This is a template to use as a guide to help you set up a Permaculture guild in your local community.  This format is based off of guilds formed in the San Francisco Bay area that had first been formed loosely and without much structure, beginning in 2002.  Over the course of 18 months much was learned through trial and error, networking across the county and recognizing personal patterns as the guild developed.  This template can also be used as a guide for setting up a localized group that might be called something different than a Permaculture guild, as the name is not the point but that we are all working towards a more just, sacred and sustainable future.

    This structure was developed from the general model of natural patterning and the core Permaculture process. In turn these guilds are developing into localized groups that are organized and linked together to that of the Regional guild.  The Regional Guild is made of Professionals within the field of Permaculture, while the smaller localized groups consist of a wider range of people who have integrated Permaculture into their daily practice, however they are not necessarily certified Permaculture designers.  The Regional guild is a networking hub; its primary function is to provide support to permaculturists in the field and in the practice of teaching P/C to others.  It also helps host workshops and events as well as provides mutual aid and protection to people within the Permaculture movement.  Below is the basic structure and template.

This structural template shows how local guilds can be organized. Each local guild has freedom to customize the structure to accommodate their focus, size and overall scale they choose to function within the community.   At the regional level we are becoming well organized and prepared for the restoration of cultural decisions. At each level the integrity of Permaculture is of utmost importance and a commitment to the core ethics and principles is essential for the guild and members of it.

Each regional guild operates independently yet is apart of a greater whole.  This Permaculture Alliance of California (PAC) is in the process of formulating its connections with all the regions. Each region has been acquiring non-profit sponsorship from established Permaculture Institutes or formulating their own. Due to involvement of members and the critical energy mass, certain localized guilds are obtaining Fiscal sponsorship of other non-profits in order to operate more readily and independently.

Taking the concepts of zonation in Permaculture and applying them to this format we see this definition more clearly

•    Zone 1 Local Guild Structure
•    Zone 2  Bay Area Regional Permaculture Convergence, Regional Guild structure, Permaculture Alliance of             California
•    Zone 3 Pacifica Association of Permaculture Institutes and Teachers
•    Zone 4 North American Permaculture,
•    Zone 5 International Permaculture Community, Global Scale


    This template and process is still under development and plans to complete its initial phase by Jan.- Mar. 2004, meaning that local guilds will implement this design.  It is noted that the function and structure of the guilds is meant to grow and change.  At every Annual convergence of the BARPC, the process will be re-assessed and modified appropriately by the guilds that are applying it.

Modified and adjusted September 2004, March 2006 & July 2007



TEMPLATE

Each element listed below is structured through the Pc lens with the core ethics and principles being represented.  Those ethics being; Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.  The cyclical return of the abundance of any surplus furthering the first two.  The principles are much more elaborate yet the main ones being stressed in this template are; see the problem as the solution, Every element serves multiple functions, the design is theoretically unlimited, cooperation not competition, and the least change for the greatest effect.


LOCALIZED GUILD STRUCTURE                           

THE LOCAL GUILD FUNCTIONS BY :
•    Building personal relationships
•    Becoming more connected with fellow permaculturists
•    The Garden Wheel
•    Local Projects and the networking of Groups
•    Permaculture projects


Building personal relationships. The primary function of local guilds is to build personal relationships that help foster a culturally rich community.

Becoming more connected with fellow permaculturists. To stay inspired and networked with all the positive solutions that we as permaculturists are doing

The Garden Wheel. The meeting format, Rotating from site to site to come together and put our energy into our own home zones, Planting seeds and growing food and habitat as a collective.

Local Projects and the networking of Groups The actions of the local guild is to network within already established groups that are carrying out projects of good nature in the community that are in line with Permaculture or sustainability; if none exist then the local guild takes on this task and assumes responsibility.

Permaculture projects, as a guild we move out into our greater watershed to design and implement as many Permaculture projects as possible to restore, revitalize and regenerate natural systems that have been impacted by our human practices. These are organized or freestyle projects.


THE LOCALIZED GUILD OPERATES WITH:
•    Volunteers
•    Membership
•    Workshops and events
•    Community Support
•    A newsletter and directory

 Volunteers – The  Inner Workings All positions and roles fulfilled are volunteer based.  It is very important that every volunteer is supported and not overly criticized.  It will help tremendously if people rotate positions over the years to better understand all the positions and their demands. 

The Members ~ Community - Memberships are the key to the existence of a guild and serve as the contingent of folks who have dedicated themselves to the earth and to shifting the current paradigm into one that has the ability to sustain regenerative natural systems. Two types of members are active and supportive. Active members hold positions and are actively involved in the happenings and activities of the regional guild.  Supportive members contribute financially and physically to the guild yet hold no major responsibility.

Workshops and events  A Bioregional Connection. These are the fun and learning aspects of the guilds outward expression.   Mostly the focus of workshops is to bring in specialists from within the community or from afar to present their work and lead to a higher evolution of guild members.  Skill shares, work parties, potlucks, sustainability tours, special guest presentation and sacred ceremony are some examples.

Greater Community Support.  It is evident that our main work is to help cultivate a more permanent culture.  It is through the building of community that this metamorphosis takes place.  Permaculture is the ‘common’ ‘unity’ that this collective shares and everyone is present for supporting each other in their daily life and to cooperate not compete with the ideas and concepts that members have energy in pursuing.

Newsletter, Bringing it all together. A newsletter is put out once every season and is a report on all the happenings of the guild and it’s members, regionally and locally.  The newsletter contains member’s contribution, project reports, seasonal reminders, calendar of events and future visioning. 



BEING A MEMBER OF A LOCAL GUILD
                       
Membership to a guild offers:
•    A quarterly Newsletter, which includes update of events/calendar, workshops hosted by the guild, features of guild members, and much more.
•    A local directory; hard copy upon request.  Has contact info as well as areas of interest and skill set of all local guild members; this is from local assessment
•    Opportunity to be connected in numeral ways to projects and events put on by locally affiliated groups within the greater Permaculture network.
•    Workshops; The guild will host a series of workshops that are open to all guild members within the community, more reason to become a member


To become a member one is encouraged and needs to :
•    Pay memberships dues -- Annual Memberships dues $25 to $50
•    Attend at least two garden wheel events per year
•    Work towards improving the environment and the state of the Earth
•    Have the foundational concepts, equivalent of an Intro to Permaculture Course or one’s PDC.
•    Attend at least one meeting per year
•    Volunteer at an event hosted by the guild
*All active members are asked to attend al monthly meetings.


The cycle of a local guild:
•    Meetings happen every month,
•    Garden Wheel work parties happen at least every other month, 6 to 12 annually
•    Any subcommittees meetings take place either at these garden wheel gatherings, as breakout groups or in between.   
•    A two-day working retreat happening once a year open to all active members to assess, vision and plan.
•    Major Decisions are processed on Consensus
•    These Garden Wheel events are structured as a one day work party with an optional potluck, depending on the host. To assess, vision and plan and implement.  They will rotate throughout the local bioregion.   
•    All those assigned roles are committed to making these gatherings and are allowed leave for special circumstances.
•    An annual Permaculture Convergence will take place in which all members of the BARP and local Guilds are encouraged to attend,
•    A newsletter will put out every season (4 times a year)






POSITIONS AND ROLES WITHIN A LOCAL GUILD                   
These positions help give a basic structure so the local guild stays functional throughout the business of the year. They are clearly defined as to give authority to certain individuals to assume responsibility within the guild and so folks know what they are committing these roles are basic and can be elaborated upon greatly.

 These positions are designed to change over time and most have the time commitment of a one-year cycle.  All position require one person taking the lead, however most roles are designed to be a group of people working together

1.    Co-Presidents -Role is as meeting organizer, two people alternating and working together as a steering committee for the over all coordination of the guild, Facilitate in meetings

2.    Treasury- Deals with membership $ and finances as well as delegation of funds

3.    Secretary- Is in charge of notes being taken at meetings; refining important info for newsletter submission, Posts notes to lists of local guilds.

4.    Newsletter- Responsible for a newsletter coming out once every 4 months, subcommittee of 4

5.    Directory- Membership person, In charge of new member sign up and keeping a directory of all members and making that available to all members either by soft or hard copy

6.    Phone person- Calls everyone in guild when need be, can set up phone tree.

7.    Workshop Coordinator- Is in charge of workshop organization, logistics, also finds teachers to fill courses and workshops that the guild hosts
8.    Garden Wheel Coordinator – Is in charge of the wheel’s list and making sure that the host is notified and if anything is needed will help rally resources
9.    Host – Spoke in the wheel, Pulls on the support of people in the guild and orchestrates a work party at their site, coordinates potluck if desired.
10.    Events- helps to schedule and notify guild of events of interest, also is head of a committee to organize events
11.    Techie- Deals with Web based material and interface
12.    Fundraising- any cottage industry and fundraising that the guild chooses to do
13.    Advertising and posting- in charge of doing any ad work for events, workshops, tours, and courses that guild hosts
14.    Hands-on Project coordinator- Projects that the guild would like to take on as a collective, any help people need on projects or want to give, this person helps facilitate,
15.    Tours- this person helps coordinate regional tours of sites that are examples of sustainability
16.    Local community liaison- Is point person between the guild and what’s up in local community groups
17.    Livelihood networker- Contact person for lining up public interest of projects with skilled guild members via directory
18.    Art Director – Helps coordinates artistic aspects of the guilds’ projects

At meetings these roles will be filled by the above or by people at the meeting

1.    Facilitators – Help coordinate structural aspects and living agendas at working meetings
2.    Note takers – records important information
3.    Time keepers – Keeps events and meetings on time to respect peoples schedules
4.    Vibes watcher – If tension rises or conflict begins this person is empowered to point it out so that situation does not escalate.