, 'Grounding Vision, Empowering Culture'. She also has chapters in: 'Creating Harmony: Conflict Resolution in Community', and ‘Living your
Passion’.

In 2019 she completed Global Ecovillage Network's (GEN) 'Training of Trainers' with Kosha Joubert, as well as organising and attending a GEN 'Power of Community' course in New Zealand. Robina's community facilitation work encompasses ‘midwifing’ new initiatives, squatter settlement re-development, long-term conflict resolution, the training of community leaders as 'cultural change agents', participatory planning of orphanages, mentoring of new ecovillages, social renewal of existing ecovillages, participatory permaculture design of ecovillage infrastructure, and strengthening the community culture within existing organizations.

In Aotearoa-New Zealand, she has facilitated specific development stages of: Earthsong Eco-neighbourhood, Otamatea Ecovillage, Turanga Farm Eco-hamlet, Gricklegrass Community, Riverside Community, Tui Community, Mohua Ecovillage, Atamai Ecovillage and Awaawaroa Ecovillage and initiated Tipuranga Ecovillage core-group, to pioneer a new
large-scale ecovillage.

Internationally she has worked with organisations in 10 countries, including: The Findhorn Foundation (Scotland), Crystal Waters Ecovillage (Australia), OUR Ecovillage (Canada), Burdatien Ecovillage (Ireland), Good Enough Community (USA), The Landless People's Movement communities (Brazil), Garapaba Ecovillage (Brazil), Tholego and Swellendam Ecovillages (Sth Africa).