We meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for about 24 hours per week. We spend almost all of our time outdoors; the farm, garden, woods, and ocean are our classroom. Each day includes a blend of activities to engage our head, hearts, and hands. See above for an example week in the Immersion.

Most of our time is spent at the beautiful Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm and surrounding wilderness. We’re located across the street from Año Nuevo State Park, 20 minutes north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1.

This location is the traditional and unceded territory of the Quiroste Tribe of the Awaswas Nation, part of a larger homeland known as Popeloutchom. Today these lands are represented by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, who are the descendants of the Awaswas and Mutsun Nations whose ancestors were taken to Mission Santa Cruz and Mission San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast.

The curriculum for our learning journey aims to synergize structure and emergence. By that we mean there is a plan however there is a lot of spaciousness built in so that we can customize the experience based on what emerges in the group and the individuals. 

There are three anchor points setup throughout the program: at the beginning, the middle, and the end. At these three points students will revisit and revise their learning goals, have one-on-one coaching sessions, and group sessions focused on surfacing the collaborative wisdom of the group (i.e. “hive mind”). We’ve found this pattern to be not only transformative for individuals but also deeply moving for the group.

We offer supplemental suggested reading and resources throughout the course that you may use to investigate topics in more depth. These readings are not required, but encouraged.

Folks of all backgrounds are welcome here. There is no prerequisite to the Immersion course. It may help if you have taken a Permaculture Design Course previously, but it is not required. Please contact us if you have any questions about your unique situation.

Our courses are very intergenerational. We are happy that our courses attract a wide variety of folks – youngers, middlers, and olders alike.

Yes, international students are welcome and encouraged. Participants are welcome to camp from Monday night through Friday. For the off-farm days between class, we encourage you to explore our region, which is filled with beautiful parks and preserves, many with campgrounds. Alternatively, Santa Cruz, 20 minutes south of the farm, and San Francisco, 50 minutes north of the farm, offer many accommodation options.

A Permaculture Design Certificate is not required prior to enrolling in the course. Our curriculum covers many topics that are discussed in our PDC, but delves deeper, providing you with a more in-depth knowledge. We also cover many topics not present in the PDC as well. Many participants will find that having already completed a PDC will enhance their ability to engage with the topics.

Yes, we highly encourage participants to consider coming back for additional quarters. The arc of our learning journey covers the annual cycle and each quarter will focus not only on seasonal aspects of farming and ecology, but on varying cultural and creative components.

Absolutely! This program will provide you with practical hands-on skills, as well as relationship and communication skills for the Great Turning. The Permaculture Immersion engages collaborative learning in service of transitioning from industrial growth society to a life-sustaining society. Whether you would like to start a permaculture farm, education program, or something else entirely, the Immersion will help you gain the knowledge and personal wisdom needed to go forth with those goals.

Yes. Santa Cruz Permaculture is setup to offer internship credit through the Environmental Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz.