Those of you who did not attend the International Permaculture Convergence in Jordan can still access and share in the energy and enthusiasm that resulted from the meeting and meaningful exchanges between Permaculturists from nearly 40 countries converging in the desert of Wadi Rum.

As part of the overall design of the Convergence, the final day was devoted entirely to an Open Space event using Open Space Technology. For those who haven’t heard of this group process, it is a social technology with a successful track record in diverse circumstances that has been developed internationally over the past 25 years of practice. This process always and only lives and thrives on the passions and responsibility of the people who make up the entire group. It is a particularly useful process where there are a large diversity of participants, a complex issue with no simple or obvious answers, an urgency or time critical dimension to the situation, and even potential or actual conflict or disagreements within the group. If these conditions are present, as they were for this international body in Jordan, then Open Space Technology can be a useful tool assisting the emergence of novel and creative solutions, increased network connections, spontaneous initiatives and agreements, as well as increased whole system understanding and capacity. As facilitator of this process in Jordan, I can tell you that the activity and dynamism of this group was incredible to witness, as they organized themselves around the things they care about most.

A significant outcome from the IPC-10 Open Space day at Wadi Rum is the Book of Proceedings. This document is full of information, diverse forms of data, and heartening inspiration for Permaculturists interested in the global future of Permaculture. The theme that focused the Open Space event was: Within ourselves and our communities… What do we need to change… What do we need to share… How do we best support each other … in growing a global Permaculture future. Sessions were convened by participants around this theme. As such, the Book of Proceedings that resulted offers us a unique vantage point and ‘snap-shot’ of what questions, initiatives, topics and themes are important to the larger international body of Permaculture at this particular moment in time. Additionally, it is a rich resource for finding other examples, stories, people, and supportive networks for many of these topics and activities, if you would like to further any of this work, or connect it to your own.

Please find and download (5MB) the IPC-10 Open Space Book of Proceedings, as well as many presentations given at the IPC 10, at: http://permaculture.org.au/2011/10/27/presentations-for-download-from-the-tenth-international-permaculture-conference-ipc10-in-jordan